Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (7-6, 1-3) Drops Two of Three NEWMAC Contests

The Wheaton College men's basketball team fell twice in three New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) games last week, winning during its only home game against Clark University, 96-89 on Thursday. The Lyons lost at United States Coast Guard Academy, 69-56 on Tuesday before dropping a 65-53 decision at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Saturday.

At Coast Guard, Wheaton saw a five-point edge midway through the second half erased thanks to a hot second-half shooting performance from beyond the arc by the Bears. Sophomore Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School), who tallied 10 straight points during a 13-0 Lyon run in the first half, posted a career-high 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting during 21 minutes off the bench while also snagging five rebounds. Junior Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) was next in the scoring column with 12 points, as he hit 4-of-6 field goal attempts while going 4-of-5 on free throw tries.

Senior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) netted a career-high 37 points by hitting a school-record 19 free throws against Clark. Zukowski connected on 19-of-23 free throw attempts, edging Mahlon Williams's school record of 18 set on November 20, 1993, and was three points shy of matching the program's 14-year-old scoring mark. By hitting 7-of-16 shots, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, Zukowski became the fifth Wheaton player to ever tally 35 points. Over the final 2:51, Zukowski hit 15-of-18 freebie tries as the teams combined for 40 points. Zukowski added a team-high eight rebounds and six helpers in addition to going 18-of-22 on free throws in the second half. Freshman Andrew Ferreira (New London, NH/Kearsarge Regional) added eight points and seven assists in his first collegiate start, while classmate Ben Stehle (Newton, MA/Newton South) collected 12 points and seven boards. Junior Eric Johnston (South Windsor, CT/East Catholic) and freshman Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) added 11 points each, while Michel had 10 points and six rebounds.

During a loss to MIT, Zukowski paced the Lyons in scoring for the eighth time this season with 16 points while adding five rebounds and four assists. Leo contributed all nine of his points from beyond the arc, while DiGiovanna accounted for eight points and five boards. Junior David Harding (Hanover, MA/Boston College) added six points and five rebounds.

After last week's slate of games, Zukowski stood fourth in program history in career three-pointers (166), fifth in each assists (237), steals (153) and free throws (281), sixth in points (1,231) and seventh in field goals (392).

Women's Basketball (9-5, 4-0) Opens League Play 4-0 For First Time Since 1994-95

The Wheaton College women's basketball team won all three of its NEWMAC games last week, moving to 4-0 in conference play for the first time since 1994-95 while holding down a tie for first in the league standings. The Lyons knocked off visiting Wellesley College, 73-56 on Tuesday before picking up road wins at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 58-53 on Thursday and Mount Holyoke College, 68-63 on Saturday to extend their winning streak to five, their longest since the 1996-97 campaign.

Wheaton led by as many as 21 points during a win against the Blue. Sophomore Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) netted a game-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting while adding a career-high-tying five assists, five rebounds and five steals. Junior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) tacked on 12 points, seven boards and six assists. Senior Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton) notched eight points and nine rebounds, including seven offensive, in 21 minutes. Sophomores Jennie Pleat (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) and Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) and freshman Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) each had eight points.

Against WPI, Hickey gave the Lyons the lead for good on a three-pointer with 2:29 to play and finished with 23 points during her eighth career 20-point outing. She went 10-of-13 from the field while falling one point short of matching her career high. McCormack tallied seven rebounds and four assists, while Champney finished with seven boards and two blocks.

Champney provided the go-ahead bucket with 3:47 left at Mount Holyoke to help Wheaton claim a win between two of the three first-place NEWMAC teams. Hickey led the visiting Lyons with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, hitting 3-of-4 attempts from beyond the arc, while blocking a pair of shots. Champney added 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while McCormack contributed 10 points and eight rebounds. Pleat was another key reserve, as she shot 5-of-6 for 10 points, while senior Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic) dished out eight assists.

Late defensive stands were a staple during Wheaton's 4-0 conference start, beginning with the Lyons' blanking of Clark University over the final 5:25 on January 6. This past week, the Blue and White yielded Wellesley two baskets during the last 5:35, held WPI scoreless for the final 3:25, and limited Mount Holyoke to 2-of-11 shooting in the last 3:57.

McCormack and Sorbara ended the week with their names scattered throughout the top 10 in the program's career record book, as Sorbara ranks the highest in any category, coming in at fifth in assists (296). Both are tied for ninth in steals (176), while McCormack stands 10th in each rebounds (527), assists (178) and free throws (192).

Men's (4-8) and Women's (11-3) Swimming Complete Home Slate Before Weekend Meet

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams completed their home slates Thursday against Brandeis University, as the women won by a 167-118 count while the men lost, 115-77, before the Lyons traveled for a double-dual meet on Saturday. Wheaton's women split by beating Trinity College, 208-83 and losing to host Connecticut College, 179.5-117.5, while the men fell to the Camels, 209-42 and to Trinity, 190-75. The women are one win shy of matching last year's school record.

Against Brandeis, the women swept the 14 swimming events. Junior Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) won each the 50- and 200-yard freestyles and the 100-yard butterfly, and swam leadoff for the top 400-yard free relay quartet, joining junior Meg Miller (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) and freshmen Brenna Crothers (Mount Desert, ME/Mount Desert Island) and Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island). Meehan, who won the 200-yard backstroke, also swam a leg on the winning 400-yard medley team, combining with sophomore Caitlin Glover (Durham, NH/Berwick Academy) and freshmen Stephanie Conelias (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) and Emily Sweatt (Portland, ME/Deering). Glover, Miller and Sweatt also placed first in the 100-yard back, free and breaststroke events, respectively. Additional wins came from senior Cassie Bohn (Manhattan Beach, CA/Mira Costa) in the 200-yard breast, classmate Colleen Smith (Milford, CT/Lauralton Hall) in the 200-yard butterfly, sophomore Mandy Cumings (Zionsville, IN/Zionsville Community) in the 200-yard individual medley, classmate Casey Shanley (Rumson, NJ/Suffield Academy) in the 500-yard free, and freshman Sarah Houlihan (West Springfield, MA/West Springfield) in the 1,000-yard free. On the men's side, senior All-American Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) highlighted the evening with a trio of event wins, capturing the 50- and 100-yard free races and the 100-yard back.

During the double-dual meet, Wheaton's women won six events. Sweatt captured both the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events, coming within 0.28 seconds of her own 200 school record, while combining with Meehan, Miller and Pratt to win the 400-yard medley relay. Pratt shared a win in the 50-yard freestyle, while sophomore Stacy Zickl (Wrentham, MA/King Philip Regional) earned the top scores in each the one- and three-meter diving events. For the men, Roberts notched a 50-yard free win.

Meehan and Roberts Draw Weekly ECAC Swimming Honors

Meehan and Roberts each earned Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Swimmer-of-the-Week honors for the week ending on Sunday, January 7. It marked the second straight week of voting in which Roberts nabbed the accolade, as he also drew the award on December 11. Meehan corralled her initial ECAC nod by helping the Lyons win twice on January 6, as Wheaton defeated Wellesley College for the first time. She won the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events in 1:03.56 and 2:18.23, respectively, and also swam the third leg for the victorious 200-yard medley relay quartet, whose time of 1:53.66 was just 0.16 seconds off a school record. Roberts took the 50 free crown by turning in an NCAA Championship provisional qualifying time of 21.05 before turning back the 200 free field in 1:45.37.

Men's and Women's Track and Field Turn in Strong Performances at Tufts Invitational

The Wheaton College men's and women's indoor track and field teams combined for seven event victories, two NCAA Championship provisional qualifying times and a pair of school marks on Saturday at the non-scoring Tufts Invitational. Wheaton's women drew four wins, while the men had a trio.

Senior Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) played a hand in three of the victories, including winning the 55-meter hurdles in 8.59, just 0.03 seconds shy of an NCAA provisional standard, and the high jump competition. She also ran on the top 4x200M relay quartet, joining sophomores Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) and Christine Moreau (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln), and freshman Kamia Smith (Cincinnati, OH/Cincinnati County Day School) to finish in 1:45.70. Wheaton also placed a 4x400M relay team on top, as Ezeigwe and Smith sided with sophomore Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) and freshman Renee Thompson (Hartford, CT/Weaver) to record an NCAA provisional time of 3:58.55. Sophomore Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School) placed second in the 1,000M run with a school-record time of 3:02.06, which was 0.15 seconds faster than the school mark she set in February.

Sophomore Michael Wright (Baldwin, NY/Uniondale) won the 55- and 200-meter dash events, as his 55M time of 6.48 was 0.01 seconds better than the school mark he set last week and provisionally qualified him for the NCAA Championship. Wright won the 200M race in 22.43. Wheaton's 4x200M relay quartet also came out on top, as senior Thomas Simmons (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford) and sophomores Philip Kiley (Medfield, MA/Medfield), Donnel Matheson (Brooklyn, NY/Poly Prep Country Day School) and Albi Skenderi (Glendale, NY/Grover Cleveland) finished in 1:35.24.

Harlow and Wright Earn Weekly ECAC Track and Field Honors

Harlow and Wright each earned Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) honors for the week ending on Sunday, January 7. Harlow was named top female field athlete, while Wright drew the male track accolade. Harlow won the high jump at the Dartmouth Relays on January 7, besting a 13-athlete field comprised chiefly of Division I and Canadian competition. During her first indoor event since winning the high jump at the 2006 NCAA indoor championship, Harlow posted a leap of 5' 8", a personal best that automatically qualified her for the 2007 national meet. She also qualified for the 60-meter hurdles finals, where she came in fourth. During the 60M dash at the Dartmouth Relays, Wright's time of 6.97 converted into a school-record 55M time of 6.49, which trimmed his own program mark by 0.01 seconds. He finished third during the 60M dash, missing an NCAA provisional time by 0.01 ticks. In the 4x200-meter relay, Wright's quartet put together a third-place finish, and its time of 1:32.03 was 1.02 seconds short of a six-year-old school record.

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