Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (11-15, 3-9) Makes Eighth NEWMAC Semifinal Berth in Nine Years

The Wheaton College men's basketball team saw its season come to an end over the weekend, as the Lyons finished off a 1-1 run through the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament with a semifinal appearance for the eighth time in the league's nine-year history. The sixth-seeded Blue and White pulled off a 61-54 upset at number three Springfield College in the first round on Wednesday before falling to seventh seed and eventual champ United States Coast Guard Academy, 62-60 in Saturday's penultimate round of competition.

With 28 points, including 20 in the final six minutes, senior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) became the fifth Wheaton men's basketball player with 1,400 career points during the Lyons' victory at Springfield. Sophomore Mark Sullivan's (West Roxbury, MA/Catholic Memorial) steal and fast-break lay-up ignited a 15-3 Wheaton run, as the visitors held a 39-28 lead with 6:09 to go, but the Pride scored nine straight points to close the gap. During the last 4:01, Zukowski matched Springfield's point total of 17, thanks in large part to a 9-of-10 showing at the charity stripe during a 60-second span. Zukowski finished 7-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-7 from three-point territory, and 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Sophomore Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) notched seven points and seven rebounds, while junior Jake Otto (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury) and sophomore Kristopher Pedra (Avon, CT/Avon) each finished with seven points.

Against Coast Guard in a game played at tournament host Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), the Lyons had their last-second, game-tying attempt denied. Wheaton trailed, 45-38 before Pedra canned a three-pointer during a 7-0 run, but the Bears tallied the next six points to forge back ahead. Sullivan then scored five straight points, and freshman Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) later drained a long-range shot to knot the score with 5:33 remaining. Pedra tied the game on a free throw with 2:45 left, and two Zukowski freebies made it 60-all at 2:24, but Coast Guard scored the game's final two points with 24.7 seconds remaining. Pedra and Zukowski paced the Lyons with 10 points apiece, while Otto and junior Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) had nine each. Sullivan, Michel and Leo rounded out a balanced scoring attack with eight, seven and six points, respectively.

Zukowski ended his Wheaton career first in school history in free throw percentage (.804), second in steals (171), third in each assists (291) and free throws (336), fourth in three-pointers (187), fifth in points (1,417), field goals (447) and three-point field goal percentage (.379), and eighth in games (104). He will graduate five points shy of fourth all time.

Women's Basketball (17-10, 9-4) Falls in First Semifinal Contest Since 1996

The Wheaton College women's basketball team advanced to the conference semifinals for the first time since 1996, where the fourth-seeded Lyons came up short over the weekend. After downing number five Clark University, 74-72 in the first round of the NEWMAC Tournament on Wednesday in Emerson Gymnasium, the Blue and White gave top-seeded Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) all it could handle during a 52-44 semifinal loss. The Lyons have qualified as the fourth seed for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament for the first time since 1996 and will host number five Suffolk University on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

Junior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) capped a full-court dash by converting a floater in the lane with 1.8 seconds remaining to lift Wheaton past Clark, giving the Lyons their first league tournament victory in 11 years and pushing them to 10-0 all time in conference tournament games at home. Down 63-51 with 8:20 remaining in regulation, Wheaton regrouped with a 13-0 run behind sophomore Krystin Hickey's (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) six points, including the go-ahead three-point play that put the Lyons up, 64-63 with 4:55 left. Four lead changes and two ties ensued, including Clark knotting the score with 6.7 seconds left, before Aitchison took an inbounds pass and went the length of the court, driving into the lane and sending her game-winning floater rattling around and in. Hickey went 7-of-14 for 21 points, hitting all five of her free throw attempts, while sophomore Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) notched 19 points by canning a career-high-tying five three-pointers on eight tries. Senior Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton) added 14 points by going 4-of-7 from the field and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe, while Aitchison hauled down a career-high-tying 12 boards with three steals. Senior Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic) added four assists in 22 minutes. The Lyons went 21-of-23 on free throw tries, as their 91.3 percentage was the seventh-best single-game performance in program history.

At WPI, the Lyons overcame a 17-point deficit in the first half to briefly lead in the second stanza before seeing their NEWMAC Tournament run come to an end. Wheaton fell behind, 28-11 before trailing by 10 at halftime, and the Blue and White capped a 19-3 run on an Aitchison hoop that made it 31-30 in favor of the hosts midway through the second half. The Lyons held WPI to just those three points during a 12:17 span. Aitchison came up big again with 3:57 remaining, canning a pair of free throws to push Wheaton in front, 42-41, but the Engineers took the lead for good just 22 seconds later. McCormack had 13 points and five rebounds, while Aitchison added nine points and seven boards. Hickey notched seven points, five caroms and four steals, while freshman Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) finished with six points, five boards and two blocked shots.

Entering the final week of her career, Sorbara is fourth in program history in assists (337) and seventh in steals (196). McCormack is sixth in each steals (199) and free throws (218), eighth in assists (203) and ninth in rebounds (591). Smith is eighth in three-pointers (78).

Men's Swimming and Diving Athletes Notch Three NCAA Cuts at NEWMAC Meet

The Wheaton College men's swimming and diving team had athletes meet three NCAA provisional qualifying standards over the weekend as host of the three-day NEWMAC Championship, where the Lyons settled for seventh place in Balfour Natatorium.

On day one, senior All-American Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) became the first athlete in NEWMAC history to win the same individual swimming event at four straight championships, as he was triumphant in the 50-yard freestyle in 20.82. Roberts' trials and finals times were each good for NCAA Championship provisional qualifications, as was his 50-yard performance during the leadoff leg of the 200 free relay trials. During the one-meter diving competition, freshman Mike Koltz (Columbia, MD/Boys' Latin School of Maryland) came within 2.05 points of a six-year-old school record during the finals after falling just 5.05 points shy in the trials. Junior Matt Jordan (Ellsworth, ME/Ellsworth) highlighted Saturday's events, notching an NCAA provisional time of 52.66 in the 100-yard backstroke. His third-place finish was just 0.04 ticks off his school record. Jordan did break his program mark in the 50 back, as his leadoff time of 24.48 during the 200-yard medley relay was 0.01 seconds faster than last year's NEWMAC meet finish. In the final day of competition, Roberts came within 0.02 seconds of defending his 100-yard freestyle title, as his time of 46.07 was good for an NCAA provisional standard.

Roberts has already automatically qualified in the 50 free for the NCAA Division III Championship, which will be held at the University of Houston on March 15-17. Jordan will await word on whether his provisional qualifying times in the backstroke gain him admittance for the first time.

Men's and Women's Track and Field Among Top Division III Teams at All New Englands

The Wheaton College men's and women's track and field teams both turned in strong finishes at the All New England Championship over the weekend. The Lyon men were 13th out of 32 teams, finishing second among Division III institutions, while the Blue and White women finished 14th of 30 squads and was the third-place Division III school.

Freshman Merzudin Ibric (Revere, MA/Phillips Academy) won the 400-meter dash in 48.24, provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championship. He beat out five Division I athletes, two from Division II and a Division III competitor. Freshman Howard Powell (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) turned in a school-record performance during his sixth-place finish in the 55M hurdles, as Powell's time of 7.78 broke a seven-year-old standard by 0.01 seconds and was 0.03 ticks off an NCAA provisional time. During the 200M trials, sophomore All-American Michael Wright (Baldwin, NY/Uniondale) came within 0.01 seconds of his own school record with a 21.87 showing and qualified for the finals.

Senior All-American Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) won the high jump with the best height in the nation this winter at 5' 8 3/4", posting her third automatic qualifying performance for the NCAA meet this season. She beat out 14 Division I jumpers, as well as a pair from Division II and five from Division III. Harlow notched two provisional qualifying times in the 55M hurdles, running her best at 8.45 in the semifinals. During the 400M, freshman Renee Thompson (Hartford, CT/Weaver) provisionally qualified twice and placed fourth in 57.06. Sophomore All-American Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) finished fourth in the 200M in 24.89, coming within 0.15 seconds of a four-year-old school record. Wheaton's 4x400M relay team, comprised of sophomores Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School), Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) and Christine Moreau (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln), and freshman Kamia Smith (Cincinnati, OH/Cincinnati Country Day School) provisionally qualified thanks to a time of 3:56.61.

Harlow Nabs Third ECAC Honor of the Season, Including Second for Field Achievement

Harlow was named Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Field Co-Athlete of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, February 18. It was Harlow's third ECAC honor this season, including her second for field excellence, and marked the sixth time in seven weeks that a male or female Wheaton athlete picked up an award. Harlow recorded a high jump of 5' 8" at the USATF New England Championship on February 18, equaling what at the time was her own best jump in the nation. In the event, Harlow tied a Division I athlete for the top height among collegians while tying for second overall.

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