Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (21-9, 7-5) Captures First ECAC Title, Sets Program Win Record

The Wheaton College men's basketball team captured the first Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament championship in the program's 16-year history last week, as the Lyons established a new program win record with victories over Emerson College, Western New England College and Rhode Island College. Finishing its season with a 21-9 record, number-three seed Wheaton defeated sixth seed Emerson, 91-63 on Wednesday, number-seven seed Western New England, 85-62 on Friday and fourth seed Rhode Island College, 78-66 on Saturday. All games were played in Wheaton's Emerson Gymnasium, as the Lyons completed the year with a perfect 10-0 home mark against non-conference opponents.

Versus Emerson, the visitors took an early 6-2 edge, but Wheaton responded with a 12-3 run to capture a 14-9 advantage and a lead that was not relinquished. Senior tri-captain Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy) and sophomore Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) knocked down back-to-back treys during that stretch. The Lions made it a three point game with 11:29 remaining, but after that the hosts outscored Emerson, 27-8 for a commanding 41-19 advantage with 3:31 on the clock. The Lyons eventually carried a comfortable 48-27 lead into the locker room. The hosts opened the second stanza with a 12-5 run to capture a 60-32 advantage with 16:15 to play. Wheaton posted a season-high 24 assists as a team while committing only 10 turnovers. Senior tri-captain Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) had 19 points and a game-high five steals, while Stanton registered 18 points and a team-high tying eight rebounds. Junior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) turned in an all-around solid performance with 16 points, a season-high tying eight rebounds and seven assists, while Zukowski added 15 points, four assists and four steals.

Against Western New England, the Lyons exploded for 16 of the game's opening 18 points in the first five minutes of play and never looked back. Wheaton caught fire offensively from the outset, converting six of its first seven shots including four consecutive three-point buckets. Stanton, who moved into sixth place on Wheaton's all-time scoring list, and Zukowski drained two treys apiece during that run. The Golden Bears kept the deficit at 14 points until the 11 minute mark, when the Lyons began a 19-6 run to take a commanding 43-16 lead with 5:01 remaining. The hosts led by as many as 28 points in the opening half and eventually went into the intermission with a 49-23 cushion. Wheaton shot an impressive 57.6 percent from the floor and a blistering 56.3 percent from long range. A total of 12 Wheaton players scored on the night, led by Vega's team-best 19 points. Stanton finished the game with 15 points, while Zukowski chipped in with 13 points. Freshman Jake Otto (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury) rounded out the double-figure scoring with a season-best 10 points in 12 minutes. Junior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) added a game-high five assists, team-best six rebounds and game-high tying three steals.

Versus Rhode Island College, other than a pair of ties early in the opening half and one Anchormen lead midway through the stanza, Wheaton held the advantage for the majority of the game. Following the game's second tie at 10-10, senior Mark Ledwell (Charlemont, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional) helped the Lyons recapture a slim 12-10 edge. The Anchormen retaliated with a three-pointer to give the visitors their only lead of the contest. Leading 16-15 with 8:43 on the clock, Wheaton used a 12-3 spurt to capture its biggest advantage of the half. RIC narrowed its deficit to five points on four occasions, but Kelly hit a driving lay up with two ticks left for a 38-31 Wheaton advantage at the half. In the second stanza, Wheaton held a 51-41 lead with 13:23 to play, but the Anchormen used a 10-2 run to get as close as two points with 11:13 remaining. RIC stayed close the next two minutes and trailed 55-52, only to see the Lyons use a 12-2 spurt to capture a commanding 67-54 advantage with 5:36 to go. The Anchormen would get no closer than seven points the rest of the way, as Wheaton closed out the game with solid free throw shooting. Kelly, who was named Most Outstanding Player, posted a career-best 24 points, season-high tying eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. Zukowski totaled 18 points, while Vega and Ledwell rounded out the double-figure scoring with 14 points apiece.

Synchronized Swimming Places Third at East Collegiate Regional Championship

The Wheaton College synchronized swimming team placed third overall at Saturday's East Collegiate Regional Championship held at Walsh University's CT Brainin Natatorium, as the Lyons totaled 80 points in the seven-team field.

Competing on Wheaton's second-place A squad was senior co-captain Jamie Olken (Brighton, NY/Brighton), sophomore co-captain Elizabeth Corman (St. Paul, MN/Hill-Murray), sophomore Sarah Swinkin (Hamden, CT/Hamden) and freshmen Tori Hay (Danville, CA/Monte Vista), Megan Kinney (Los Angeles, CA/Marlborough), Esther Kovacs (Windham, NH/Notre Dame Academy) and Sachi Maekawa (Seattle, WA/Franklin). The Lyons' B team, comprised of sophomore Renata Paglio (Portland, ME/Deering) alongside first-year athletes Laura Fleck (Auburn, ME/Hebron Academy), Perri Kapp (Yarmouth Port, MA/Dennis Yarmouth), Ru-Shyan Yen (Des Moines, IA/Abraham Lincoln) and Ru-Huey Yen (Des Moines, IA/Abraham Lincoln), finished sixth overall.

Individually, Maekawa completed the solo routine portion of the meet in second place. Corman and Hay picked up fifth-place honors in Wheaton's first scoring duet of the season, while Corman, Hay and Kinney sided for a fourth-place standing in the trio competition. The second trio, consisting of Kovacs, Olken and Swinkin, was sixth on the day. In technical elements, Kinney was victorious in the C figure category while Maekawa was credited with a runner-up finish in A figures. Fleck registered a fourth-place standing in D figures and Hay was the top Wheaton performer in the B figure category.

Men's and Women's Track and Field Competes at Last Chance Qualifier Meet

The Wheaton College men's and women's indoor track and field teams had their final tune up before the NCAA Division III Championship Friday night, as the Lyons sent a handful of athletes to Trinity College's Last Chance Qualifier meet held at Yale University.

Wheaton had a pair of national meet provisional qualifying standards, including junior captain Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover) in the 400-meter dash and the women's 4x400-meter relay team, comprised of senior captains Jessica Allegra (East Hampton, CT/East Hampton) and Kathrine Wallace (Glenmoore, PA/The Hill School) and freshmen Chelsea Nader (Ardmore, PA/Lower Menan) and Julie McLane (New Canaan, CT/New Canaan). Sisodia placed third overall in 49.12, while the 4x400M took third with a time of 3:57.42. McLane and sophomore Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) just missed provisionally qualifying in the 55-meter hurdles event. Harlow was four-tenths of a second off the mark with a time of 8.64 in the finals, while McLane was six-tenths of a second shy in the preliminaries in 8.66. Harlow also took second in the high jump.

On the men's side, Sisodia advanced to the finals of the 55-meter dash, sprinting to a sixth-place mark in 6.66, while senior captain Jamaal Rawls-Payton (Stoughton, MA/Stoughton) finished ninth in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.07. The Blue and White's distance medley relay team also took part in the meet with a sixth-place result. Running for the Lyons was senior captain Patrick Freytag (Pittsford, NY/McQuaid Jesuit), junior Ross Kahill (South Portland, ME/South Portland) and first-year athletes Pat Benson (Foxboro, MA/Bishop Feehan) and Alex Cook (Hanover, MA/Hanover).

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