Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (8-5, 0-2) Beats Newbury in Non-Conference, Finishes 0-2 in NEWMAC

The Wheaton College men's basketball team opened its New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) schedule with a hard-fought 80-76 loss to defending champion Clark University on Tuesday in Emerson Gymnasium, but then responded with a 50-40 non-conference victory over Newbury College on Thursday in Emerson. On Saturday in Worcester, the Lyons dropped a 78-60 decision at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in their second conference game of the season.

Against Clark, the Cougars led throughout the first half's entirety, including taking a 14-5 advantage with 12:20 to play. Wheaton got as close as three points on a three from junior Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's), but the Cougars outscored the hosts, 27-13 to take a commanding 44-27 advantage with 1:20 on the clock. The Lyons did manage to score six unanswered points to cut their deficit down to 44-33 at the break. Wheaton carried that momentum into the second half, where the Lyons used an 18-7 run to knot the contest at 51 points apiece with just under 12 minutes to play. Wheaton took its first lead of the game two minutes later. The Blue and White trailed 63-62 with 5:27 to go, but a pair of lay-ups and a three-pointer gave the Cougars a 70-62 advantage with just under four minutes to go. The Lyons weren't able to get any closer than three points the rest of the way. Senior Scott Mahan (Bridgewater, MA/Cardinal Spellman) posted game-high totals of 23 points and 11 rebounds. Vega finished with 17 points, while senior Frankie Whall (Roslindale, MA/Cheshire Academy) and sophomore Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) each had 12 points.

Versus Newbury, both teams witnessed a defensive struggle from start to finish, as Wheaton held Newbury to more than 33 points below its season average of 73.9 points per contest. The Lyons and Nighthawks each recorded season-low point totals, as both squads shot under 37 percent from the field. Wheaton and Newbury combined to post seven lead changes and one tie through the first 12 minutes of regulation, with the score knotted at 14-14 with 7:18 remaining. The Lyons then used an 8-0 run to take a 22-14 advantage with 4:54 to play. Wheaton pushed its lead out to 10 points on two occasions, with the latter coming at 28-18 with 1:43 to go, but a Newbury three-pointer at the buzzer brought the visitors to within seven points heading into the half. The Lyons led the entire second half, as the Nighthawks would get no closer than five points the rest of the way. Wheaton's lead grew to as many as 11 points on two occasions, including holding a 49-38 cushion following a Mahan jumper with 1:43 on the clock. Mahan finished the contest with 18 points (8-15 FG), a season-high 14 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Vega registered 13 points and six rebounds, while sophomore James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) had a career day with nine points, eight boards, three assists and two steals.

At WPI, Wheaton and the Engineers saw an evenly played first half ensue, totaling six ties and five lead changes. The Lyons started the contest in strong fashion, as a three-point play by Whall and a bucket by Vega gave the visitors a 5-0 lead just one minute into the game. Wheaton led 23-18 with eight minutes remaining, but the hosts went on a 9-2 run to take a 27-25 edge with five minutes to play. Trailing 33-29 with under a minute on the clock, the Lyons used a pair of Vega free throws to climb to within two points entering the intermission. Vega accounted for eight free throws and 14 points in the opening stanza. The Blue and White hung around in the second half and trailed 44-41 with 14:52 remaining, but a 13-0 outburst by the Engineers that triggered a 20-2 run gave the hosts a commanding 64-43 lead with under nine minutes to go. Wheaton was held without a field goal over a 13-minute span, as WPI stymied the Lyons' offense and limited the visitors to one two-point basket and 17 free throws over the final 14 minutes of the game. Vega posted a game-best 21 points (11-13 FT), seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks, while Mahan added 17 points (10-10 FT) and a game-high nine rebounds.

Women's Basketball (3-10, 0-4) Posts 0-3 Week, Remains Winless in NEWMAC Play

The Wheaton College women's basketball team posted its second straight 0-3 week, including an 0-2 mark in conference play. The Lyons opened the week with a 55-40 conference loss to NEWMAC foe Wellesley College on Tuesday in Emerson Gymnasium, followed by a 58-37 setback at Albertus Magnus College in non-league action on Thursday and a tough 59-58 loss to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Saturday's conference contest in Emerson.

Against Wellesley, Wheaton trailed by a single point at the half, but Wellesley later outscored the hosts, 33-19 in the second stanza en route to the 15-point victory. The two teams battled through seven lead changes and four ties in the opening half alone, as Wellesley carried a narrow 22-21 edge into the break. Wheaton jumped out to a 7-3 advantage thanks to a steal from junior Katie Williams (Portland, OR/Catlin Gabel) followed by a lay-up with 15:11 to play. Wellesley then went on a 7-2 spurt to take a 10-9 lead with 12:21 remaining. Neither team held more than a four-point lead the rest of the half. Wheaton struggled to find any offense in the second stanza, as the Lyons didn't score their first field goal until the 13:47 minute mark of the half. The hosts only trailed 30-24, but Wellesley went on a 16-2 run over the next six minutes for a lead that would not be relinquished. Senior Taryn Brassil (Holyoke, MA/Holyoke) had game-high totals of 15 points and eight rebounds, while Williams contributed with eight points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals.

At Albertus, the Falcons held the visiting Lyons to a season-low 12 points in the opening half and took a 26-12 advantage into the intermission. The Falcons extended their lead to 33-12 to begin the second stanza, but Wheaton battled back and closed to within 10 points at 38-28 with eight minutes to play. Solid three-point shooting by Amanda Dow-Allen (Greenfield, MA/Stoneleigh-Burnham) spearheaded the Blue and White's late comeback attempt. The deficit however proved to be too large to overcome for Wheaton, as Albertus went on to outscore the Lyons, 20-9 the rest of the way to secure the victory. Dow-Allen was Wheaton's lone double-figure scorer with 14 points, while Brassil was the team's top rebounder with eight boards. Williams added seven points in the loss.

Versus WPI, the Engineers knocked down a jumper from the right wing as the buzzer sounded, lifting WPI to the come-from-behind victory. Wheaton and WPI combined for nine lead changes and five ties through the first 20 minutes of play, as neither team held more than a five-point lead the entire half. In an evenly played second half, the hosts held the lead for the majority of the stanza, including taking a pair of seven-point advantages, with the latter taking place at 43-36 with 13:35 remaining. The Engineers then used an 8-0 run over the next four minutes to capture a 44-43 edge. With two minutes to play, the Blue and White had possession and a 56-50 lead, but WPI found a way to claw back into the contest. WPI buried two free throws and a three-point basket to bring the visitors to within three at 58-55 with 49 seconds to play. Following a Wheaton turnover and two more freebies, the Lyons held onto a one-point edge with 30 seconds left. Forced to foul, WPI put Dow-Allen on the line, but following the miss the Engineers capitalized on their final opportunity. Brassil led the way with 14 points (6-9 FG) and five rebounds. Freshman Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton) neared a double-double with 12 points and team-high totals of nine rebounds and five assists, while Dow-Allen also added 12 points.

Men's (3-4) and Women's Swimming (5-2) Swept by Trinity College in Dual Meet

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams returned to competition for the first time since December, as the Lyons fell to Trinity College Saturday in Trinity Natatorium. The men were defeated 130.5-95.5, while the women dropped a 142-91 decision.

Senior co-captain Chris Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) and freshman Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) led the Wheaton men with a pair of multiple-event victories. Hurley won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:54.52 and the 200-yard backstroke in 2:05.73, while Roberts continued his season unbeaten streaks in the 50- and 100-yard free events, posting times of 22.60 and 49.92, respectively. Senior co-captain Patrick Sagui (Westwood, MA/Westwood) placed in a tie for second to Hurley in the 200 free in 1:58.21, while freshman Matt Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) just missed the top mark in the 200-yard individual medley, finishing 23-hundredths of a seconds short in 2:05.66.

Seeing a school record fall in the 400-yard medley relay highlighted the meet for the women, as senior co-captain Katie Levine (Needham, MA/Needham), junior Blake Worrall (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) and freshmen Colleen Smith (Milford, CT/Lauralton Hall) and Cassie Bohn (Manhattan Beach, CA/Mira Costa) placed second in 4:19.35. Smith picked up Wheaton's lone win of the afternoon in the 200-yard butterfly event, finishing the race with a time of 2:23.07. Levine and Worrall each turned in solid performances, as Levine was the runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke events and Worrall the second-place finisher in the 100- and 200-yard free events.

Men's and Women's Track Teams Turn in Solid Performances at GBTC Invitational

The Wheaton College men's and women's track & field teams turned in several solid performances at the Greater Boston Track Club (GBTC) Invitational Sunday at Harvard University's Gordon Indoor Track Facility. No team scores were kept at the meet.

Junior Dan Olson (Voorheesville, NY/Albany Academy) once again took center stage for the men's squad, surpassing the 7' 1" mark in the high jump for the second consecutive week. Taking top honors, Olson posted an NCAA Division III national meet automatic qualifying jump of 7' 1 3/4", just three-quarters of an inch off of last week's school record-setting performance.

The Lyons had several other athletes post top five finishes, including junior Jamaal Rawls-Payton (Stoughton, MA/Stoughton) in the 60-meter hurdles event. Rawl-Payton finished in a tie for third with a time of 8.70. Sophomore Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover) placed fifth in the finals of the 200-meter dash in 22.80, while junior Stan Pyle (South Portland, ME/South Portland) also stood fifth in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:42.18, which was just under a second shy off his own school mark. On the field, freshman Ryan Fitzgerald (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) rounded out Wheaton's top five finishers with a fifth-place mark in the shot put (41' 7 3/4").

Senior Amber James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury) led the women's squad in the 60-and 200-meter dash events. James placed third in the preliminaries of the 60-meter event in 7.90 and fifth in the semifinals with a time of 7.87, but it was in the finals that James notched a provisional qualifying time of 7.85, a mark good enough for fifth place. James also placed third overall in the 200-meter dash in 25.15. Sophomore Aspen James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury) also advanced to the finals of the 60M and placed seventh overall with a time of 8.12. James then sprinted to a 25.87 finish in the 200M dash and a seventh-place placement, which turned out to be one place short of advancing to the finals of the race.

Freshman Alison Amendola (Franklin, MA/Franklin) and junior Jessica Allegra (East Hampton, CT/East Hampton) wrapped up top eight finishes in the 400-meter dash, as Amendola placed sixth in 1:01.23 and Allegra eighth overall in 1:01.88. On the field, junior Kathrine Wallace (Glenmoore, PA/The Hill School) and freshman Crystal Blamy (Walpole, NH/Fall Mountain View) shared runner-up finishes in the high jump, as each narrowly missed a provisional qualifying standard with marks of 5' 3". First-year Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) rounded out three solid performances in the event, as she took sixth overall with a leap of 5' 1".

Olson's High Jump Record Leads to ECAC Athlete-of-the-Week Honor

Olson was selected as the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Field Athlete of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, January 11. Olson highlighted the 35th annual running of the Dartmouth Relays, shattering the school's seven-year record in the high jump. Leaping to an astounding performance of 7' 2 1/2" in Leverone Field House, Olson broke Wheaton's previous mark by a quarter of an inch. Finishing first overall in the meet by nearly five inches, Olson exceeded the NCAA Division III national meet automatic qualifying standard.

James and Battista Garner ECAC Athlete-of-the-Week Accolades

James and sophomore Noelle Battista (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate) swept the ECAC Athlete-of-the-Week awards for the week ending on Sunday, January 11. James picked up the honor for her accomplishments on the track, while Battista earned the award for her performances on the field. James and Battista led the reigning five-time national champion Lyons to a bronze finish at the Dartmouth Relays. James tallied 14 points alone with an individual title in the 400-meter dash and a fourth-place mark in the 60-meter dash events. Topping the competition in the 400M event with a national meet provisional qualifying time of 58.17, James also hit a provisional standard in the 60M race with a time of 7.81. Battista's performance in the pole vault was quite impressive, as she shattered a Wheaton school record in the event. Vaulting to a height of 12' 4", Battista cleared the old school mark by more than seven inches. She also recorded a national meet automatic qualifying height.

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