Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (16-10, 6-6) Splits Pair in NEWMAC Tournament, Qualifies for ECACs

The fourth-seeded Wheaton College men's basketball team won its New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament first round game with number five Springfield College, 82-78 on Tuesday before seeing its run at an NCAA Tournament bid come to an end after an 81-67 loss at top-seeded Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) during Saturday's semifinal round.

The Lyons were selected as the sixth seed for this week's eight-team Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament. Wheaton will host number three Emmanuel College for the first time on Wednesday in Emerson Gymnasium at 7:00 p.m. It marks the fourth straight season the Blue and White, last year's tournament champion, qualified for the ECAC Tournament.

Wheaton used a balanced scoring effort during its win against Springfield at Emerson Gymnasium. Junior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) and sophomore Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) each scored eight points en route to a 18-9 Wheaton lead before the Pride drew within 26-25 at 5:17. However, senior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) canned a three-pointer at 3:14 to cap Wheaton's 10-2 run, and Zukowski hit a jumper with three seconds left in the period to give the hosts a 41-33 advantage at halftime. The Lyons continued to maintain their three-possession advantage early in the second stanza, as DiGiovanna tipped home a missed three for a 44-37 lead at 16:50. From there, the Pride scored the next eight points, corralling its first lead of the game at 14:57. Down by as much as 51-47, Wheaton rallied to tie on Kelly's free throw at 9:56, the first of six deadlocks over a 6:20 span. The lead also changed hands five times during that stretch. Sophomore Jake Otto (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury) came up with crucial baskets during the last few minutes, converting three consecutive Wheaton hoops over a 2:44 span that broke a tie and put the Lyons on top. At 3:04, Otto nabbed a teammate's missed three-point attempt and tallied a lay-in to give the Blue and White a 69-67 edge and the lead for good. After Springfield came within 71-70, Otto corralled a loose ball and found Zukowski for a three-pointer at 1:23, and Zukowski and DiGiovanna combined to go 8-of-8 on free throw attempts during the final 32 seconds. Zukowski matched his career high with 29 points with a 9-of-9 showing from the charity stripe. DiGiovanna had 16 points, Otto tallied a career-high 13 points and Kelly posted 11 points. The Lyons were 23-of-27 on free throws and 26-of-54 from the field.

During the Blue and White's seventh trip to the NEWMAC Tournament semifinals in the conference's eight-year history, Wheaton fell behind early before a furious rally came up short. The Lyons trailed, 31-5 as the Engineers scored on their first 10 possessions, but with Wheaton down by 34 points and less than 17:30 to play, the Lyons used a 34-10 run to whittle their deficit down to 10 with 6:41 left. DiGiovanna and sophomore Eric Johnston (South Windsor, CT/East Catholic) were key in the comeback effort, as the duo combined for 17 straight Wheaton points. The Lyons trailed just 69-59 after DiGiovanna's jumper at 5:40, but WPI stretched its lead by scoring 10 of its final 12 points from the charity stripe. DiGiovanna tallied a career-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting in just 27 minutes, while Johnston posted all 12 of his points in the second half to go along with five steals. Senior James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) finished with nine points and four boards, and Zukowski had seven points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists.

Kelly Earns Spot on D3hoops.com Team of the Week, NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week Nod

Kelly was named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week as well as NEWMAC Player of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, February 19. Earlier this season, Kelly earned conference co-player of the week honors, and the national accolade is the first for a Wheaton player since Scott Mahan '04 on February 2, 2004.

The point guard averaged 23.5 points, 6.5 assists, 6.0 steals and 5.0 rebounds in a pair of conference games. Wheaton's tri-captain hit 53.8 percent of his shots, including 62.5 percent from beyond the arc. In a 75-73 loss to the United States Coast Guard Academy on February 14, Kelly broke his own single-season program record for steals with four in addition to tallying 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting with seven assists and five rebounds. In helping the Lyons clinch the NEWMAC Tournament's fourth seed during a 74-63 victory over Babson College on February 18, Kelly posted a career-high 28 points while matching his career and season best of eight steals. His steals total tied for second highest among all Division III players this season. Kelly also went 2-of-4 on three-point field goal attempts and 12-of-17 from the charity stripe to go along with six assists and five boards.

Women's Basketball (14-12, 6-7) Sees Season End in NEWMAC Tournament First Round

The seventh-seeded Wheaton College women's basketball team dropped a NEWMAC Tournament first round game at number two Mount Holyoke College, 81-58 on Tuesday during its final action of the season. The Blue and White matched its most wins since the 1999-2000 season.

Freshman Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) got the visitors on the board first with a jumper at 19:29, but Mount Holyoke tallied the next nine points. Wheaton twice rallied to within five, but the hosts broke open an 18-10 game with a 15-0 run, holding the Blue and White scoreless for an 8:47 stretch. Sophomore Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) tried to carry her team back by scoring nine straight Wheaton points at one juncture, but Mount Holyoke still led, 37-17 at the half. After the teams combined for 54 first-half points, the game took a turn toward offense in the second period, during which 85 points were put on the board. However, the Blue and White never trailed by fewer than 18. During an 18:24 span in the middle of the game, Aitchison and freshman Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) tallied 19 straight Wheaton points. Hickey went 7-of-13 and finished the day with 18 points and four steals, as she completed the season with the school's freshman record of 368 points, the ninth-highest single-season total in program history. Aitchison added 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, Smith finished with eight points and freshman Brandee Williams-Epes (Queens, NY/Renaissance Charter School) netted seven points in five minutes off the bench.

Men's Swimming and Diving (11-3) Places Fourth at NEWMACs, Meets 11 School Records

The Wheaton College men's swimming and diving team matched its highest NEWMAC Championship finish, placing fourth out of seven teams for the second straight year as the host institution at Balfour Natatorium last weekend. The Lyons also broke 11 school records and recorded their second-best conference championship meet point total, second only to the 503 points they posted in 2004.

Junior Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) highlighted Wheaton's record-breaking efforts by eclipsing two individual marks and playing a hand in four relay standards. He earned NEWMAC All-Conference first team honors in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events, as well as during the 200-yard medley relay. Roberts eclipsed his own 50-yard free mark during the trials in 20.75 before nipping that time while winning the finals heat in 20.73. With each performance, Roberts provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship and broke his own NEWMAC Championship meet record. In the 100-yard free, Roberts first broke his own school record with a time of 45.52 and automatically qualified for the NCAA meet during the trials before coming from 0.21 seconds behind over the last 25 yards for a finals victory in 45.87. Roberts' automatic qualifying time was the first ever for a Wheaton swimmer.

Junior Matt Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area), sophomore Matt Jordan (Ellsworth, ME/Ellsworth) and freshman Chris Romilly (Washington, DC/Saint Albans) joined Roberts as all-conference first teamers following a first-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay. The quartet twice eclipsed a school record in the event while finishing in 1:34.74 and reaching an NCAA provisional time. The foursome also combined for a fourth-place 400-yard medley relay finish in a school-record time of 3:31.07. Jordan, Roberts, Romilly and freshman T.J. Sponzo (Simsbury, CT/Avon Old Farms) reached provisional qualifying status for the NCAA Championship during the 200-yard freestyle relay with a school-record time of 1:24.75 and a fourth-place finish, while the four notched another record-breaking performance during the 400-yard freestyle relay by finishing in 3:10.28.

Hurley surpassed a seven-year-old mark in the 50-yard breaststroke by swimming the first leg of his 100-yard breast final in 27.59, and Jordan swam the 50-yard backstroke portion of the 200-yard medley relay in 24.49 for another program standard. Sophomore Joe Fowler (Farmington, ME/Mount Blue) broke his own school record in the 400-yard individual medley during both the trials and finals heats on his way to a fifth-place finish in 4:19.55, and Jordan placed fourth in the 100-yard back in 52.85 while provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championship. In his final collegiate meet, Kuckens broke a pair of program marks in the 1650-yard freestyle by shaving nearly 10 seconds off the old record for a 17:11.85 finish while recording a 1000-yard split time of 10:25.02. Wheaton's 800-yard free foursome of Fowler, Hurley, Kuckens and Sponzo toppled a program record with a fifth-place finish in 7:15.80.

The next stop for Roberts is the NCAA Division III Championship, hosted by Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota on March 16-18. Wheaton's provisional qualifiers await word on whether they will compete.

Pair of Track and Field Freshmen Automatically Qualify for NCAAs During All New England Meet

The Wheaton College men's and women's indoor track and field teams took part in the All New England Championship at Boston University last weekend, when a school record fell and a pair of automatic qualifications for the NCAA Division III Championship were met. The Lyon women came in 13th out of 33 teams, while the Blue and White men were 16th of 33.

Freshman Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) eclipsed automatic qualifying times for the NCAA Championship in the 400-meter dash during each day of the meet, first running the trials in 56.26 before completing the finals in second place at 55.99. Through competition of February 19, only one other Division III athlete had automatically qualified in the 400M, and each of Ezeigwe's times were faster than that athlete's. A pair of Wheaton relay teams notched provisional qualification status for the NCAA Championship. The 4x400M relay quartet of Ezeigwe and first-year counterparts Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School), Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) and Celeste Karpow (Wilton, CT/Wilton) finished in 3:54.18, which was 0.38 seconds off an automatic qualifying berth. Calderwood and Karpow joined senior Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional) and sophomore Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) to finish the distance medley relay in 12:12.89, just 3.54 seconds off a four-year-old school record. Junior Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) advanced to the semifinals of the 55-meter hurdles, and her time of 8.62 was 0.03 ticks off an NCAA provisional time. Harlow then tied for second in the high jump at 5' 5 3/4". Calderwood recorded a personal best of 2:18.38 in the 800-meter run, while sophomore Joell Whitley (Magnolia, NJ/Triton Regional) was 0.08 seconds off qualifying for the 55M finals.

On the men's side, freshman Jonathan Cunha (Lexington, MA/Lexington) met automatic qualifying status for the NCAA Championship thanks to a fourth-place finish during the 400-meter dash in 47.81. During the 400M, senior Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover) and freshman Victor Martinez (Exeter, NH/Phillips Exeter Academy) each surpassed NCAA provisional standards and set personal college bests of 48.21 and 49.02, respectively. Cunha, Martinez and Sisodia joined first-year Michael Wright (Baldwin, NY/Uniondale) for a school-record time of 3:16.20 in the 4x400M relay, eclipsing a two-year-old record by 0.13 seconds. Sisodia ran the first leg for the record-breaking team in 2004 and ran the final leg last weekend as his quartet met NCAA provisional status, finishing 1.1 seconds off an automatic berth. Wright advanced to the finals of the 55-meter dash, where he was the top Division III finisher in 6.53, while Cunha qualified for the semifinals for the 55M hurdles by tying his personal record of 7.80, just 0.01 ticks off a six-year-old program standard. Freshman Albi Skenderi (Glendale, NY/Grover Cleveland) set a personal best in the 55M hurdles, while senior Ross Kahill (South Portland, ME/South Portland) broke his personal record during the 800-meter run.

Harlow Corrals Second Consecutive ECAC Field-Athlete-of-the-Week Honor

Harlow was named Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Field Athlete of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, February 19, marking the second consecutive week the junior quad-captain earned the honor. Harlow reached automatic qualification for the NCAA Division III Championship with a high jump leap of 5' 7 1/4", tied with one other athlete for the best in Division III this season, at the Collegiate Open at George Mason University on February 18. It marked the sixth time in seven meets this season that Harlow matched at least the NCAA provisional standard.

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