Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (17-12, 6-6) Reaches First-Ever ECAC Title Game, Falls to WCSU

The Wheaton College men's basketball team was a mere basket away from making program history this past week, as the Lyons reached their first-ever Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Tournament title game in the 15-year existence of the program. Seeded eighth in this year's tourney, Wheaton knocked off top seed Colby-Sawyer College, 67-66 in Wednesday's opening round in New London, New Hampshire and then defeated the fourth-seeded Roger Williams University Hawks, 70-64 in Saturday's semifinal in Bristol, Rhode Island. Sunday's championship game took place in Danbury, Connecticut, where the Lyons squandered a 13-point second-half lead to the sixth-seeded Western Connecticut State University Colonials and suffered a 63-61 setback. Competing in its sixth ECAC Tournament, Wheaton's 17 victories ties the third-highest win total for a single season.

Trailing 66-65 with 1:08 to play at Colby-Sawyer, junior Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) drove the left baseline and scored what proved to be the game-winning lay-up. The Chargers missed their final two shots with a Wheaton turnover sandwiched in the middle. The first half had three ties until the Chargers converted back-to-back buckets to give the hosts a 17-13 advantage midway through the period. Colby-Sawyer extended the margin to nine points (26-17, 31-22) twice in the opening 20 minutes and took a 35-29 lead into the break. Senior Richard Henninger (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) brought Wheaton within a point (35-34) on a free throw, lay-up and a dunk to start the final stanza, but the Chargers slowly stretched the margin back to nine points once again with just under 12 minutes to play. The Lyons chipped away at the deficit and took their first lead (59-58) since eight minutes into the game when sophomore Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) drained a three with 6:05 to go. The teams then traded the next four buckets, and one-point leads, as Wheaton pulled ahead, 63-62. Wheaton committed itself to the inside game in the second half, as the Lyons outscored Colby-Sawyer, 32-10 in points in the paint. The visitors shot an impressive .643 (18-28 FG) from the field in the second stanza, while the Chargers posted a .407 (11-27 FG) clip from the floor. Vega led the way with 14 points, while senior Scott Mahan (Bridgewater, MA/Cardinal Spellman) had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Classmate Frankie Whall (Roslindale, MA/Cheshire Academy) matched Mahan's dozen points, while Henninger and Kelly chipped in 11 points apiece.

At Roger Williams, the first half was played extremely tight with Wheaton never leading by more than four points. During a two-minute stretch late in the opening session, the lead switched hands on five straight possessions. The Hawks knocked down a three, giving RWU a 21-20 advantage. From there, Whall and RWU exchanged baskets before Whall connected again to put the Lyons back on top. A Hawk field goal with 2:55 to go gave the hosts a 25-24 lead. Almost two minutes later, Mahan converted a lay-up, sending Wheaton into the locker room in front 26-25. In the second half, a three-pointer by Vega made it 29-27, but RWU responded with the first lengthy run of the game. A jumper ignited a 10-0 spurt that gave the Hawks their largest lead of the game at 37-29. The Lyons quickly answered, sparked by two three's from junior Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy). His quick six points, followed by four points from Vega, completed a 10-2 run that knotted things up at 39 points each. At the ten-minute mark, Wheaton had taken a four-point lead and looked to have all of the momentum, but the Hawks used an incredible four-point play to pull even again. The Lyons took control from there, going on yet another 10-2 run. A couple of inside baskets by Henninger and four straight free throws from Vega put the Lyons comfortably ahead, 55-47. In the final minute, Vega went 5-of-6 from the line to ice the game. Vega had a game-high tying 21 points (9-10 FT) to lead the way, while Whall completed a double-double with 16 points (7-12 FG) and a game-best 11 rebounds. Henninger tallied 12 points (5-6 FG) and five boards, while Kelly was also impressive with a game-high eight assists and team-best four steals.

At Western Connecticut State, Wheaton took a 31-30 lead into the intermission and eventually built a comfortable 49-36 advantage midway through the second half, but Western battled back. The Colonials' comeback was ignited by a four-point play that cut the lead to 49-40 with 9:41 to play. Western then went on a 14-5 run, capped by another three-pointer that knotted the game at 54-54 with 4:03 left. The Colonials converted 8-of-11 free throws during the run. Each team exchanged baskets down the stretch until a jumper gave Western a two-point lead, 60-58 with 36 seconds to play. Mahan made one of two free throws to bring the Lyons to within a point, but Western was fouled on the ensuing in-bounds play with 22 seconds left. The Colonials knocked down both freebies for a three-point lead at 62-59. The Lyons however did not go quietly, as Mahan's lay-up with just 13 seconds remaining cut the lead to one. Wheaton again fouled and the Colonials only made one of the two, leaving the door open for the Lyons to tie or win the game on their final possession. Vega had the final shot in the paint but his attempt missed the target and fell into the hands of Western as time expired. Mahan finished his impressive Wheaton career with his 12th double-double of the season, posting a game-high 22 points (9-18 FG) and 10 rebounds. Vega was the only other player in double-figure scoring with 18 points to go alongside a game-best six assists. Henninger recorded six points and six rebounds in his final collegiate game, while Whall contributed seven points and six boards to close out his four-year career.

Synchronized Swimming Finishes in Tie for Second at East Collegiate Regionals

Senior captain Beth Percy (St. Louis, MO/Parkway West) led the Wheaton College synchronized swimming team over the weekend, as the Lyons finished in a tie for second place at the two-day East Collegiate Regional Championship held at the University of Rhode Island. Wheaton shared runner-up honors with Keuka College with a total of 75 points. Division I Canisius College won the overall title with 104 points in the 11-team field.

Percy posted Wheaton's highest finish of the meet during the solo routine, placing second overall to a Canisius athlete with a total of 87.667 points. Percy also registered a second-place mark of 82.814 points in the A figure category in addition to swimming in the Lyons' top trio routine and team competition. Joining Percy in the trio routine was junior Blair Feldman (Tucson, AZ/Green Fields Country Day School) and freshman Elizabeth Corman (St. Paul, MN/Hill-Murray). Percy, Feldman and Corman took third behind a pair of Canisius squads. In the team portion of the meet, the Wheaton group finished behind Keuka with a fourth-place mark and total of 83.833 points.

The team routine consisted of Percy, Feldman, Corman, senior captain Aimee Sears (Norwell, MA/Thayer Academy), junior Jamie Olken (Brighton, NY/Brighton) and sophomore Jocelyn Phillips (Belmont, MA/Belmont). In the duet, Feldman and Corman placed third with 79.500 points, while Olken and Phillips finished eighth with 76.333 points. On Friday during the technical elements competition, Corman captured the gold in the C figure category with 67.800 points. Olken and Phillips finished fourth and fifth, respectively, while Sears was 12th overall. In B figures, Feldman was 19th among 33 competitors. In the D category, senior Liana Cardillo (Bedford, NH/West) earned a fourth-place mark, while first-year Renata Paglio (Portland, ME/Deering) was 16th in the 41-member field.

Men's and Women's Track Teams Finish in Upper Echelon of ECAC Championship Field

The Wheaton College men's and women's indoor track and field teams competed in their final meet of preparation prior to next weekend's NCAA Division III Championship, as the Lyons were at the two-day ECAC Championship meet held at Bowdoin College's Farley Field House. Nine national meet provisional qualifying performances bolstered the women to a second-place finish of 60 points among 39 teams, while the men placed 13th overall with 22 points in the 36-team field.

For the women, the 400-meter dash sprinters led the way, as senior Amber James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury) and junior Jessica Allegra (East Hampton, CT/East Hampton) both exceeded provisional qualifying standards. Allegra placed second overall in the 400M event in 58.75, while James, Allegra, junior Kathrine Wallace (Glenmoore, PA/The Hill School) and freshman Alison Amendola (Franklin, MA/Franklin) finished second in the 4x400-meter relay in 3:55.70.

James also had a season-best and second-place time of 7.19 in the 55-meter dash, which moved her up the national meet qualifying list. Sophomore Aspen James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury) was right on sister Amber's heels in the 55M race, as she placed third overall with a provisional time of 7.22. Senior Kim Spence (Barrington, NH/Dover) also improved her provisional time in the 1,500-meter run at 4:43.70, which was good enough for a fourth-place standing. Spence ran a leg in the provisional-qualifying distance medley relay race, joining junior Erin O'Brien (North Easton, MA/Oliver Ames) and sophomores Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional) and Oly Wirtz (Fitchburg, MA/Fitchburg) for a third-place finish and time of 12:09.53.

The Lyons were equally as successful in the field, as sophomore Noelle Battista (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate) posted a provisional qualifying mark of 12' 1/2" in the pole vault while finishing second overall. In the high jump, Wallace and freshman Crystal Blamy (Walpole, NH/Fall Mountain Regional) were even every step of the way, tying for third at 5' 5 1/4".

On the men's side, junior Dan Olson (Voorheesville, NY/Albany Academy) captured the high jump championship by clearing 7' 1/4", a solid four inches higher than the next closest competitor. His leap met yet another national meet automatic qualifying performance, while sophomore Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover) reached a provisional standard in the 400-meter dash in 48.98. He finished second overall in the 400M and seventh in the finals of the 55-meter dash in 6.67. Junior Jamaal Rawls-Payton (Stoughton, MA/Stoughton) advanced to the finals of the 55-meter hurdles, placing seventh in the eight-member field with a time of 7.97.

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