Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (11-6, 2-3) Falls Below .500 in NEWMAC Play During 1-2 Week

The Wheaton College men's basketball team lost two of three games last week and dipped below .500 in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play for the first time since February 2004. The Lyons dropped a home contest against non-conference foe Tufts University, 88-70 on Tuesday before downing in-state foe Fitchburg State College, 71-53 on Thursday. On Saturday, Wheaton nearly defeated nationally-ranked Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) before falling, 82-77 in the final minute of a NEWMAC road affair.

Against Tufts, the Lyons led early before falling behind by 10 points at the half and never fully recovering. During the second half, Tufts used an 18-5 run to capture its biggest cushion, 70-47 with 10:09 remaining. Wheaton immediately responded and chipped its deficit down to 10 via a 17-4 run over the next 6:24. A trio of young Lyons led the comeback charge, as sophomore Eric Johnston (South Windsor, CT/East Catholic) collected six points and three rebounds, freshman Patrick Youreneff (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) notched five points, and first-year Ryan McDonough (Holliston, MA/Tilton School) kicked in four points and two blocks during the run. However, the Jumbos hit 12-of-13 free throw attempts during the final 3:14. Junior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) paced the Lyons with 17 points, while Johnston turned in 13 points, five rebounds and three steals during 27 minutes off the bench. Senior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) finished with eight points as well as team highs of eight rebounds and seven assists.

During the Lyons' final non-conference game of the regular season, Wheaton snapped a two-game losing skid with a win at Fitchburg State. The Blue and White used a key 18-2 run during the first half to turn a 7-6 deficit into a 24-9 advantage with 7:50 remaining in the period. The visitors opened the second stanza by completing a 13-2 run to capture a 51-29 lead at 15:06, and Fitchburg State never got any closer than 17 points. Fitchburg State's point total matched a season low for Wheaton's opponents, while the Lyons went 25-of-52 from the field, 17-of-23 from the line and snared a season-high tying 16 steals. Zukowski netted 25 points by going 8-of-14 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the charity stripe, sophomore Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) added 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and Kelly finished with nine points, six assists and five steals.

Wheaton put a scare into WPI in a rematch of last year's NEWMAC Tournament championship game before the Engineers narrowly escaped. WPI, ranked 14th in the most recent D3hoops.com national poll, held a slim 18-16 lead during the opening period before embarking on a 17-2 run over a 4:07 span to open up a 35-18 advantage by 7:40. However, the Lyons tallied the final seven points of the half and trailed just 47-40 at intermission. Trailing by a 64-52 margin with 12:34 left in regulation, Wheaton tallied the game's next nine points, including four by DiGiovanna, to draw within three at 9:04. After the Engineers pushed their lead back to seven with 4:52 remaining, the Lyons used an 8-0 run to capture their first lead, 74-73. Johnston knocked down three jumpers during the stretch, including the go-ahead basket at 1:56. However, WPI snapped a 75-all tie by completing the game-clinching three-point play with 33.3 seconds remaining. Zukowski led the Lyons with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting and tallied eight rebounds. DiGiovanna contributed 17 points, Johnston finished with 14, and Kelly notched 11 points, five steals and four assists. The Lyons shot 49.1 percent from the floor and hit 16-of-19 free throws.

Women's Basketball (8-7, 2-4) Notches First NEWMAC Wins During Undefeated Week

The Wheaton College women's basketball team picked up its first two NEWMAC victories of the season during a 2-0 week, drawing within one game of fifth place in the conference standings. On Tuesday, the Lyons traveled to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and corralled a 65-60 decision before springing an upset on Babson College with a 61-39 victory Saturday at Emerson Gym.

In Wheaton's first NEWMAC contest of the week, the Lyons and Engineers battled through a tight opening half, during which the Blue and White led by as many as six points before holding a 29-25 edge at halftime. The visitors slowly pushed their lead to double figures and led, 58-44 with 1:48 left, but MIT used a 13-5 run over 59 seconds to trail, 63-57 with 34 seconds remaining. After a pair of missed free throws, sophomore Thayer Lawson (Manchester, MA/Manchester Essex Regional) grabbed an offensive rebound before freshman Brandee Williams-Epes (Queens, NY/Renaissance Charter School) buried two freebies to secure the win. Sophomore Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) turned in career highs of 20 points, coming on 8-of-13 shooting, and 12 rebounds. Freshman Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) finished with 13 points, five boards and three steals, while juniors Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton) and Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic) had five steals apiece. Wheaton forced 28 turnovers and racked up 17 steals.

Thanks to a mix of accurate shooting and stifling defense against Babson, the Lyons surprised a team which entered the contest tied for third in the conference. After yielding the Beavers a basket six seconds into the game, the Lyons forced nine turnovers while limiting the visitors to 0-of-6 shooting over the next 7:53. Wheaton rattled off an early 10-0 run for a 12-4 advantage by the 12:35 mark and led, 32-18 at the break. It marked the Blue and White's largest halftime lead at Emerson Gymnasium since a 22-point cushion on December 4, 2003, and matched its biggest at intermission of a home NEWMAC contest since January 25, 2003. A three-point bucket by Babson 11 seconds into the second half cut the Beaver deficit to 11, but Wheaton responded with 10 unanswered points to grab a 42-21 lead. The hosts finished with a 31-9 advantage in points off turnovers and, despite facing a team with three 6-footers, held a 28-8 edge in points in the paint. The Lyons recorded 17 steals on 27 Babson turnovers while shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 92.3 percent from the free throw line. Hickey was one rebound shy of her second double-double of the season, matching her season high with 21 points by shooting 7-of-11 from the floor and 7-of-7 on free throws while grabbing a game-best nine rebounds with three steals. Sorbara turned in 11 points, six assists and four steals, while sophomore Amy Johnson (Wilmington, VT/Wilmington) finished with eight points, five boards, four steals and three blocks.

Men's (10-2) and Women's (11-3) Swimming Capture Final-Event Wins Against Bentley

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams needed wins in their final events against Division II Bentley College, but each Lyon team corralled a victory on Saturday at Balfour Natatorium in the Blue and White's only action of the week. The Wheaton women captured a 145-143 decision and broke the school's single-season wins record, while the men recorded a 152-139 victory.

In women's action, the Falcons held a 139-132 advantage heading into the final event of the day, the 200-yard freestyle relay. However, Wheaton's quartet of senior Courtney Catalano (Westford, MA/Westford Academy), junior Colleen Smith (Milford, CT/Lauralton Hall), sophomore Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) and freshman Caitlin Glover (Durham, NH/Berwick Academy) won the race in a time of 1:44.52, bettering Bentley's second-place team by 1.91 seconds. With the squads tied at 143, the Lyons' team of senior Lauren Pcholinski (Old Saybrook, CT/Old Saybrook), junior Kristen Behrens (Uxbridge, MA/Uxbridge), sophomore Melinda Labranche (Dorchester, MA/John D. O'Bryant School) and freshman Casey Shanley (Rumson, NJ/Suffield Academy) won the meet for Wheaton by placing third, 3.0 seconds ahead of Bentley's fourth-place foursome. Pratt also notched a pair of individual victories, including a school-record finish of 27.50 in the 50-yard butterfly, which eclipsed the mark she set last season against Bentley by 0.01 seconds. She also took first in the 200-yard butterfly in a time of 2:19.26. Sophomore Meg Miller (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) led Wheaton's individual swimmers with three wins, sweeping the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyle competitions with times of 26.15, 56.40 and 2:02.75, respectively. Glover claimed first in the 50-yard backstroke in 30.15, while she, Miller and Pratt teamed with junior Cassie Bohn (Manhattan Beach, CA/Mira Costa) to win the 200-yard medley relay in 1:56.48.

The men's race also provided an exciting conclusion, as Wheaton clung to a 139-135 lead heading into the 200-yard freestyle relay and clinched the dual meet victory by placing first in the event. Junior All-American Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering), sophomore Ryan Patch (Lexington, MA/Lexington) and freshmen Chris Romilly (Washington, DC/Saint Albans) and T.J. Sponzo (Simsbury, CT/Avon Old Farms) beat out the second-place team by 1.13 seconds, finishing in a time of 1:29.80. Sophomore Matt Jordan (Ellsworth, ME/Ellsworth) won a trio of individual events, including a 200-yard backstroke victory by 4.56 seconds over the second-place finisher in a time of 1:59.99. Jordan also tallied first-place showings with times of 24.53 in the 50-yard butterfly and 24.74 in the 50-yard backstroke, coming within 0.11 seconds of school records in each event. Roberts swept the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyle races for the second straight dual meet with times of 21.90, 47.98 and 1:49.87, respectively. Junior Matt Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) swam the 50-yard breaststroke in 27.87, just 0.02 seconds off a seven-year-old Wheaton record, and also won the 200-yard individual medley in 2:01.28. Hurley, Jordan, Sponzo and sophomore Joe Fowler (Farmington, ME/Mount Blue) teamed for a first-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay in 1:42.46.

Men's and Women's Track and Field Squads Each Split 11-Team Fields at URI Meets

Wheaton College's men's and women's indoor track and field squads each garnered sixth-place finishes out of 11 teams in Friday meets hosted by the University of Rhode Island. The Blue and White's teams were the lone Division III entrants, as the Lyon men recorded 30.5 points at the Sorlien Invitational and the women notched 26 points at the GoRhody Classic. Both groups of Lyons placed ahead of Division I opponents Central Connecticut State University, University of Hartford and Quinnipiac University, as well as Division II participants University of New Haven and Stonehill College.

Freshman Michael Wright (Baldwin, NY/Uniondale) provided a highlight for the Wheaton men, breaking a four-year-old school record by finishing the 55-meter dash in 6.50, which was also a provisional qualifying time for the NCAA Division III Championship in March. Wright eclipsed Rahiem Greenridge's '02 former standard of 6.52 while placing third in the event, as well as second in the 200-meter dash in 22.44. Senior All-American Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover) won the 400-meter dash in 50.25, while first-year athlete Jonathan Cunha (Lexington, MA/Lexington) placed fifth in the 55-meter hurdles at 7.85 and tied for sixth among 200-meter dash competitors in 22.88.

On the women's side, junior All-American Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) took first in the high jump with a leap of 5'5", while a freshman foursome comprised the 4x400-meter relay team that placed fourth in 4:01.97, less than a second away from an NCAA Division III Championship provisional qualifying time. It was the first collegiate competition running in the same quartet for first-years Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School), Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy), Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) and Celeste Karpow (Wilton, CT/Wilton). Karpow also turned in a fifth-place finish in the 500-meter run at 1:20.67, Calderwood finished the 800-meter run in sixth place with a time of 2:22.54, and freshman Morgan Jamiel (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate) placed sixth in the 55-meter hurdles at 9.11.

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