Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (14-8, 5-5) Downs 13th-Ranked WPI in Only Action of the Week

The Wheaton College men's basketball team pulled off an upset of nationally-ranked Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 64-62 on Wednesday at Emerson Gymnasium during the Lyons' only action last week. The Engineers entered the contest sitting 13th in the D3hoops.com national poll.

During New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action, the Blue and White snapped WPI's nine-game winning streak while handing the Engineers just their second loss in 21 games, as well as their second setback in 10 conference contests. The Lyons broke open a 4-4 game with a 7-0 spurt, as senior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) posted five points during that stretch before eventually giving the hosts a 23-17 lead at 6:38 after scooping a lay-up high off the glass. However, WPI responded with a 10-0 run that carried into the second half. Poor shooting prevailed early in the period, but Wheaton stayed within striking distance before Kelly converted a three-point play at 12:46 for a 39-38 lead. Kelly's points accounted for one of the game's 14 lead changes, eight of which came with under 10 minutes to play. Midway through the half, junior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) drained a jumper, stole a WPI pass on the next possession and split two Engineer defenders for another score to give the Lyons a 45-42 edge.

After a back-and-forth finish, Wheaton secured the lead for good with 41 seconds left when sophomore center Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) knocked down a baseline jumper to make the score 61-60. On the next possession, Zukowski grabbed his third steal of the game, and senior James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) hit two free throws for a three-point margin. Following a WPI lay-up with 15 ticks left and a giveaway by Wheaton on the next possession, Kelly corralled his seventh steal and hit the front end of a one-and-one for a two-point lead. The Engineers missed a jumper in the closing seconds and pulled down the offensive rebound, but following a scramble in the paint, WPI was unable to get off another attempt as time expired. Zukowski netted a team-best 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting while grabbing seven boards. Kelly chipped in 14 points and seven steals, while Greenslit finished with 11 points, hitting all six of his free throw attempts. DiGiovanna added 10 points, as Wheaton shot 51.6 percent from the field in the second half.

The Lyons enter the final week of the regular season tied for fourth in the NEWMAC with Springfield College, standing just one game out of second. On Tuesday, Wheaton hosts the United States Coast Guard Academy, which is currently tied for second, before completing its conference slate Saturday versus sixth-place Babson College.

Women's Basketball (13-10, 5-6) Posts 1-1 Mark with Pair of Close Decisions

The Wheaton College women's basketball team split a pair of NEWMAC games decided by a total of five points last week. The Blue and White dropped a 50-48 overtime affair at Babson College on Tuesday before pulling out a 52-49 victory at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on Saturday. With 13 wins, the Lyons are nearing their most victories since the 1999-2000 squad went 14-10.

Despite holding Babson without a field goal in overtime, the Lyons suffered their sixth loss by eight points or fewer. Wheaton rattled off a 13-2 run to gain control with a 27-20 advantage late in the first half, as sophomore Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) netted five straight points during the run and freshman Jennie Pleat (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) notched consecutive buckets. The Lyons led by as many as nine points on freshman Bri Smith's (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) three-pointer at 17:04 of the second period, but Babson slowly chipped away and knotted the score at 41 on a long-range shot with less than five minutes remaining. Aitchison put the Blue and White back in front with a lay-up at 3:23, and with the visitors clinging to a 45-44 edge, freshman Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) blocked Babson's go-ahead attempt with 15.7 seconds remaining before the Beavers nabbed the offensive board, drew a foul and sank a pair of free throws. Aitchison then hit a freebie with 4.9 seconds left and sent the teams to overtime tied at 46. After the hosts notched overtime's first three points on free throws, junior Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic) brought Wheaton to within 49-48 on a lay-up with 25.7 seconds to go. Babson added one more point with five seconds left, and the Blue and White's final attempt was turned away as time expired. The Lyons held the Beavers to just one field goal attempt in overtime, as the hosts scored all of their points by going 4-of-8 from the charity stripe. Aitchison paced the Lyons with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Sophomore Amy Johnson (Wilmington, VT/Wilmington) scored Wheaton's final eight points, including a pair of go-ahead three-pointers in the final 1:40 of regulation, and the Lyons clinched a spot in the NEWMAC Tournament with a win at WPI. The visitors used a 16-3 spurt over a 9:29 span to turn a 16-10 deficit into a 26-19 halftime lead, as the Lyons limited WPI to 1-of-15 shooting over the final 10 minutes of the opening period. The Blue and White maintained its advantage through the majority of the second frame, including its largest lead of the game at 39-31 on a jumper by Smith with 10:17 to play. The Engineers then went on a 10-1 run to corral a 41-40 edge with 5:22 remaining before the Lyons eked ahead, 44-41. WPI knotted the game on a trey, but Johnson knocked down the first of three clutch shots to make the score 46-44 at 3:04. After the hosts took a 47-46 lead into the final two minutes, Johnson canned just her seventh three-pointer of the season with 1:40 remaining. The Engineers once again evened the score at 1:19, but Johnson drained her second long-range shot with 10 seconds remaining before WPI's miss with five ticks left clinched Wheaton's victory. Hickey notched her second double-double of the season with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 10 rebounds. Johnson finished with 10 points and six rebounds, Smith added nine points, and Aitchison grabbed nine boards. The Lyons knocked down 10-of-11 free throw attempts.

The Lyons enter the final week of the regular season holding sole possession of sixth place in the NEWMAC, just two games out of third. On Tuesday, Wheaton hosts the United States Coast Guard Academy, which is tied for seventh, before entertaining conference leader Springfield College on Saturday at Emerson Gymnasium. Should the Pride down Clark University on Tuesday, the Blue and White will be looking to spoil Springfield's perfect conference mark.

Roberts Notches ECAC Swimmer-of-the-Week Accolade

Junior All-American Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) was selected Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Swimmer of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, February 5. Roberts stretched his winning streak to 20 events after three wins at the Middlebury Invitational on February 4. He set a pool record and met an NCAA Division III Championship provisional qualifying standard by winning the 50-yard freestyle in 21.23, which was within 0.43 seconds of his own school mark. Roberts also won the 100-yard free in 47.22, just 0.44 ticks off an NCAA provisional mark. He then anchored the 200-yard medley relay team to victory in 1:37.28 thanks to a final leg of 20.57 seconds.

Wheaton's women finish their season this weekend at the NEWMAC Championship, hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The men conclude their campaign by hosting the NEWMAC Championship in Balfour Natatorium on February 24-26.

Synchronized Swimming Corrals First Place at Penn Invitational

The Wheaton College synchronized swimming team topped a three-team field during the University of Pennsylvania Invitational on Saturday. The Lyons recorded 94 points to edge out host Penn, which had 83. Penn State University finished third with 29.5 points.

The Lyons won all three routine events in which they were entered. In duets, junior Elizabeth Corman (Saint Paul, MN/Hill-Murray School) and sophomore Megan Kinney (Los Angeles, CA/Marlborough School) paced the field, while sophomore Esther Kovacs (Windham, NH/Academy of Notre Dame) and freshman Sylvia Syracuse (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore West) came in just 1.25 points behind during a second-place finish. Kovacs took first in the solo event. Wheaton's victorious quintet was comprised of Corman, Kinney, Kovacs, Syracuse and junior Sarah Swinkin (Hamden, CT/Hamden), and the Blue and White's sextet of junior Renata Paglio (Portland, ME/Deering), sophomores Laura Fleck (Auburn, ME/Hebron Academy), Perri Kapp (Yarmouth Port, MA/Dennis-Yarmouth Regional), Ru-Huey Yen (Des Moines, IA/Abraham Lincoln) and Ru-Shyan Yen (Des Moines, IA/Abraham Lincoln) and freshman Kelly Maby (Woodhaven, NY/Richmond Hill) notched a second-place finish.

Wheaton swept the B figures, as freshman Sharada Strasmore (Weston, CT/Weston) tallied 70.192 points to beat out Kinney's 70 for first place. Kovacs, Corman and Syracuse rounded out the field. In C figures, Swinkin recorded 66.951 points to win by 1.16 over Penn's second-place finisher. Fleck and Paglio tied for second in the D figures, while Ru-Shyan Yen, Kapp and Ru-Huey Yen finished within 0.838 points of one another in fifth, eighth and ninth, respectively.

School Records Fall as Track and Field Teams Participate at Valentine Invitational

Wheaton College's men's and women's indoor track and field squads saw a pair of school records fall as the Lyons took part in Boston University's Valentine Invitational over the weekend. Additionally, four Blue and White athletes met NCAA Division III Championship provisional qualifying standards.

Most of the men's drama occurred during the 200-meter dash, as a school record fell twice. Senior All-American Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover) broke a four-year-old program mark with a 10th-place finish of 21.88 only to see freshman Michael Wright (Baldwin, NY/Uniondale) eclipse that time in 21.86 during the next heat. Wright came in eighth. However, that standard was almost met on two other occasions, as first-year Jonathan Cunha (Lexington, MA/Lexington) ran the next heat in 21.98 before classmate Victor Martinez (Exeter, NH/Phillips Exeter Academy) neared the record at 22.05. Sisodia came up with an NCAA provisional time in the 400-meter dash in 48.90, and Martinez finished 0.68 seconds off a provisional standard in 49.88. Wright had a close call with a 6.63 finish in the 55-meter dash, coming within 0.13 seconds of reaching both his own school record and an NCAA provisional time. Cunha ran the 55-meter hurdles in 8.09, which was 0.30 ticks shy of matching a school record and 0.34 behind an NCAA provisional time. Freshman Albi Skenderi (Glendale, NY/Grover Cleveland) completed the 55M hurdles race in 8.54.

In the women's events, freshman Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School) broke the program's eight-year-old 1,000-meter run record by 3.09 seconds. Calderwood finished 10th in a time of 3:02.21, while senior Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional) wasn't far behind in 3:08.31. By completing the mile run in 5:03.87, sophomore Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) cleared an NCAA provisional hurdle. During the high jump, junior All-American Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) tied for the highest leap of the meet at 5' 6", reaching an NCAA provisional standard for the fifth time in six meets this season. Freshman Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) had a breakout performance, hitting an NCAA provisional standard while nearly reaching another and narrowly falling short of a pair of school marks. Ezeigwe's time of 57.88 in the 400-meter dash was the provisional qualifier, while she fell 0.01 seconds shy of a provisional qualifying time in the 55-meter dash. Her finish of 7.34 was also just 0.31 ticks short of matching a Wheaton record, and Ezeigwe came within 0.35 seconds of a school mark with a 25.09 showing in the 200-meter dash. Sophomore Joell Whitley (Magnolia, NJ/Triton Regional) finished just behind Ezeigwe in the 55M dash in a time of 7.50, while freshman Celeste Karpow (Wilton, CT/Wilton) was 2.37 seconds short of an NCAA provisional time in the 400M dash.

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