Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (14-9, 5-5) Splits NEWMAC Contests in Three-Game Week, Defeats WPI

The Wheaton College men's basketball team posted a 1-2 record on the week, including splitting a pair of New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) games. The Lyons suffered a 74-69 setback to Springfield College in Emerson Gymnasium on Tuesday and then lost a heartbreaker on Thursday with a 79-78 loss at Bridgewater State College. Wheaton however bounced back nicely on Saturday, knocking off Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 70-62 in Emerson, allowing the Lyons to retain sole possession of fourth place in the NEWMAC with one week to play.

Against Springfield, Wheaton's Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) tied the contest at two points apiece with 19:27 to play, but Springfield used a 13-3 run and never looked back. The Pride extended their lead out to 21-9 with 11:49 remaining. The Lyons cut into their deficit and got as close as 30-27 thanks to a jump shot from senior Scott Mahan (Bridgewater, MA/Cardinal Spellman) with 2:53 showing. Springfield then scored four of the next six points to take a 34-29 edge into the half. In the second half, the Pride used a 16-6 run to balloon their advantage to 50-35 with 14:40 to go. The hosts managed to claw back into the contest and eventually trimmed their deficit to five points on two occasions, with the latter taking place at 71-66 with 41 ticks on the clock. Having to foul, the Lyons saw Springfield knock down three of four free throw attempts to secure the win. Mahan posted game-high totals of 25 points (10-16 FG) and 10 rebounds, while senior Frankie Whall (Roslindale, MA/Cheshire Academy) finished with seven points and seven rebounds.

At Bridgewater State, the Bears sank the winning free throw with 7.2 seconds remaining to seal the victory, as Vega's last-second shot attempt caromed off the rim. The Lyons had one of their better shooting performances in spite of the loss, hitting 29-of-56 (.518) from the field and 8-of-16 (.500) from three-point territory. Wheaton also held a considerable 39-27 advantage on the boards, but in the end it was the Lyons' 19 turnovers that set them back. Bridgewater also had a solid night shooting, going 30-of-63 (.476) from the floor and an impressive 10-of-15 (.667) from behind the arc, but more importantly only committed 10 giveaways. Mahan recorded 22 points and eight rebounds, including a huge game-tying three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining in the game. Vega also put forth a solid performance with 20 points, while sophomore James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers) added a season-best 17 points and a season-high tying eight boards.

Versus WPI, the Engineers started the game with a quick basket and proceeded to pad their lead through the first half of the stanza behind strong shooting, as WPI converted on 13-of-22 (.591) shots from the field. Wheaton however did manage to close the gap midway through the stanza. A Vega three-pointer brought the Lyons to within three points at 24-21 with 8:45 to play and following a five-minute span of scoreless play, Wheaton continued to cut into its deficit. With 2:35 to go, Vega collected a loose ball and deposited two of his 12 first-half points to knot the score at 27-27. The teams headed into the locker room with WPI leading 32-31. A see-saw battle ensued in the second half and followed suit through the majority of the half, as the teams exchanged leads seven times with three ties through the final twenty minutes of play. Wheaton took only its third lead of the game in the first minute of the stanza, as sophomore guard Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) drilled a three-pointer to put the Blue and White in front 35-34. Trailing 56-53 with 5:14 remaining, Greenslit bucketed a three and Vega converted two free throws to give the Lyons a lead they would not relinquish. Vega posted a game-best 19 points (6-11 FG), while Mahan contributed 16 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Senior Frankie Whall (Roslindale, MA/Cheshire Academy) added 13 points (6-9 FG) in the victory.

Women's Basketball (8-15, 3-8) Records 2-1 Week, Stuns NEWMAC Foe Springfield

The Wheaton College women's basketball team recorded a solid 2-1 mark this week, including stunning Springfield in Saturday afternoon's conference game. The Lyons began the week with a 76-66 non-conference loss at Tufts University on Tuesday, but responded to win their next two games over Newbury College and Springfield. Wheaton posted a 72-61 victory over Newbury Thursday in Emerson Gymnasium and then upended Springfield, 55-42 on Saturday. Sitting ninth in the NEWMAC entering the final week of the regular season, the Lyons will need to win their final two games and get some help along the way if Wheaton is to gain the eighth and final playoff spot in the upcoming tournament.

At Tufts, senior Taryn Brassil (Holyoke, MA/Holyoke) led Wheaton with 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots in 39 minutes played. Tufts never trailed in the game and led by 18 points at the half, 38-20. A 15-2 run in the second part of the first half gave them a 35-15 lead at 5:01. Junior Kate Williams (Portland, OR/Catlin Gabel) paced Wheaton with seven points at the break. The visitors made a game out of it in the second half. The Jumbos extended their lead to 24 points, 55-31 and still had a healthy lead as the clock wound down under 10 minutes, but Wheaton made a late run. The Lyons converted eight free throws during a 10-1 spurt that closed the gap to seven points, 64-57, on a pair of freebies by freshman Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic) at 3:43. The Lyons outscored the Jumbos, 26-9 from 12:18 to 3:43 in the second half. Tufts would regain its double-digit advantage at the line and keep it for most of the remainder of the game. Wheaton got 13 points from senior Amanda Dow-Allen (Greenfield, MA/Stoneleigh-Burnham), while freshman Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton) scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the loss.

Against Newbury, Brassil posted career-high totals of 19 points (8-11 FG) and 16 rebounds. Wheaton began the game on an offensive flurry, reeling off 12 unanswered points while holding the visitors scoreless for the first 7:12 of the game. Newbury quickly cut the hosts' advantage in half with consecutive three-point buckets. The Lyons then outscored the Nighthawks, 18-7 over a six-minute span to take a commanding 30-13 advantage with 6:18 remaining. Newbury in turn went on a 10-1 spurt to cut the deficit to eight points, but Wheaton would regain the double-digit lead and hold it for the rest of the half. Spearheaded by Brassil's 15 points and 10 boards, the Lyons held a 38-27 lead at the break. In the second half, the hosts pushed their lead back out to 17 points at 51-34 with 14:14 showing on the clock, but the Nighthawks refused to quit as they used a 21-7 run and in the process cut into Wheaton's lead considerably. Leading 58-55 with just under five minutes to go, the Lyons created some separation by scoring the game's next seven points for a 65-55 advantage with 2:40 left. Wheaton converted its final seven points from the charity stripe and in the process snapped its four-game losing streak. Dow-Allen contributed 17 points (6-12 FG), while Williams added 11 points and five rebounds.

Versus Springfield, Wheaton grabbed an early lead to begin the second half and never let go, as the Lyons defeated the Pride for the first time since the 1998-99 season. The Lyons jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead and extended that lead to 7-2 when Dow-Allen drained a three with 16:14 to play. The lead however would soon change hands, as Springfield went on a 7-0 run to put the Pride in front at 9-7 with 13:15 to go. The lead changed hands four more times in the half, as Sorbara bucketed a three to give the Lyons their last edge of the stanza at 24-23 with 54 ticks on the clock. Springfield closed the scoring on a jumper that put them in front 25-24 heading into the locker room. The second half however went to the hosts, as the Lyons used a 12-4 run capped by Sorbara's second three of the game to give Wheaton a 36-29 advantage with 13:01 to go. Leading 41-36 with 7:54 showing on the clock, the Lyons reeled off 14 unanswered points to take a commanding 55-36 advantage and in the process held the Pride scoreless over a seven-minute span. Sorbara tallied a season-high 16 points on a solid 5-of-6 shooting performance from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 showing from beyond the arc. She also registered a game-best five steals. Brassil posted her second straight double-double and fifth of the season, totaling 12 points and a game-best 10 rebounds. Dow-Allen and Williams chipped in eight points each.

Roberts' Pair of School Records Leads to ECAC Swimmer-of-the-Week Nod

Men's swimming standout Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) was selected Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Swimmer of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, February 8. Only a freshman, Roberts posted three individual event championships, one relay title and two school records in helping lead the Lyons to a 157-131 victory over Connecticut College. He topped the competition in the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyle races while also swimming a leg on the winning 400-yard free relay event. Roberts shattered his own school mark in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.78, but even more impressive was his 48.14 finish in the 100-yard free, which broke Wheaton's 10-year record held since February of 1994. He captured the 200-yard free in 1:48.93 and later swam the first leg on the 400-yard relay team that finished with a time of 3:22.75.

Synchronized Swimming Falls Just Short of Keuka to Open 2004 Season

Wheaton and Keuka College couldn't have asked for a closer synchronized swimming meet Saturday afternoon at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, as the Lyons fell just short of the Storm, 94-93. A perfect example of the closeness of this meet ensued in team competition, as a mere .166 of a point separated the first and second place teams. Keuka scored 84.333 points to take top honors, while Wheaton finished as the runner-up with 84.167 total points. With only six swimmers to the Storm's eight, the Lyons missed out on half of a bonus point, which would have given the Blue and White the team title and overall meet victory.

Wheaton's team competition consisted of senior captains Beth Percy (St. Louis, MO/Parkway West) and Aimee Sears (Norwell, MA/Thayer Academy), juniors Blair Feldman (Tucson, AZ/Green Fields Country Day School) and Jamie Olken (Brighton, NY/Brighton), sophomore Jocelyn Phillips (Belmont, MA/Belmont) and freshman Elizabeth Corman (St. Paul, MN/Hill-Murray). During routines, Percy finished as the meet's top soloist, while Olken and Phillips placed second overall in the duet competition. The Lyons used two trio teams in the meet, as Wheaton's Percy, Feldman and Corman placed first overall. The Blue and White's second trio routine, consisting of Sears, senior captain Liana Cardillo (Bedford, NH/West) and freshman Renata Paglio (Portland, ME/Deering), took third place. In the technical elements competition, Wheaton was victorious in every figure category.

Men's and Women's Track Teams Break Four School Records with 10 NCAA Marks

The Wheaton College men's and women's indoor track and field teams had their best showing of the season at Boston University, as the Lyons combined to shatter four school records with an astounding 10 NCAA qualifying marks at BU's Track and Tennis Center. The women broke two school marks with six NCAA qualifying performances at the Valentine Invitational, while the men also shattered a pair of Wheaton records in addition to posting four NCAA qualifying standards at the FasTrack Invitational.

Senior Amber James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury) continued to shine in the 400-meter dash, as she once again posted the fastest NCAA Division III time in the country with a blazing mark of 54.48, which also shattered her personal-best record of 55.01 set earlier this year. Posting an NCAA Division III national meet automatic qualifying standard with the top collegiate finish, James also anchored Wheaton's provisional-qualifying 4x400-meter relay team, joining junior Jessica Allegra (East Hampton, CT/East Hampton), sophomore Oly Wirtz (Fitchburg, MA/Fitchburg) and freshman Alison Amendola (Franklin, MA/Franklin) with a time of 3:55.33. James rounded out her impressive meet with an eighth-place standing in the 55-meter dash in 7.38.

Sophomore Aspen James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury) topped the collegiate field in the 55M event, sprinting to an impressive time of 7.20 and in the process reaching a national meet provisional qualifying time. She also ran a personal-best time in the 200-meter dash, racing to a mark of 25.15 while finishing sixth overall. Allegra qualified provisionally in the 400 open with a time of 58.53. Senior Kim Spence (Barrington, NH/Dover) turned in an impressive performance in the mile, notching a national meet provisional qualifying standard with a time of 5:06.31. Sophomore Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional) was outstanding in the 5,000-meter run, as she scorched her previous school record by 15 seconds with a time of 17:54.35. In the field, sophomore Noelle Battista (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate) once again placed among the top competitors in the pole vault, qualifying provisionally as the runner-up at 11' 11 3/4".

Senior Erik Benson (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) and junior Stan Pyle (South Portland, ME/South Portland) highlighted the meet on the men's side, as both Benson and Pyle met or broke their own school records in the 400-meter dash and 5,000-meter run, respectively. Benson tied his personal-best time with a provisional qualifier of 48.50 in the 400, while Pyle blew away his career-best performance in the 5,000 with a provisional time of 14:41.26. The 400 open and 4x400-meter relay were the most successful events of the day, as Benson, sophomore Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover) and Wheaton's 4x400M team had national meet provisional qualifying times. Sisodia finished the 400 in 49.06 and was six-hundredths of a second short of qualifying in the 55-meter dash in 6.56. Benson and Sisodia later sided with juniors Adam Walker (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) and Patrick Freytag (Pittsford, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) in the 4x400M event to qualify provisionally in 3:18.66.

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