Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (16-5, 5-3) Extends Conference Winning Streak to Four Games with Home Victories over MIT and League Leader Clark

The Wheaton College men's basketball team extended its New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) winning streak to four games this week, thank in part to a pair of critical victories over MIT and league leader Clark. Finishing their four-game home stretch with an unblemished mark, the Lyons knocked off MIT, 71-51 on Tuesday and Clark, 79-72 on Saturday in Emerson Gymnasium. Tied for third in the conference race, Wheaton stands two games behind first-place Babson.

Against the Engineers, juniors Scott Mahan (Bridgewater, MA/Cardinal Spellman) and Frankie Whall (Roslindale, MA/Cheshire Academy) combined to score the Lyons' first 14 points early in the first half to give Wheaton a 14-4 lead with 14:25 to play. The Engineers slowly crept back into the game, but the Lyons then went on a 17-8 spurt to take a 37-28 advantage into the intermission. Senior Jarett Lewis (Detroit, MI/South Kent School), sophomore Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) and freshman Jeff Depelteau (South Hadley, MA/Suffield Academy) each hit a three-pointer during the final five minutes of the first half to propel the Lyons to the nine-point advantage.

The Lyons increased their lead to as many as 18 points in the opening minutes of the second stanza, but with 10:34 remaining the Engineers converted a four-point play to bring MIT to within 10 points. In the final 10 minutes, Wheaton went on a 17-7 run to close out the game and secure the victory. Coming into the contest, the Engineers were one of the nation's top teams for field goal percentage defense. MIT held opponents to 38.3 percent through 18 games, but Wheaton finished the night shooting 49.0 percent (24-49 FG) from the floor. Whall led all scorers with 17 points (7-10 FG, 3-4 FT) and eight rebounds, while the Lyons got 12 points and four assists from Lewis.

On Saturday, Mahan recorded a season-high tying 27 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and two blocks, leading Wheaton the seven-point victory over then conference leader Clark. Entering the game, the Cougars were ranked fourth in the latest Northeast poll. In the first half, Wheaton jumped out to an early 12-6 lead on a three-point play by Vega. The Lyons' lead didn't last long however, as Clark hit three straight three-pointers to put the Cougars up 20-18 with over ten minutes left to play. Over the final ten minutes of the stanza, the Cougars outscored Wheaton, 15-8, giving Clark a 35-26 halftime advantage. The Cougars played tough defense, holding the Lyons to 39.3 percent shooting (11-28 FG), including 0-7 from beyond the three-point arc. Clark hit 5-of-11 (.455) from three-point range in the first half. Whall led the Lyons with eight first-half points.

The second half was decided on solid free throw shooting by the Lyons. The Blue and White were able to scrap their way back into the game, tying the contest at 38 points apiece on a Mahan bucket at the 15:01 minute mark. For the next 12 minutes, neither team was able to pull away, as the margin remained no greater than four points. With over three minutes left, the Lyons built a small lead on field goals by Mahan and Whall and secured the win behind clutch free throw shooting down the stretch. Lewis hit 8-of-10 (.800) from the charity stripe in the final minutes to help seal the win. The Lyons made 27-of-32 (.844) from the line in the half and 31-of-37 (.838) for the game. Behind Mahan's hot shooting (10-18 FG, 7-8 FT), the Lyons also received 17 points (6-10 FG, 5-6 FT) and seven rebounds from Whall and 14 points and three assists from Lewis. Vega posted an all-around solid performance, chipping in 10 points with five boards, three assists, three blocks and three steals in the win.

Women's Basketball (7-11, 3-3) Splits Pair of League Games, Beats Wellesley

The Wheaton College women's basketball team posted a 1-2 week overall, including a 1-1 mark in league play, as the Lyons defeated conference rival Wellesley, 49-45 on Tuesday before dropping a pair of road contests at Newbury, 78-69 on Thursday and at Springfield, 68-47 on Saturday. Evening its conference record at 3-3, Wheaton currently sits in fifth place with three league games remaining.

Against Wellesley, senior guard Kerry Deshefy (Clinton, CT/The Morgan School) hit four consecutive free throws down the stretch, leading Wheaton to a four-point victory. The Lyons defeated Wellesley for the first time since the 1998-99 season. Both offenses were limited early in the opening stanza, as Wheaton and Wellesley battled to a 6-6 tie with 15:40 to play. The visitors then reeled off six unanswered points over a 5:10 span to take a 12-6 lead. An Amanda Dow-Allen (Deerfield, MA/Stoneleigh-Burnham) lay-up with 9:32 on the clock broke a scoreless span of 5:55 for the Lyons. Trailing 14-8, Wheaton returned the favor by keeping Wellesley off the board for 4:53 and in the process went on a 9-0 run to take a 17-14 edge with 4:47 remaining. Wellesley scored seven of the game's next nine points, leading the visitors to a 21-19 edge at the 3:47 minute mark. From that point on, both team's played nip-and-tuck, trading baskets right up to the break. Following seven ties and three lead changes through the first 20 minutes of play, Wellesley held a 25-23 lead at the half.

The second half was also tight, as the two teams experienced four ties and five lead changes throughout the stanza. Tied 34-34, Wellesley took a one-point edge with 11:30 to play. The Wheaton defense then shut down Wellesley, holding the visitors scoreless over the next 6:29. Unfortunately for the Lyons, they were not able to take advantage, putting up a mere six points over that stretch. Wellesley battled back to knot the game at 42-42 with 2:37 to play. Following a Deshefy free throw, a Wellesley put back on the other end of the floor put the visitors in front by a single point. On the next trip down the floor, the Lyons took the lead for good when sophomore Deverie Stover (Kingston, NY/Hawthorne Valley) lobbed a pass to classmate Vanessa Savas (Belmont, MA/Belmont), who converted the field goal with 46 ticks left. Deshefy converted on four straight attempts from the foul line to ice the game. Savas led Wheaton with a team-high 12 points while pulling down nine boards. Deshefy recorded 11 points and Stover added eight points with a career-high 15 rebounds.

Despite nearly identical shooting by both teams in the first half at Newbury, the Nighthawks added a trio of three-pointers and five more free throws than the visitors to take a 32-26 lead into the intermission. The Nighthawks also took advantage of the Lyons' foul trouble, as two Wheaton starters found themselves on the bench with multiple fouls in the first half. The second stanza was nip-and-tuck, as both teams traded baskets throughout the half. The Lyons however could not overcome the Nighthawk defense, which swatted away eight shots and held a 43-37 rebounding advantage, including 16-8 on the offensive end. Newbury also held a distinct edge from the charity stripe, hitting on 28-of-40 (.700) free throw attempts to the Lyons' perfect 16-of-16 (1.000). Deshefy and junior forward Bethany Jones (Winsted, CT/The Gilbert School) led Wheaton with 10 points apiece, with Jones pulling down a team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Jessica Arrendol (Arlington, MA/Arlington) recorded a career-high five assists, while Stover added a career-best five steals and eight points.

At Springfield, both teams played nip-and-tuck basketball in the opening stanza, as the Lyons and Pride experienced four ties and six lead changes throughout the half. Springfield jumped out to an early four-point advantage to start the game, however Wheaton quickly responded with six consecutive points by Savas. Springfield answered Savas' run by going on a 7-0 run of its own and in the process kept Wheaton scoreless over a 4:12 span. The Pride eventually stretched their lead to five points with 1:30 remaining in the half, however a three-point basket by Deshefy with 14 seconds remaining pulled the Lyons within two heading into the break.

The second half proved to be a different story, as Springfield slowly opened up a double-digit lead and pulled away. The Pride quickly extended their lead to 10 points with 16:28 remaining in the game, only to see the Lyons counter with a 9-0 run over the next three and a half minutes to pull within one point at 36-35. That is as close as Wheaton would get, as Springfield slowly pulled away for good, using a 13-4 run over the next five minutes of action to increase its lead back to double-digits. The Pride went onto outscore the Lyons, 32-12 over the final 12:54, while shooting 14-of-31 (.452) from the field. In comparison, Wheaton shot a mere 6-of-28 (.214) from the floor in the half and did not hit a field goal over the last 8:52 of the game. Savas contributed a game-best 18 points along with a game-high tying 11 rebounds for Wheaton, while Dow-Allen provided nine points, three assists and two steals in the loss.

Synchronized Swimming Opens 2003 Season with 98-92 Loss to Keuka College

The Wheaton College synchronized swimming team opened its 2003 season in disappointing fashion Saturday night, as the Lyons fell to Northeast rival Keuka College, 98-92 at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Wheaton finished second and fourth in the team competition, as the Lyons' seven-member "A" squad, consisting of seniors Elizabeth Maga (Dayton, OH/Chaminade-Julienne), Jamie Sallier (St. Louis, MO/Ladue Horton Watkins) and Emily Padow (Richmond, VA/The Steward School), junior Beth Percy (St. Louis, MO/Parkway West), sophomores Blair Feldman (Tucson, AZ/Green Fields Country Day School) and Jamie Olken (Brighton, NY/Brighton) and freshman Jocelyn Phillips (Belmont, MA/Belmont), posted 81.75 points.

Senior Kerri Moran (Hanson, MA/Whitman-Hanson Regional), junior Aimee Sears (Norwell, MA/Thayer Academy) and sophomores Luisa Frontino (Ascot, England/TASIS England) and Tricia George (Cranston, RI/Cranston) formed Wheaton's "B" team, which placed fourth overall with a score of 68.25 points. In the routine portion of the meet, Maga finished second as Wheaton's lone soloist, while the tandem of Sallier and Percy also placed second in the duet competition. The Lyons used two trio teams in the meet, led by a runner-up standing by Sallier, Percy and Feldman. Wheaton's other trio routine, comprised of Padow, Olken and Phillips, finished third overall. In the technical elements competition, the top performance came from Percy with a first-place mark in the A category. Phillips and Olken posted the top two scores in the C category, while Padow and Sallier recorded sixth and seventh-place finishes, respectively in the B category. Frontino posted the team's highest mark in the D category with a third-place result.

Men's and Women's Track Sends Eight Athletes to 96th Running of Verizon Millrose Games, Lyons Finish Second and Seventh at Tufts Invitational

The Wheaton College men's and women's track and field teams sent eight athletes to the 96th annual Verizon Millrose Games Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Both teams were represented by their 4x400-meter relay squads in the prestigious event. The women's 4x400-meter relay team, consisting of juniors Amber James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury) and Vernick Smith (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) and first-year athletes Oly Wirtz (Fitchburg, MA/Fitchburg) and Aquila Williams-Judge (Boston, MA/Scituate), were very impressive against four Division I institutions and one Division II school. The Lyons finished second to Seton Hall University with a NCAA Division III national meet provisional qualifying time of 3:57.81.

The men's 4x400-meter relay team also competed against four Division I schools and one Division II college. Comprised of juniors Erik Benson (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) and Tyrone McClain (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse), sophomore Adam Walker (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) and freshman Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover), the squad finished in fourth place with a time of 3:33.29. Albany won the event in 3:28.30. Regarded as the nation's greatest indoor track meet, the Millrose Games has been a sporting fixture in New York City since 1908. Held annually since 1914, Millrose Games is the longest running sport event in Madison Square Garden history. In all, 87 world indoor records have been set or equaled and 117 Millrose Winners have been Olympic Champions. The Millrose Games is part of the prestigious USA Track & Field "Golden Spike Tour".

On Saturday, the women posted a second-place finish of 197 points at the eight-team Tufts Invitational, which was 23.5 points behind host Tufts University. Scoring 53 points, the Wheaton men finished seventh in the 13-team field, also won by Tufts. The women collected six first-place finishes on the day, including two by freshman Aspen James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury). James started the day by capturing the 55-meter dash in an NCAA Division III national meet provisional qualifying time of 7.33. She followed that performance with a victory in the 200-meter dash in a time of 26.52. The Lyons continued to dominate the sprints when Smith claimed the top spot in the 400-meter dash with a provisional time of 58.08. Rounding out the track victories for the Blue and White was freshman Kendra Leiths' (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional) time of 18:28.66 in the 5000-meter run.

Wheaton collected two victories in the field events, as sophomore Kathrine Wallace (Glenmoore, PA/The Hill School) posted a jump of 5' 3" in the high jump and freshman Noelle Battista (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate) vaulted 10' to capture the pole vault title. The Lyons were also paced by second and third-place finishes in the 55-meter hurdles by senior captains Kristen Cullen (Stoneham, MA/Stoneham) and Noreen Kordzeil (Chittenango, NY/Chittenango). Cullen and Kordzeil posted provisional qualifying times of 8.53 and 8.60 seconds, respectively. Other strong performances came from Williams-Judge, who recorded a provisional time of 58.70 in the 400-meter dash, and senior Jana Bromell (Spencer, MA/David Prouty) in the 400M, junior captain Kim Spences' (Barrington, NH/Dover) second-place results in the 600 and 1,000-meter events and runner-up marks from Wallace, Bromell and Cullen in the triple jump, shot put and pole vault, respectively.

The men were once again led by sophomore Dan Olson (Voorheesville, NY/Albany Academy), who turned in an NCAA Division III national meet automatic qualifying jump of 6' 10 3/4". This marks the fifth consecutive week that Olson has been the top collegiate finisher. Junior Terry Panetta (Hicksville, NY/St. Anthony's) also turned in a solid performance, recording a second-place finish in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:56.80. Benson placed third in the 200-meter dash, while freshman Justin Jin (Seoul, South Korea/Newton South [MA]) posted point-scoring performances in the 55-meter hurdles and long jump events.

Benson and Olson Garner ECAC Track and Field Weekly Laurels

Benson garnered Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Track Athlete-of-the-Week laurels for the second time this season, while Olson picked up his first ECAC weekly honor on the field. A junior captain with the Lyons, Benson had a monster day for the host team at the seventh annual Wheaton Invitational in Beard Field House. In addition to posting a pair of individual event championships on the day, he helped Wheaton's 4x400-meter relay team to a first-place finish with a time of 3:26.83. Leading his team to a second-place finish with 97 points among ten competing schools, Benson captured the 200 and 600-meter dash events with times of 22.56 and 1:22.72, respectively. In the field, he also finished 11th overall in the shot put. Olson, a sophomore with the Lyons, recorded an NCAA Division III national meet automatic qualifying mark of 6' 10 1/2" in the high jump at the Wheaton Invitational. Although finishing second overall, he was the top collegiate competitor on the day. His jump marked the second consecutive meet Olson has posted an automatic qualifying height.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/30/07.
Questions about this page? Use our query form.

News

Men's Tennis: Men's tennis players Beekman and Hudgins named ITA Scholar-Athletes (more)

Women's Soccer: Hough's tally sends Wheaton past Emmanuel, Leddy notches third shutout (more)