Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (15-9, 6-6) Grabs NEWMAC Tournament's Fourth Seed After 1-1 Week

The Wheaton College men's basketball team split a pair of New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) home contests during the final week of the regular season to cement the fourth seed in the conference tournament. The Lyons narrowly fell to the visiting United States Coast Guard Academy, 75-73 on Tuesday before downing Babson College, 74-63 on Saturday.

Coast Guard nailed a trio of early three-pointers for a 10-5 lead at 16:12, but the Lyons came back and took its largest first-half lead, 29-21 on senior Sean Kelly's (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) long-range shot at 7:45. The Bears used a 13-2 run to go back on top, but freshman Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) was key for the Lyons right before halftime, hitting a jumper, picking off a pass that turned into a hoop and then assisting a bucket that gave Wheaton a 37-36 edge at intermission. After three early second-half ties, Coast Guard forged a 59-51 advantage before Kelly hit a go-ahead three at 6:30, assisted on a game-tying jumper at 5:24 and drained a long-range shot with 32 seconds remaining to knot the score. However, after a Coast Guard miss with less than 10 ticks to go, the Bears grabbed an offensive board and tallied the game-winning hoop with 6.8 seconds remaining. The Lyons shot well from the floor, knocking down 29-of-57 shots for 50.9 percent, including 9-of-19 three-pointers. Junior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) led Wheaton with 22 points, four three-pointers and four assists. Kelly turned in 19 points by going 7-of-10 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, while contributing five rebounds, four steals, and seven assists to just two turnovers. During the contest, Kelly moved to 83 steals this season, breaking the program mark he set last year. Sophomore Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) added 14 points, while senior James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) turned in 10 points. Despite Coast Guard holding the NCAA's best all-divisions rebounding margin at plus-12.8, Wheaton was only outrebounded by a 28-27 final.

The Blue and White's trio of seniors came up big during the Lyons' Senior Day victory over Babson. Senior Ben Davis (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) canned a three-pointer to give the Lyons their first edge at 3-2, marking the first of seven lead changes during a 3:53 span. Greenslit twice netted hoops to put Wheaton back on top before Kelly gave the Blue and White the lead for good, 9-8 on a lay-up at 14:55, and the hosts eventually took a 34-31 edge into the break. After Babson pulled within 36-35 at 19:11 of the second half, Kelly went to work, playing a hand in 29 of Wheaton's final 38 points. The senior point guard recorded 17 points and three assists while also making outlet passes for a pair of fast-break hoops. Greenslit added eight points during a 2:59 span, canning two three-pointers. DiGiovanna knocked down his first career long-range shot at 5:04 off Kelly's helper to give Wheaton a 63-53 lead, and the Lyons never led by less than six the rest of the way. Kelly recorded a career-high 28 points by shooting 7-of-16 from the floor and 12-of-17 on free throws while contributing a season- and career-high tying eight steals, as well as six assists and five rebounds in 39 minutes. His steal total tied for the second highest in Division III this season. DiGiovanna and Greenslit each netted 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while DiGiovanna corralled seven rebounds and three steals. The Lyons hit 45.5 percent of their shots, including 7-of-16 from beyond the arc.

Wheaton will host a NEWMAC Tournament contest for the third time in four seasons when the Lyons take on fifth-seeded Springfield College in the first round on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

Women's Basketball (14-11, 6-7) Downs First-Place Springfield in NEWMAC Finale

The Wheaton College women's basketball team went 1-1 during the final week of the regular season and matched its most victories since 1999-2000. On Tuesday, the Lyons fell, 76-64 at home against the United States Coast Guard Academy before downing Springfield College, which entered the game 12-0 in the NEWMAC, by a 85-73 score on Saturday at Emerson Gymnasium.

Against Coast Guard, the Lyons trailed early in a conference contest before using a 9-0 run for a 38-36 lead with 46 seconds remaining in the opening half, as sophomore Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) gave the Blue and White its first lead with a steal and breakaway hoop. However, the Bears sent the teams into halftime tied at 38 before scoring the first two hoops of the second stanza and steadily increasing their lead. Wheaton forced 16 turnovers while recording 12 assists on 23 baskets, and the hosts went 13-of-17 from the charity stripe. Freshman Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) tallied 23 points, while Aitchison notched her seventh double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, as well as three assists and three steals. Freshman Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) finished with 13 points and four steals, while junior Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic) had 10 points and four helpers.

The Blue and White pulled an upset over visiting Springfield, finishing off the regular season by preventing the NEWMAC regular season champion from clearing its final hurdle to a perfect conference mark. Wheaton scored 12 straight points over a 4:24 stretch to capture a 17-6 advantage, as Smith tallied 10 points and hit a pair of three-point buckets. The Lyons later used a 15-4 spurt to hold a 36-19 lead with 3:39 before halftime. Eight points by Aitchison, including a long three-pointer as the shot clock expired, and five from Smith propelled Wheaton to the 17-point advantage. Springfield rattled off seven straight points and eventually trailed at the half, 38-28. Hickey sparked the Blue and White at the start of the second half, scoring six of her team's first eight points and assisting on Wheaton's other hoop. The Lyons eventually extended their lead to 20 points twice, first when Aitchison picked off a pass and took it the length of the court to make it 55-35 with 15:17 remaining. Smith finished with a game-high 25 points while draining five three-point attempts, and Hickey netted 17 second-half points to finish with a season-high 24 on 9-of-14 shooting in addition to five steals. With the performance, Hickey moved into 10th in program history in single-season scoring (350). Aitchison hit 6-of-8 shots for 14 points and tacked on seven rebounds, five steals and three assists in 27 minutes. Sorbara contributed 10 points and a career-high 11 assists, one off a 13-year-old school mark, and moved into a tie for the fourth-highest single-season total in program history (124). Freshman Jennie Pleat (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) added 10 points and four assists. Wheaton shot 52.2 percent while scoring the most points Springfield has allowed this season, and the Lyons forced 22 turnovers, the Pride's most in 16 games.

The Lyons will occupy the seventh seed in the NEWMAC Tournament and travel to number-two seed Mount Holyoke College in Tuesday's first round at 7:00 p.m. The conference semifinals and championship game will take place Saturday and Sunday at the highest remaining seed.

Women's Swimming and Diving (12-4) Places Fourth at NEWMACs, Eight Records Fall

The Wheaton College women's swimming and diving team placed fourth among 10 teams at the NEWMAC Championship last weekend, finishing in the top five for the third consecutive winter while matching last season's program-best finish. Eight school records fell during the three-day competition.

Three school records were broken on Friday, with sophomore Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) playing a part in two by placing fourth in the 50-yard freestyle while swimming the first leg on the fourth-place 200-yard freestyle relay team. Pratt broke her own record in the 50 free twice, including a 24.66 finish in the trials and a 24.59 result in the finals. Pratt, senior Courtney Catalano (Westford, MA/Westford Academy), sophomore Meg Miller (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) and freshman Mandy Cumings (Zionsville, IN/Zionsville Community) sided for a school-record time of 1:40.79 in the 200-yard free, passing last year's mark by 0.35 seconds. Cumings secured Wheaton's third school record in the 200-yard individual medley, surpassing a time that stood for seven years by 2.12 seconds. She posted a trials time of 2:14.75 and later claimed sixth in the finals at 2:15.10.

Pratt spearheaded Wheaton's efforts on Saturday, missing a NEWMAC All-Conference team spot by a single placement in the 100-yard butterfly, as she set a school record in the event at 1:00.03. The Blue and White's 800-yard freestyle relay team swam the fastest time in program history by four ticks, as Cumings joined senior Lauren Pcholinski (Old Saybrook, CT/Old Saybrook) and freshmen Caitlin Glover (Durham, NH/Berwick Academy) and Casey Shanley (Rumson, NJ/Suffield Academy) for a fifth-place result in 8:15.18. Both Glover and the Lyons' 200-yard medley relay squad took fourth in their respective events, as Glover finished her race in 1:02.28 and then led the 200-yard medley team alongside Miller, Pratt and junior Cassie Bohn (Manhattan Beach, CA/Mira Costa) with a time of 1:54.70. Bohn also had a strong outing during the 100-yard breaststroke, where she was within 0.03 seconds of matching a seven-year-old school record.

During the meet's final day, Pratt topped the field during the trials of the 100-yard freestyle by beating her own school mark in 54.00. In the finals, Pratt claimed third in 54.21 and later helped the Lyons take fourth in the 400-yard freestyle relay in a school-record time of 3:42.10. Pratt teamed up with Cumings, Glover and Miller, as the Lyons set program marks in all three freestyle relays over the weekend. Glover also came up with a Wheaton-record time of 2:15.35 during a sixth-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke, eclipsing the two-year-old mark by 0.11 seconds.

Synchronized Swimming Takes Second at Wheaton Invitational

The Wheaton College synchronized swimming team finished behind only national power Stanford University during the Wheaton Invitational on Saturday at Balfour Natatorium. The Lyons' 86-point total was just three shy of the Cardinal, which paced the five-team field.

Wheaton landed a trio of second-place finishes and one third-place showing during the routines portion of the meet, including a runner-up standing in the team competition by juniors Elizabeth Corman (Saint Paul, MN/Hill-Murray School) and Sarah Swinkin (Hamden, CT/Hamden), sophomores Megan Kinney (Los Angeles, CA/Marlborough) and Esther Kovacs (Windham, NH/Academy of Notre Dame) and freshman Sylvia Syracuse (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore West). Kovacs took second in the solo event before joining Syracuse for a runner-up finish in the duet. Corman and Kinney sided for a third-place showing in duets before the pair combined with Swinkin to come in third during the trio routine. The Lyons' B team consisting of junior Renata Paglio (Portland, ME/Deering), sophomores Laura Fleck (Auburn, ME/Hebron Academy), Perri Kapp (Yarmouth Port, ME/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) wrapped up the routines with a fourth-placing showing. In figures, Kinney and Swinkin earned the top marks in the B and C categories, respectively, while Paglio had the runner-up placement in D figures. Freshman Sharada Strasmore (Weston, CT/Weston), Kovacs and Corman placed second, fourth and fifth, respectively, during B figures, and Kapp and Fleck notched third- and fifth-place marks, respectively, in the D category.

Harlow Automatically Qualifies for NCAAs, Freshmen Pace Track at George Mason

The Wheaton College men's and women's indoor track and field teams competed at the Collegiate Open at George Mason University on Saturday, when junior Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) reached automatic qualification for the NCAA Division III Championship with a high jump leap of 5' 7 1/4", tied for the best in Division III this season.

A quartet of Wheaton women picked up second-place finishes during the meet. Freshman Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) qualified for this weekend's All New England Championship thanks to her 1:19.72 finish in the 500-meter run, while sophomore Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) and first-year athletes Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) and Morgan Jamiel (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate) took runner-up placement in the one-mile run, 400-meter dash and 55-meter hurdles, respectively. Jamiel set a personal college best with a time of 8.90 in the 55M hurdles. Freshman Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School) qualified for the All New England Championship with a time of 2:19.76 in the 800-meter run, good for third. Calderwood, Ezeigwe and Jules joined first-year runner Celeste Karpow (Wilton, CT/Wilton) to help the 4x400-meter relay team come in third.

Freshman Jonathan Cunha (Lexington, MA/Lexington) highlighted the men's meet by completing the 60-meter hurdles in 8.33 and qualifying for the finals of the event. Senior Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover) placed second in the 400-meter dash in 50.01, just 0.24 seconds off the lead, followed by first-year Victor Martinez (Exeter, NH/Phillips Exeter Academy) in fourth at 50.42. Freshman Michael Wright (Baldwin, NY/Uniondale) came in third during the 60-meter dash. Wheaton's 4x400-meter relay team, comprised of Cunha, Martinez, Sisodia and Wright, took first in a time of 3:21.62.

Harlow Named ECAC Field Athlete of the Week

Harlow was named Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Field Athlete of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, February 12. The junior quad-captain reached an NCAA Championship provisional standard in the high jump for the fifth time in six meets this season at Boston University's Valentine Invitational on February 10. An All-America high jumper last winter, Harlow tied for the highest leap of the meet at 5' 6", matching three Division I athletes. To that point, the jump was the third-best among Division III New England women this winter. The multi-faceted athlete also competed in the long jump during the meet and has participated in four different sprint events this season, recording the fourth-best 200-meter dash and fifth-best 55-meter hurdles times in the region on January 27.

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