Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (10-10, 3-6) Remains at .500 and in Hunt For Home Playoff Spot

The Wheaton College men's basketball team split a pair of New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) games last week, downing visiting Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 71-52 on Wednesday before narrowly falling at Clark University, 75-71 on Saturday. The Lyons sit fifth in the league standings and are one game out of the last home playoff spot.

Senior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) played a hand in nine straight points during a 14-0 second-half run as Wheaton broke open a two-point game against MIT. The Lyons trailed by 13 points in the early stages before Zukowski hit a three-pointer with 1:34 left in the first half to knot the game and dished off on the go-ahead bucket 30 seconds later. The Blue and White trailed by one at halftime before outscoring MIT, 39-19 in the second period. Zukowski and junior Eric Johnston (South Windsor, CT/East Catholic) each had 15 points, as Zukowski added five assists and Johnston shot 6-of-8 in 15 minutes. Junior Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) nabbed 11 rebounds, while sophomore Kristopher Pedra (Avon, CT/Avon) provided nine points and four steals. Sophomore Mark Sullivan (West Roxbury, MA/Catholic Memorial) added nine points on three three-pointers in 11 minutes.

The Lyons turned a 10-point deficit into a seven-point edge thanks to a 23-6 second-half run before falling behind late at Clark. Johnston notched a game-high 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting with three steals in 23 minutes, while freshman Ben Stehle (Newton, MA/Newton South) had 12 points and seven rebounds. DiGiovanna went 5-of-7 for 10 points, and Zukowski had nine points and seven assists.

Zukowski is tied for third at Wheaton in career steals (163) and stands fourth in each assists (266), three-pointers (175) and free throws (303), fifth in points (1,312) and sixth in field goals (417).

Women's Basketball (15-6, 8-1) Gains Sole Possession of First Place in NEWMAC

The Wheaton College women's basketball team went 2-0 in NEWMAC play last week and moved into sole possession of first place in the league. The Lyons downed host Wellesley College, 63-53 on Wednesday before knocking off visiting Smith College, 69-42 on Saturday to surpass the 1994-95 program record for conference victories. Wheaton is 11-1 in its last 12 games and is only three wins shy of matching the fourth-highest total in program history, last reached in 1995-96. As the first NEWMAC team to clinch a playoff berth, the Lyons are in line to host their first tournament game since 1995-96.

The Blue and White turned a 28-25 halftime lead into a 17-point advantage late in the second half at Wellesley. Senior Samara Audet (Derry, NH/Trinity) led nine scorers with 14 points, while sophomore Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) contributed 13 points and six rebounds. Freshman Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) notched nine points and six rebounds, while senior Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton) finished with eight points, eight caroms and two blocks. Junior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) added seven rebounds and four steals.

Wheaton outscored Smith, 41-17 in the second half en route to victory. Sophomore Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) led 10 scorers with 14 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting, while Hickey added 12 points and five boards. Champney finished with eight points and five rebounds, and Aitchison had seven points and six caroms. McCormack added five rebounds, five steals and four assists, while sophomore Jennie Pleat (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) had five assists and three steals. Freshman Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) added four helpers in 12 minutes.

Senior Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic) is fourth in program history in career assists (319) and eighth in steals (186). McCormack is seventh in steals (188), ninth in assists (191), and is 10th in each rebounds (562) and free throws (201). Smith is ninth in three-pointers (63).

Men's (5-11) and Women's (14-4) Swimming Finish Regular Season Slates at MIT Invite

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams completed their regular season slates at the non-scoring Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Invitational on Saturday. The Lyon women return to the pool for the NEWMAC Championship on February 16-18 at Wellesley College. On February 23-25, Wheaton's men host the league championship for the second straight season.

The Blue and White's women's 200-yard medley relay quartet set a school record during a victory, as juniors Meg Miller (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) and Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) and freshmen Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) and Emily Sweatt (Portland, ME/Deering) combined to nip the two-year-old school mark by 1.78 seconds. Meehan also won the 100-yard backstroke in 1:03.28, while Sweatt captured the 100-yard breaststroke race in 1:08.88. On the men's side, senior All-American Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) met an NCAA Championship provisional qualifying standard in the 100-yard freestyle, winning in 46.35.

Men's and Women's Track Athletes Notch Three NCAA Times at NYC Armory

The Wheaton College men's and women's indoor track and field teams competed at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in the New York City Armory over the weekend, along with athletes from nearly 115 schools, including almost 60 Division I institutions.

Sophomore All-American Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) helped the women's 4x400-meter relay team run the nation's fastest time to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championship, as she joined sophomore Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) and freshmen Kamia Smith (Cincinnati, OH/Cincinnati Country Day School) and Renee Thompson (Hartford, CT/Weaver) to finish in 3:51.91. Ezeigwe also completed the 400M with a provisional qualifying time of 57.29. Senior All-American Jennifer Harlow's (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) high jump of 5' 6" tied seven Division I athletes for the highest of the event and was an NCAA provisional height. In the 200M, Ezeigwe and Thompson turned in what might have been the top two times this season in New England. Based on results entering the week, Ezeigwe's 25.88 finish would be the fastest in the region, and Thompson's time of 26.46 was the best of her young college career.

Freshman Merzudin Ibric (Revere, MA/Phillips Academy) had a 49.17 showing in the 400-meter dash, which was 0.07 seconds away from an NCAA time. In the preliminary round of the 60-meter hurdles, classmate Howard Powell's (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) finish in 8.35 left him just 0.06 seconds short of a national meet time. During the 200-meter dash, sophomore All-American Michael Wright (Baldwin, NY/Uniondale) finished 17th out of 93 runners during the preliminary round with a time of 22.03, which left him 0.12 seconds shy of qualifying for the finals and 0.17 ticks off his own school record. Ibric and Powell joined sophomore All-Americans Jonathan Cunha (Lexington, MA/Lexington) and Victor Martinez (Exeter, NH/Phillips Exeter Academy) on the 4x400M relay squad that finished in 3:23.44, which qualified the foursome for the All New England Championship.

Harlow Draws ECAC Track Honor Three Weeks After Earning Field Award

Harlow was honored as Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Track Co-Athlete-of-the-Week for the week ending on Sunday, January 28. Harlow provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championship by winning the 55-meter hurdles competition at the Wesleyan Invitational on January 27. Harlow's time of 8.46 tied for the best in New England this season and tied for the fifth best in the nation. The honor marked the fourth straight week in which a male or female Lyon earned an ECAC accolade, a streak that included Harlow being named the top field athlete on January 9.

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