Weekly Lyon

Field Hockey (8-11, 4-4) Closes Season with First Round Loss at NEWMAC Tournament

The Wheaton College field hockey team closed out the 2002 season by dropping a pair of games on the week, including a 1-0 loss to Wellesley in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular season finale Tuesday afternoon and a 2-0 defeat at Babson in the opening round of the conference tournament on Saturday.

Against Wellesley, the visitors had numerous scoring opportunities, only to be turned away by first-year Lyon goalkeeper Emily Fiskio (Branford, CT/Branford). Midway through the first stanza, the Blue had a scoring chance taken away on a defensive save by Wheaton senior back Melanie Kilsey (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln), however at the 6:25 minute mark, Wellesley broke the stalemate off an unassisted goal to give the Blue a 1-0 advantage. In the second stanza, both teams battled back and forth with limited scoring opportunities. Wheaton made a final effort to find the equalizer with 20 seconds remaining, as sophomore Laura Oswald (Pacific Grove, CA/Stevenson) crossed a pass to freshman Elizabeth Rowland (Holliston, MA/Holliston) just over the midfield. With time running out, Rowland made a move in the circle but lost control, as Wellesley gained possession to seal the victory. Fiskio finished the afternoon with 15 saves, as the Blue outshot the Lyons, 20-4 with a 9-3 advantage in penalty corners.

In the first round of the conference tournament on Saturday, the fourth-seeded Beavers blanked the fifth-seeded Lyons, as Wheaton concluded its season in Babson Park. Babson controlled play throughout the contest, totaling 26 shots on goal. However, Wheaton stayed in the game behind the strong play of Fiskio, who stopped all 13 shots in the first half to keep the game scoreless. In the second stanza, the Beavers managed to take the lead, as Babson collected a rebound with 21:57 left. Wheaton appeared to catch a break when Fiskio made a strong kick save on another shot with eight minutes left in regulation, however just 21 seconds later, the Beavers redirected a shot into the lower left corner of the cage, giving the hosts a 2-0 advantage. Babson fended off two late penalty corners to clinch the victory. Fiskio finished with 19 saves in goal for Wheaton, as Babson held a 13-3 advantage in penalty corners.

Men's Soccer (15-4-0, 5-1-0) Captures Third Regular Season Conference Title

The Wheaton College men's soccer team captured its third regular season conference championship in the five-year history of the NEWMAC, as the Lyons knocked off Springfield, 2-1 in overtime Saturday afternoon at Keefe Field. Earlier in the week, Wheaton saw its 28-game home unbeaten streak come to a halt with a 2-0 loss to regionally-ranked Amherst. Ranked second in New England and 13th in the country by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), the Lyons earned the top seed and right to host in this weekend's NEWMAC Tournament.

Versus Amherst, Wheaton allowed a pair of second-half goals and in the process had their three-year unbeaten streak dating back to September 30, 2000 snapped by the Jeffs. Following a scoreless first half, Amherst broke the stalemate in the 55th minute, as the visitors headed in a corner kick for the 1-0 lead. With just over 16 minutes to play, the Jeffs extended their advantage to two goals to cap the victory. Senior goalkeeper Mike Henninger (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) registered eight saves in the loss, as Amherst outshot Wheaton, 10-9 and held a 4-2 advantage in corner kick attempts.

On Saturday, senior forward David Wurm (Dunstable, MA/Groton-Dunstable) scored two goals on senior day, leading the Lyons to the regular season conference championship. Springfield got on the board first with a corner kick attempt in the 20th minute, but Wheaton rallied to tie the game late in the first half. Senior Jason Percy (Plymouth, MA/Plymouth South) carried the ball deep into the right corner before crossing his pass into the goal box. Wurm created enough space to head the ball into the upper right netting to even the score with just over four minutes remaining in the half. The game went scoreless in the second stanza thanks to strong play from both goalkeepers. Wheaton didn't waste any time in the first overtime, as senior Justin Spiro (Little Silver, NJ/Red Bank) put the ball off the crossbar just under three minutes into the extra period. Wurm was there to punch the rebound home, giving the Lyons the dramatic victory. Henninger recorded six saves in the win, as Wheaton outshot the Pride, 23-10 on the afternoon.

Women's Soccer (18-1-0, 9-0-0) Runs Regular Season Conference Championship Streak to Four Consecutive Seasons, Posts 15th Straight Victory

The Wheaton College women's soccer team ran its regular season conference championship streak to four consecutive seasons, as the Lyons posted a perfect 9-0 mark in league play for the second straight year. Extending its conference-winning streak to 26 games (including tournaments), Wheaton downed Wellesley, 6-1 on Tuesday in the regular season finale and then blanked WPI, 5-0 in Saturday's first round game of the NEWMAC Tournament at Elms Field. Ranked first in the region and fourth in the country according to the NSCAA, Wheaton also extended its current unbeaten streak to 15 games. The Lyons earned the top seed and right to host this weekend's semifinal and final rounds of the NEWMAC Tournament. On Saturday at 10:30 a.m., Wheaton will play fourth-seeded Smith College.

At Wellesley, Wheaton jumped out to a quick 2-0 advantage in the first seven minutes of play, thanks to goals from junior Tracy Prihoda (Needham, MA/Needham) and sophomore Erin Brennan (Mesa, AZ/Xavier College Prep). Wellesley managed to cut the lead in half as time expired in the first half. The Lyons answered the call in the second stanza, exploding for four unanswered goals, including two tallies over a six-minute span from sophomore Christy Schneider (Jonesboro, GA/Jonesboro) and junior Christy McHugh (Salem, MA/Bishop Fenwick). Prihoda and McHugh then added some extra insurance midway through the half, as the junior tandem hooked up on both goals to bulge the Lyon lead to 6-1. Junior goalkeeper Jessica Broomhead (Barrington, RI/Barrington) registered nine saves in net for the Lyons, as Wheaton outshot Wellesley, 24-14 with a 5-4 edge in corner kicks.

On Saturday, top seed Wheaton exploded for four first-half goals against eighth-seeded WPI, as the Lyons eliminated the Engineers in the opening round of the tournament. In the opening half, junior Sheila Lacambra (Walnut Creek, CA/Northgate) gave the host team an early lift with a pair of assists in the first 13 minutes of play. Prihoda was on the receiving end of the game's first goal in the 10th minute, followed by a goal from Brennan just three minutes later. At the 16:12 minute mark, Wheaton converted its third goal on a Prihoda corner kick, as first-year Teresa Lebel (Middleton, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon) drove her shot past the Engineer goalkeeper. Prihoda and Brennan hooked up for the Lyons' final two tallies of the day, as Prihoda recorded her 11th career hat-trick with goals in the 31st and 50th minutes, respectively. Broomhead and freshman Emily Lipsky (Whitestone, NY/Sacred Heart Academy) shared time in net, combining to make seven saves for Wheaton, as the Lyons held a 27-10 advantage in shots and 6-1 margin in corner kicks.

Women's Volleyball (15-15, 4-5) Collects Pair of Conference Victories over Babson and Mount Holyoke, Finishes Sixth in League Play

The Wheaton College women's volleyball team finished its regular season on a high note, as the Lyons ran their winning streak to four matches, thanks to a pair of conference victories over Babson and Mount Holyoke. On Tuesday, Wheaton edged Babson, 3-2 (30-24, 24-30, 30-20, 30-32, 15-13) and then swept Mount Holyoke, 3-0 (30-22, 30-15, 30-19) on Saturday to move into sole possession of sixth place in this week's NEWMAC Tournament. The Lyons will travel to New London, Conn. on Tuesday to face third-seeded Coast Guard at 7:00 p.m.

At Babson, freshman middle hitter Marriah Vengroff (Storrs, CT/E.O. Smith) led the hitting charge with a season-best 19 kills. Senior outside hitter Melissa Jamin (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) contributed a season-high 33 digs and 10 kills, while junior setter Darcey Vertuca (Boulder, CO/Boulder) had a career-high tying 52 assists and 14 digs.

Versus Mount Holyoke in Emerson Gymnasium, Vengroff posted a team-high nine kills in addition to having four blocks. Jamin added eight digs, while Vertuca had 18 assists. Senior middle hitter Morgan Paprocki (Candia, NH/Manchester Central) recorded five service aces in the win.

Wheaton Men Place Fourth, Women Sixth at NEWMAC Cross Country Championships

The Wheaton College men's and women's cross country teams competed at the NEWMAC Championships Saturday afternoon at Wellesley College's Nehoiden Golf Club. The men bettered last year's finish by placing fourth out of seven teams, while the women finished sixth among the ten competing schools. MIT captured the men's title and Wellesley won the women's championship.

Juniors Terry Panetta (Hicksville, NY/St. Anthony's) and Brannin Buehner (Lubec, ME/Lubec) narrowly missed qualifying for the NEWMAC All-Conference team, which requires runners to place in the top 14, by posting 15th and 18th place finishes with times of 28:20 and 28:34, respectively. Sophomore Joe Chadwick (Shelburne Falls, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional) and freshman Eric Richardson (E. Walpole, MA/Bishop Feehan) ran side by side as the 27th and 28th runners to cross the finish line, while first-year Ross Kahill (South Portland, ME/South Portland) rounded out Wheaton's top five finishers in the 58th position.

For the second consecutive season on the women's side, sophomore Erin O'Brien (North Easton, MA/Oliver Ames) led the way for Wheaton with a sixth-place finish, covering the 5,000-meter course in a time of 19:08 and earning NEWMAC All-Conference honors. Sophomore Lindsay Whalen (Dedham, MA/Dedham) and freshman Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional) finished 21st and 27th with times of 20:01 and 20:12, respectively, while freshman Christina Langevin (Wilbraham, MA/Minnechaug Regional) and sophomore Lindsey Degon (Palmer, MA/Palmer) also scored points for the Lyons.

Wheaton Swim Teams Open 2002-03 Campaign by Hosting Charlie Batterman Relays

The Wheaton college men's and women's swimming and diving teams each opened their 2002-03 campaigns Saturday afternoon, as the Lyons hosted the Charlie Batterman Relays in Balfour Natatorium. Despite finishing fourth at the four-team relays, both the men and the women showed signs of improvement with strong individual performances. Tufts, MIT and Bentley finished in the top three spots in the men's and women's meet, respectively. The Wheaton women totaled 60 points and the men 56 points on the afternoon.

Highlighting the event for the women were the performances on the 200-yard backstroke relay, 500-yard crescendo relay and 200-yard butterfly relay, all of which took third overall for the Lyons. Junior Katie Levine (Needham, MA/Needham) and first-year athletes Cassie Bannell (Farmington, CT/Farmington), Lauren Pcholinski (Old Saybrook, CT/Old Saybrook) and Ashley Jankowski (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) finished the 200 back with a time of 2:01.23, which was a mere two-hundredths of a second off the second-place time. Levine, Bannell and Pcholinski then teamed with freshman Alexandra Cheney (Santa Monica, CA/Marymount) in the 500 crescendo, which consists of freestyle intervals of 50, 100, 150 and 200-yard lengths. They finished with a time of 5:07.71. In the 200 fly relay, Levine and Worrall sided with senior co-captain Meghan Sidoti (Middletown, CT/Middletown) and first-year Courtney Catalano (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) to post a time of 1:59.76.

On the men's side, junior co-captain Chris Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) led the way with strong performances in the 200-yard butterfly relay, 500-yard crescendo relay and 1,500-yard freestyle relay. Hurley posted a time of 25.68 in his 50-yard butterfly split. In the 500 crescendo, Hurley along with senior Nick Luise (Bloomfield, NJ/Blair Academy), junior Patrick Sagui (Westwood, MA/Westwood) and freshman Aaron Ramsey (York, ME/Berwick Academy) finished the relay with a time of 5:02.59. Hurley, Sagui and Kuckens then placed third overall in the 1,500 relay with a time of 16:46.23. Other strong outings came from Luise in the 200-yard breaststroke relay and sophomore Kirill Bernshteyn (Stamford, CT/Stamford) and John Kuckens (West Hartford, CT/Hall) in the 400-yard medley relay.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/30/07.
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