NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming & diving teams opened their seasons on Saturday with a split against New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foe Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) at Balfour Natatorium.

The Lyon women posted a 167-103 triumph while handing the Engineers their second loss to start the season, and the men dropped a 163-132 decision in each team's opener.

Sophomores Stephany Perkins (Monmouth, ME/Monmouth Academy) and Nicole Zais (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) each played a hand in four victories, including a pair of individual-event wins, as Wheaton captured 12 swimming event victories and a pair of diving wins. Perkins finished first in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events, as did Zais in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle races, and each swam a leg during the victorious 200-yard free and medley relay events.

Sophomore Samantha Farrell (Reading, MA/Reading Memorial) led off the 200-yard free relay team while swimming the third leg during the 200-yard medley relay. Senior Caitlin Glover (Durham, NH/Berwick Academy) rounded out the 200 free relay quartet, and junior Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) was the first leg in the 200 medley relay.

Glover touched the wall first in the 200-yard backstroke, Meehan topped the competition in the 100-yard back, while freshman Julia Wright (Pomfret, VT/Northfield Mount Hermon School) swept the one- and three-meter diving events for her initial collegiate wins.

Juniors Sarah Houlihan (West Springfield, MA/West Springfield) and Chelsea Stephenson (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth) won the 1,000- and 500-yard free events, respectively, while sophomore Alisha Wilson (Cumberland, ME/Greely) and freshman Taryn Brosnan (Westford, MA/Academy of Notre Dame) rounded out the event winners in the 200-yard individual medley and 200-yard butterfly, respectively.

For the men, first-year Cole Larson-Whittaker (Penobscot, ME/George Stevens Academy) was a multiple-event winner in the 500- and 1,000-yard free. Sophomores Sam Dean-Lee (Rocky Hill, CT/Xavier) and Jonathan Gold (West Harrison, NY/Fordham Prep) secured victories in the 100-yard breaststroke and three-meter diving events, respectively, while freshman Trevor Deans (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) was triumphant in the 200-yard breast.

The Lyons continue their six-meet homestand on Friday afternoon against Roger Williams University at 4:00 p.m.