Athletics > Weekly Lyon > 2006--07 > October 30, 2006
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Field Hockey (14-6, 5-3) Wins First Tournament Game Since 1997, Sets Victories Mark
The Wheaton College field hockey team split a pair of games against Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) last week, first falling, 3-2 in its regular season finale on Tuesday before downing the Engineers, 4-1 in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament first round game on Sunday. The Lyons' tournament win was its first since 1997 and gave the Blue and White 14 wins this season, breaking a tie with the 1991 and 1983 squads for most in program history.
The third-seeded Lyons now move on to the NEWMAC Tournament semifinals, hosted by Wellesley College. Wheaton faces number two Springfield College on Saturday at 2:00 p.m., and a victory would match the Blue and White with either top seed Wellesley or fourth-seeded Babson College in the championship game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The Lyons have been to only one conference final, the 1997 New England Women's 8 (NEW 8) title game, and have never won a league tournament crown. A title game victory would propel Wheaton to its first NCAA Tournament since 1983.
At MIT, Wheaton knotted the game at one in the 43rd minute before the Engineers scored twice in a 9:35 span to take a 3-1 edge. Freshman Alex Block (Saratoga, CA/Saratoga) converted junior Sara Dimick's (Cumberland, ME/Greely) penalty corner pass for the Lyons' first tally, while sophomore Alisa Ardito (Branford, CT/Branford) brought the visitors within one with less than eight minutes to go. Senior goalie Mary Catherine Boll (Columbus, IN/Miss Porter's School) made five saves.
In a tournament game against number six MIT, the host Lyons scored the first four goals. Dimick put the hosts on the board after just 2:45, and Ardito tallied during the 15th minute. Block connected less than three minutes after halftime, tipping in senior Shea Clarke's (Bellingham, MA/Bellingham) blast from just inside the circle. Sophomore Lauren Henderson (Marblehead, MA/Newman School) completed Wheaton's scoring with 15:30 left. Boll posted seven saves.
Boll and Clarke each set Wheaton records during the postseason contest, as Clarke notched her 20th career assist to move alone into first place by breaking out of a tie with Cara Collins '02. Boll notched her 14th win of the season, eclipsing Maribeth Burke's '87 1983 record. Dimick finished the week with 45 points this season, one shy of Maureen Reynolds' '88 1987 school mark. Dimick's 17 goals tie Reynolds' 1986 total for second at Wheaton and are four shy of matching Reynolds' record of 21 set in 1987. Dimick is also now second in career points (59) and tied for second in goals (22).
Dimick Becomes Third Lyon to Earn NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week Honors
Dimick became the third Lyon to be named NEWMAC Player of the Week this fall, drawing honors for the week ending on Sunday, October 22. It was her first career weekly award. The junior played a big part in the Lyons' 1-1 week, tallying her second hat trick of the season during a 4-0 win over Mount Holyoke College on October 21, as Wheaton tied school records for overall and conference wins.
Men's Soccer (11-4-3, 5-1) Clinches Third Straight NEWMAC Regular Season Title
The regionally-ranked Wheaton College men's soccer team knocked off visiting Clark University, 1-0 on Sunday in its only contest last week to clinch its third straight NEWMAC regular season crown and earn the right to host the NEWMAC Tournament's semifinal and final rounds for the fourth time in six seasons. During the contest, senior keeper Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) set a program record with his 27th career shutout, snapping a tie with Jon Girolamo '98. Head coach Matt Cushing now has 199 victories in his tenure at Wheaton.
As the top seed in the NEWMAC Tournament, the Lyons drew a first-round bye and will face the winner of Wednesday's first-round contest between number four United States Coast Guard Academy and fifth seed Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Saturday's first semifinal at 10:30 a.m. Should the Lyons advance to Sunday's 1:00 p.m. title game, they would be looking to improve to 6-0 in NEWMAC Tournament championship contests and receive an NCAA Tournament bid for the fourth straight season, and for the seventh time in the last 10 years.
Wheaton, which is holding down the eighth spot in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) New England poll, improved to 12-0-1 all time against Clark thanks to senior Dennis Durao's (West Hartford, CT/Northwest Catholic) game-winner in the 59th minute. After scoring once in his first 72 career games, Durao's tally against Clark marked the second straight game in which he netted the winning goal. Pachniuk made two saves against the Cougars, who are ranked fifth regionally.
Women's Soccer (19-1, 9-0) Qualifies for 12th Straight Conference Tournament Semifinal
The Wheaton College women's soccer team, ranked ninth nationally and second in New England by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), went 2-0 last week, completing its regular season with an 8-0 win against Mount Holyoke College on Tuesday before downing Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 2-0 in a NEWMAC Tournament first round game on Sunday. The Blue and White extended its winning streak to 16 games and its conference unbeaten run to 74 contests.
By qualifying to host the NEWMAC Tournament final four for the seventh straight year, the Lyons advanced to the semifinals of a conference tournament for the 12th straight campaign. Top-seeded Wheaton will take on number five Babson College on Saturday in a 10:30 a.m. semifinal, while a victory would push the Lyons into a 1:00 p.m. title tilt on Sunday with either second-seeded Springfield College or number three Smith College. Wheaton and Springfield tied in last season's championship game before the Pride corralled the tournament crown with a shootout decision. The Lyons are seeking their sixth tournament title in seven years and their eighth overall. With a championship contest victory, Wheaton would earn a spot in its seventh straight NCAA Tournament.
Seven different players scored against visiting Mount Holyoke. Senior Bridget Furlong (Newburyport, MA/Newburyport), junior Lauren Konopka (Medford, NJ/Holy Cross) and sophomore Angelamaria Viscomi (Newton, MA/Newton North) each notched a goal and an assist. Juniors Katelyn Brack (Lake Oswego, OR/Oregon Episcopal School) and Jenna Stiegler (Madison, WI/Middleton), and freshmen Abby Isaac (Larchmont, NY/Proctor Academy) and Lyndsey McManus (Marshfield, MA/Marshfield) also tallied, with Isaac netting her first collegiate goal after also playing 20:30 in goal. Junior keeper Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) stopped two shots in nearly 70 minutes.
In a tournament game against number eight WPI, the host Lyons tallied twice in a 3:14 span of the second half for the only scoring. Viscomi was credited with the game-winner in the 58th minute, converting assists from Konopka and junior Erin Davis (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow). At 60:36, junior Jenna Rabesa (Teaticket, MA/Falmouth) extended Wheaton's lead off of passes from Isaac and freshman Rosie Levy (Torrance, CA/Chadwick School). Kronenberg and junior Elana Cockburn (Chestnut Hill, MA/Brookline) each made one save, with the latter earning the victory.
Konopka finished the week with 104 career points, sixth in program history and just three out of fifth place. She's sixth in goals (38) and seventh in assists (28), while Rabesa hit the 80-point plateau and is eighth in goals (27) and ninth in assists (26).
Konopka Earns D3Kicks.com and NEWMAC Weekly Honors
Konopka earned both national and conference accolades for the week ending on Sunday, October 22, being named to the 11-member D3Kicks.com Team of the Week and NEWMAC Co-Player of the Week. Konopka earned the fourth weekly conference accolade of her career after tallying at least one point in each game during a 3-0 week to become the sixth player in program history with 100 career points. In a 1-0 win over Babson College on October 17, Konopka assisted the game's lone tally in the 15th minute before notching another helper during a 2-0 victory over Gordon College on October 19. Against Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on October 21, Konopka tallied in the 48th minute to hit 100 points. The Lyons' 5-1 win helped secure their eighth consecutive NEWMAC regular season title.
Women's Tennis (7-5, 3-4) Sees Fall Season End in NEWMAC Tournament
The Wheaton College women's tennis team saw its fall season come to an end in the first round of the NEWMAC Tournament, which it hosted over the weekend. The sixth-seeded Blue and White fell to number three Mount Holyoke College, 5-3.
Wheaton trailed 2-1 after doubles, as senior Darby McDermott (Briarcliff Manor, NY/Hackley School) and junior Briana Jackson (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) picked up an 8-6 win in the second spot. The two teams began singles play by splitting the first four matches before Mount Holyoke won the fourth-position battle to clinch the victory. Senior Jamie Weiss (Chicago, IL/Francis W. Parker School) triumphed at number two, and McDermott earned a victory in the third slot.
Women's Volleyball (4-28, 2-7) Falls Out of Postseason Contention with 0-3 Week
The Wheaton College women's volleyball team saw its 2006 season come to an end last week, as the Lyons dropped a trio of home matches. The Blue and White fell on Tuesday to NEWMAC foe Mount Holyoke College, 3-1 (30-24, 17-30, 23-30, 21-30) before dropping a 3-0 (17-30, 26-30, 25-30) decision to Emmanuel College on Thursday. In their regular season finale on Saturday, the Lyons were eliminated from postseason contention following a 3-0 (20-30, 17-30, 17-30) NEWMAC loss versus Smith College.
Against Mount Holyoke, Wheaton took the first game before dropping the next three. Senior Tonia Smith (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) paced the offense with 10 kills, while classmate Katie Dooley (Carpinteria, CA/Cate School) added eight kills and seven digs. Senior Allison Reichentahl (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) notched 14 digs, and sophomore Sarah Oster (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) added 11. Senior Alexis Liesman (Winchester, CA/West Valley) tallied 22 assists.
Smith and Dooley led Wheaton's attack with nine and eight kills, respectively, versus Emmanuel. Liesman registered 12 assists and three service aces. Reichentahl posted 18 digs, while Oster had 10.
During the Lyons' finale against Smith, Smith had nine kills and seven digs, while senior Ashley Emerson (Ashford, CT/E.O. Smith) tacked on six kills. Liesman notched 19 assists and six digs, and Reichentahl corralled 13 digs.
Smith finished her career among some of the top offensive and defensive players in program history, placing eighth in career blocks (165), ninth in attacks (2,507) and 10th in kills (753). Liesman is fourth in assists (2,169) and ninth in service aces (158), while Reichentahl moved into 10th in digs (1,106) after recording 570 this year, the fourth-highest single-season total at Wheaton.
Men's and Women's Cross Country Earn Fifth-Place Finishes at NEWMAC Meet
The Wheaton College men's and women's cross country teams each turned in fifth-place finishes at the NEWMAC Championship on Saturday at Mount Holyoke College. Juniors Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) and Pat Benson (Foxboro, MA/Bishop Feehan) recorded each team's best finish, placing second and third, respectively. The Lyon women collected 84 points, narrowly finishing behind Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) 82, Smith College's 77 and runner-up Wellesley College's 66. Wheaton's men improved upon last year's seventh-place showing.
Brousseau was the runner up for the second straight year while corralling her third all-conference accolade. Her time of 19:55 was just 10 seconds out of first. Rounding out Wheaton's finishers in the top 20 was a trio of runners, each of whom recorded career-best conference meet placements. Sophomores Amanda Rawson (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) and Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School) and senior captain Jennifer Ziello (Litchfield, CT/Litchfield) were 15th, 17th and 19th, respectively, as Ziello improved upon her best NEWMAC meet showing by 11 spots.
Benson nabbed a career-best showing and his first career all-conference nod, placing third in a time of 27:18, nearly 33 seconds behind the top runner. Senior captain Matt Peirce (Lincoln, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) was Wheaton's next finisher.
Men's (2-0) and Women's (2-0) Swimming and Diving Each Grab Pair of Wins
The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams cruised to season-opening victories against NEWMAC counterpart Clark University and non-league foe Gordon College during Saturday afternoon's double-dual meet at Balfour Natatorium. The Wheaton men rolled past Gordon, 176-40 while defeating Clark, 155-122, and the Lyon women upended the Fighting Scots, 194-55 before knocking off the Cougars, 158-132.
For the men, senior All-American Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) and junior Matt Jordan (Ellsworth, ME/Ellsworth) won three races apiece, while junior Ryan Patch (Lexington, MA/Lexington) and sophomore T.J. Sponzo (Simsbury, CT/Avon Old Farms) each captured a pair of victories. The Lyons also won two relays, with Patch, Roberts, Sponzo and junior Yunuscan Tokcan (Providence, RI/Northfield Mount Hermon School) winning the 200-yard freestyle relay, and Jordan, Patch, Polin and Sponzo victorious in the 200-yard medley relay.
On the women's side, junior Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) earned two wins, while sophomore Stacy Zickl (Wrentham, MA/King Philip Regional) swept the one- and three-meter diving events in her collegiate debut. Wheaton also captured both relay events, as sophomore Mandy Cumings (Zionsville, IN/Zionsville Community) anchored victories in each the 200-yard freestyle and medley relay races. Senior Cassie Bohn (Manhattan Beach, CA/Mira Costa) and freshmen Brenna Crothers (Mount Desert, ME/Mount Desert Island) and Sarah Houlihan (West Springfield, MA/West Springfield) also swam in the freestyle foursome, while sophomore Caitlin Glover (Durham, NH/Berwick Academy) and freshmen Stephanie Conelias (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) and Emily Sweatt (Portland, ME/Deering) were in the medley quartet.
This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 2/8/08.
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Men's Tennis: Men's tennis players Beekman and Hudgins named ITA Scholar-Athletes (more)
Women's Soccer: Hough's tally sends Wheaton past Emmanuel, Leddy notches third shutout (more)