Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (6-4, 0-1) Wins Salem Tournament Before Dropping NEWMAC Opener

The Wheaton College men's basketball team went 2-1 over the past week and a half, first sweeping through the Salem State College Christmas Tournament by defeating Fitchburg State College, 71-67 in the first round on December 29 and Salem State, 75-65 in the title game the next day. Senior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) was named tournament MVP after Wheaton knocked off the Vikings, who had received votes in the previous D3hoops.com poll. The Lyons fell to Babson College, 75-67 on Saturday in their New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener.

Against Fitchburg State, the Lyons pulled away late as Zukowski and juniors Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) and Eric Johnston (South Windsor, CT/East Catholic) tallied Wheaton's final 23 points over the last 7:39 after the Falcons had rallied from 14 points down to tie. Zukowski had 23 points, hitting three three-pointers and 10-of-12 free throw attempts, while adding six assists, five rebounds and five steals. DiGiovanna totaled 18 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for his second career double-double, while Johnston contributed 11 points and six caroms.

During a game which featured 12 ties and 11 lead changes, Zukowski scored six straight points to give Wheaton the lead for good with less than six minutes left. The Lyons hit 10 of their final 14 field goal attempts while holding Salem State to one basket in its final 11 tries. Johnston tallied 18 points and six boards, while Zukowski had 17 points, six assists, six steals and five rebounds. Each player went 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Freshman Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) added 14 points, eight rebounds and five blocks, becoming just the fourth Lyon ever to have at least five rejections in a game. DiGiovanna netted 11 points, while freshman Ben Stehle (Newton, MA/Newton South) had nine points and seven boards. DiGiovanna and Johnston were each named to the all-tournament team.

Wheaton's three-game winning streak came to an end at Babson, as the Lyons never led and could not overcome a two-point deficit with less than three minutes to go. Zukowski went 4-of-8 on three-pointers to score 14 points while playing all 40 minutes, Johnston had 12 points, and Stehle provided 12 points and eight boards off the bench. DiGiovanna contributed 10 points.

Zukowski continues his ascent through the program record book, as he's currently fifth in program history in each three-pointers (158), assists (224) and steals (149). Zukowski sits sixth in points (1,173) and seventh in free throws made (259) in 88 games played.

Zukowski Earns Player-of-the-Week Honors From ECAC and NEWMAC

Zukowski picked up Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week honors for the week ending on Sunday, December 31. He also earned the NEWMAC award on November 27 while drawing his first career ECAC accolade. Zukowski was named MVP after leading the Lyons to the Salem State Christmas Tournament title. He averaged 20.0 points, 6.0 assists, 5.5 steals and 5.0 rebounds, knocking down 17-of-20 free throw tries while draining five three-point baskets.

Women's Basketball (6-5, 1-0) Caps 2-1 Week with Conference-Opening Victory

The Wheaton College women's basketball team went 2-1 last week, first splitting a pair of games at the Williams College Winter Classic. The Lyons dropped an opening-round game to the Ephs, 75-50 on Tuesday before winning the consolation game, 67-65 the next day over Bridgewater State College. On Saturday, the Blue and White came back to down Clark University, 61-56 in its NEWMAC opener.

Against Williams, the Lyons fell to the tournament hosts despite 44.8 percent shooting in the second half. Senior Samara Audet's (Derry, NH/Trinity) eight points led Wheaton, while classmate Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton), sophomores Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) and Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy), and freshman Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) had seven points apiece. McCormack led the team with six boards.

The Lyons overcame a three-point halftime deficit before holding on late against Bridgewater State. Hickey was named to the all-tournament team after tallying 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting and corralling three steals, while junior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) recorded 14 points and seven rebounds. McCormack had 12 points and four assists, while senior Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic) added seven assists in 22 minutes. Freshman Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham), a reserve point guard, registered eight points and six rebounds.

Wheaton won its NEWMAC opener thanks to a game-ending 13-0 run versus Clark. Down 56-48 with a little over five minutes to play, Aitchison knocked down a three-pointer with 2:14 remaining to give the Lyons their first advantage and the lead for good. Hickey scored a team-high 17 points while canning a career-high three three-pointers and hauling down six rebounds, and Aitchison scored all 10 of her points in the second half. McCormack matched her career high with 14 rebounds, and Champney came off the bench to score 12 points. Sorbara added eight assists and four steals.

Sorbara continues to rise through the program record book, as she is now fifth at Wheaton with 283 career assists, which place her 33 shy of fourth. She is also ninth with 174 steals. McCormack grabbed her 500th career rebound during the win over Clark, and she currently sits 10th in steals (173).

Men's (4-5) and Women's (9-2) Swimming Win Two of Three on Senior Day

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams faced NEWMAC foes United States Coast Guard Academy and Wellesley College on Saturday on Senior Day. The Lyon women downed the Bears, 216-73 before dropping the Blue, 171-128 for the first time in program history. Wheaton's men fell to four-time conference champion Coast Guard, 134-67.

Senior All-American Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) led the Lyon men with victories in the 50- and 200-yard freestyles. Roberts took the 50 free crown by turning in an NCAA Championship provisional qualifying time of 21.05, winning by 1.32 seconds over his closest competitor. He turned back the 200 free field in 1:45.37, outdistancing the second-place finisher by 4.06 ticks.

In women's action, Wheaton captured nine of the 14 swimming events. Junior Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) and freshmen Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) and Emily Sweatt (Portland, ME/Deering) each were part of three victories. The trio joined freshman Aurelie Marcotte (Hampden, MA/Minnechaug Regional) in winning the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:53.66, which was 2.69 seconds faster than the second-place team and just 0.16 ticks off the school record. Meehan came out on top in both the 100- and 200-yard backstrokes, while Sweatt topped the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke fields. Pratt won the 100-yard butterfly while helping the 400-yard freestyle relay team to the top spot, as she joined junior Meg Miller (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury), sophomore Caitlin Glover (Durham, NH/Berwick Academy) and freshman Brenna Crothers (Mount Desert, ME/Mount Desert Island) in victory. Freshman Sarah Houlihan (West Springfield, MA/West Springfield) tacked on a pair of individual wins, pacing the 500- and 1,000-yard free fields.

Men's and Women's Track and Field Open Indoor Season at Dartmouth Relays

The Wheaton College men's and women's track and field teams opened the indoor season this weekend at the three-day Dartmouth College Relays, where the Lyon women came in third out of 11 teams and the men were sixth among 12 teams.

During her first indoor event since winning the high jump at the 2006 NCAA national championship, senior Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) bested the high jump field with a 5' 8" leap, a personal best that automatically qualified her for the 2007 national meet. Harlow also finished fourth in the 60-meter hurdles. In the 4x400-meter relay, sophomores Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) and Celeste Karpow (Wilton, CT/Wilton) joined freshmen Kamia Smith (Cincinnati, OH/Cincinnati County Day School) and Renee Thompson (Hartford, CT/Weaver) for a third-place showing. Karpow also played a hand in the 4x200-meter relay foursome placing fourth, as she combined with classmate Morgan Jamiel (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate) and freshmen Amy LaPere (Westerly, RI/Westerly) and Brittany Pierce (Andover, MA/Andover). Sophomore Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) placed fourth during the 60-meter dash in 7.91, leaving her 0.06 seconds shy of an NCAA provisional time. Classmate Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School) was fifth in the 800-meter run, while LaPere scored in the long and triple jumps.

During the men's 60-meter dash, sophomore Michael Wright's (Baldwin, NY/Uniondale) time of 6.97 converted into a school-record 55-meter dash time of 6.49, which trimmed Wright's program mark by 0.01 seconds. He finished third during the 60 dash, missing a provisional time by 0.01 ticks, while freshman Mark Cimino (Danbury, CT/Danbury) placed fifth. In the 60-meter hurdles, freshman Howard Powell (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) took second, while sophomore Jonathan Cunha (Lexington, MA/Lexington) came in fifth. Cimino, Powell, Wright and sophomore Donnel Matheson (Brooklyn, NY/Poly Prep Country Day School) put together a third-place finish in the 4x200-meter relay, as their time of 1:32.03 was 1.02 seconds short of a six-year-old school record. Wheaton's 4x400-meter relay team, comprised of Matheson, sophomore Albi Skenderi (Glendale, NY/Grover Cleveland) and freshmen Stephen Wakely (Woodstock, CT/Woodstock Academy) and Calvin Webb (Towson, MD/Towson), also scored points.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 2/8/08.
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