Lauren Kraus

NORTON, MA- Wheaton College women's volleyball senior Lauren Kraus (Westboro, MA/Westboro) landed the second ESPN The Magazine Academic College Division All-District I accolade of her career, placing on the first team to qualify for the Academic All-America ballot. The teams are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Kraus, who became the first player in program history to earn a CoSIDA honor when she was named to the Academic All-District third team as a sophomore, was one of six players to land on the first team and one of 18 student-athletes honored between three squads. The mathematics major, who is minoring in both French and statistics, has twice qualified for New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) academic all-league laurels.

The team leader in hitting percentage this past season, Kraus was second on Wheaton in each kills (364), blocks (68) and service aces (55). A middle hitter, Kraus finished her career fourth in program history in attacks and sets played, fifth in kills, sixth in hitting percentage, seventh in blocks and eighth in aces. She became the sixth player in school annals to tally 1,000 kills, finishing with 1,143, and appeared in 132 of a possible 133 matches over four years.

Kraus, a second-year team captain, is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the country's most prestigious liberal arts and sciences honor society. She has also been active with the Wheaton Athletic Mentors (WAMs), earned Dean's List honors and qualified for the Wheaton Presidential Award, which requires a minimum 3.75 grade-point average. Additionally, Kraus has been a calculus teaching assistant and tutor and studied last spring in Switzerland.

Kraus played a major role in two of her program's most successful years in the past decade, as Wheaton went 18-15 this year after posting 22 victories in 2007.

The District I College Division consists of all non-NCAA Division I colleges and universities in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec.

To be nominated for the Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore in academic standing, possess at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average and be a starter or significant reserve.

Capturing a share of its 11th consecutive regular season conference championship, Wheaton's appearance in this year's semifinal round marks its 15th straight. The Lyons hold a 3-1 postseason series advantage over MIT, including a 2-0 victory during the 2007 semifinal round. Saturday's first semifinal features top seed and regular season co-champion Wellesley against fourth seed and defending tournament champion Springfield College at 10:30 a.m. Sunday's title game is slated for 1:00 p.m.

Looking to gain entry into its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament, the Blue and White begins Saturday's action with a 17-2-2 mark and rankings of 25th nationally and fourth regionally by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Wheaton finished the league's regular season slate at 6-1-2, blanking eight of its opponents while holding an 18-2 scoring advantage. During last Saturday's first-round game against number-seven Babson College, the Lyons scored late for a 2-1 win. At 10-5-2 and 5-2-2, MIT blanked sixth seed Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 4-0 on Saturday. In the regular season, Wheaton defeated the Engineers by a 2-0 count in Cambridge.

Wheaton is on a season-high-tying seven-game unbeaten streak, having gone 5-0-2 with six shutouts in that stretch while suffering just one loss in its last 13 games. The Lyons lead the NEWMAC in goals scored and scoring defense, having tallied 44 goals while surrendering eight. Wheaton also paces the league with a 0.37 goals against average and 15 shutouts. The Blue and White is ninth in Division III in GAA while standing second in New England. Boasting a 24-1-3 mark during their last 28 conference tournament games, the Lyons have blanked the opposition in 15 of their last 16 tourney wins.

Sixteen different players have found the back of the net, with freshman Cassey Muse (Candia, NH/Central) leading the charge with league bests of 15 goals, 33 points and eight game-winners. Muse's 15 markers are the third-highest freshman total in program history. Senior back and forward Lyndsey McManus (Marshfield, MA/Marshfield) has contributed seven goals, nine assists and three game-winners, while junior Emily Hough (Norwich, VT/Hanover), who has also played in the front and back, adds three goals, a league-high 10 assists and two game-winners.

Junior Alessia Viscomi (Newton, MA/Newton North) anchors Wheaton's stingy defense, as the Lyons have held their opponents to a goal or less 19 times. Sophomore goalie Lindsay Leddy (Warwick, RI/Wheeler School) is 15-2-2 with a 0.42 GAA and seven shutouts in 19 starts. She paces the NEWMAC in GAA and is tied for first in shutouts and tied for second in save percentage. Leddy is tied for sixth in program history in single-season wins and tied for seventh in shutouts.

The Lyons, who eliminated the Cougars during the first round of the 2008 NEWMAC Tournament, enter the weekend 17-3-1 overall and tied for 18th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's (NSCAA) national poll, as well as third in the New England rankings. Top-seeded Babson and number-four Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) play in Saturday's 10:30 a.m. semifinal, with the championship game taking place on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

Wheaton posted a 5-1 mark during NEWMAC action, falling by a 1-0 count to Babson for its only loss and downing Clark by the same score, before knocking off number-seven Springfield College, 2-1 during the first round of the league tournament on Wednesday. Six of the seven contests the Blue and White has played against conference teams this season have been decided by one goal.

In qualifying for their 11th semifinal round in the NEWMAC's 12-year history, the Lyons reached the 10-win plateau for the 18th straight season and are tied for fourth in program history in wins. With its victory over Springfield, Wheaton has yielded just five goals in the past 11 games and is 7-1-1 in its past nine league postseason contests. While recording an 18-4-1 all-time mark during conference tournament action, the Lyons have defeated Clark all three times they have met in the postseason.

Anchoring the fifth-best defense in New England has been junior keeper Cole Davidson (Needham, MA/Salisbury School), a tri-captain who is tied for third in program history with eight shutouts this year and is tied for sixth in wins, having gone 13-3-1 with a 0.64 goals against average and an .825 save percentage. Wheaton has yielded one goal or fewer in 15 of Davidson's 17 appearances.

Five defenders have seen ample playing time in the backfield, as junior David Winrow (South Weymouth, MA/Weymouth) and freshman David Turina (North Yarmouth, ME/Northfield Mount Hermon School) are two of only three Lyons who have started all 21 games. Each of junior tri-captain David Ferriero's (Medway, MA/Medway) 18 appearances has been a start, freshman Howard Manly (Ayer, MA/Lawrence Academy) has started 16 of his 19 games, and sophomore Matt Flaherty (Westlake Village, CA/Worcester Academy) has appeared 17 times, drawing eight starts.

Junior tri-captain Yuri Moreira (Marlboro, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon School) leads the NEWMAC in scoring, having netted 16 goals, among them seven winners. Classmate Josh Solomon (Acton, MA/Acton-Boxboro Regional) provides Wheaton with another dangerous striker, having recorded seven goals and five assists, and freshman Max Swanson (Lexington, MA/Lexington) is third on the squad with four goals. Twenty two of the 28 players who have appeared have at least one point.

Junior Kyle Sye (Acton, MA/Acton-Boxboro Regional) and sophomore Chris Thomas (Cumberland, ME/Phillips Academy) have started 21 and 20 games, respectively, in the midfield for a team that boast the NEWMAC's top offensive and defensive numbers, while freshman Cecil Jeffrey (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) has made an immediate impact with a team-high-tying five assists and a pair of goals, including the winner against Springfield.

Moving on to Saturday's semifinal round at Babson College, where it will face the winner of tonight's game between number-three United States Coast Guard Academy and sixth seed Clark University, Wheaton, which extended its winning streak to a season-best six games, is tied for 18th in the country and ranked third in New England by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Springfield ended its season at 5-13-1.

Freshman Cecil Jeffrey (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) turned in his first career game-winner, coming in the 75th minute, while junior Yuri Moreira (Marlboro, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon School) posted his conference-best 16th goal in the opening half on a long assist from junior keeper Cole Davidson (Needham, MA/Salisbury School), who also finished with two stops. Wheaton held edges of 11-7 in shots and 7-5 in corner kicks.

Springfield freshman Alex Reilly (Ledyard, CT/Ledyard) provided the tying marker in the 58th minute, while classmate Chris Walton (Cromwell, CT/Cromwell) had three saves.

Davidson earned the assist after booting the ball three quarters of the field to a streaking Moreira, who carried the ball down the right side before blasting his shot from inside the box into the upper left netting at 17:27. The Lyons took six of the first-half's seven shots, with the Pride's lone attempt coming off a free kick.

After an apparent Wheaton goal was negated due to an offsides call early in the second frame, Springfield knotted the contest shortly thereafter. Reilly collected a loose ball in the middle of the field and outside the box before drilling his shot to the right side of the target and beyond the reach of a diving Davidson at 57:39.

With each team playing a man short for the final 31:39 of the second half, the hosts took the lead for good with 15:16 to go. From the right end line, freshman Max Swanson (Lexington, MA/Lexington) broke down a couple of Springfield defenders before freeing himself for a quick cross to an oncoming Jeffrey, who tucked away his shot into the lower right corner of the net at 74:44.

The Wheaton College men's and women's cross country teams took part in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship on Saturday in Boston's Franklin Park, as the men turned in a sixth-place finish and the women were eighth. Junior Nick Kacher (Waltham, MA/Waltham) was the first Lyon to finish, taking 22nd, while classmate Colin Fahey (Waltham, MA/Weston) came in 47th. Freshmen Michael Richard (Chicopee, MA/Holyoke Catholic) and Karl Mader (Northfield, MN/Northfield) were 65th and 69th, respectively. Sophomore Rachel Scavera (North Bend, OR/North Bend) paced the women in 30th, senior Katie Pratt (Litchfield, CT/Litchfield) took 47th, while sophomore Taylor Wills (Kinderhook, NY/Ichabod Crane) and freshman Lindsay Petrenchik (Chagrin Falls, OH/Chagrin Falls) came in 58th and 59th, respectively.

The Wheaton College field hockey team lost twice last week at Wellesley College, getting bounced from the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament for the third straight year by the Blue and for the fifth time in six seasons. The Lyons dropped their regular season finale, 3-1 on Tuesday before, as the eighth seed, suffering a 4-1 setback to top-seeded Wellesley.

Sophomore Emily Asack (Stoughton, MA/Stoughton) scored in the 67th minute on Tuesday to cut the Wellesley lead to 2-1 before the hosts tallied once more. Senior keeper Andrea Bagley (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) made 13 saves, while sophomore back Bonnie Davies (Roxbury, CT/Shepaug Valley) turned in a defensive save early in the second half with her team down just 1-0.

Junior Margaux Bolte (Belmont, MA/Belmont) staked the underdog Lyons to a 1-0 halftime advantage during the first round of the NEWMAC Tournament after scoring in the 33rd minute, but Wellesley responded with a big second half. Bagley made 12 stops for Wheaton in her final contest.

Senior Alex Block (Saratoga, CA/Saratoga) completed her career fifth in program history in career goals (23) and points (55), while she and classmate Cassie Abel (Windham, NH/Salem) tied for second in games (80). Bagley finished fifth in wins (18), tied for fifth in shutouts (8), sixth in minutes (2,802:58), and seventh in both saves (315) and goals-against average (1.87). Asack was fifth in single-season points (31), tied for fifth in goals (12) and tied for seventh in assists (7), as her goal and point totals were program records for an underclassman. Bagley was sixth in minutes (1,271:47) this fall.

The Wheaton College men's soccer team, which is ranked fourth in New England by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), completed its regular season with a 2-0 victory over Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on Saturday. The second-seeded Lyons will host a NEWMAC Tournament contest for the 10th time in 11 seasons, opposing number-seven Springfield College in the first round on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. Wheaton looks to advance to the semifinal round for the 10th straight season while chasing its eighth NEWMAC Tournament title and a berth into its ninth NCAA Tournament. Babson College hosts the semifinals and final this weekend.

The Blue and White has posted 10 shutouts, its most since 2005, and yielded a total of four goals in the last 953:57 over 11 games. The Lyons' 16 wins are their most since 2004 and stand as the sixth-highest total in program history, as well as the second-most regular season victories ever.

Junior Yuri Moreira (Marlboro, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon School) scored both of Wheaton's markers against visiting WPI, tallying twice during a 7:48 span of the second half. Moreira converted sophomore Pablo Mena's (San Salvador, El Salvador/American School of El Salvador) touch in the 69th minute before being assisted by freshman Cecil Jeffrey (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) in the 76th minute. Junior Cole Davidson (Needham, MA/Salisbury School) made one stop in recording the shutout for the Lyons, who held advantages of 17-2 in shots and 9-2 in corner kicks. Wheaton completed its regular season riding its second five-game winning streak of the season.

Moreira is fourth in program history in career goals (34) and tied for seventh in points (74), while junior Josh Solomon (Acton, MA/Acton-Boxboro Regional) is tied for sixth in assists (22). Davidson is tied for fourth in shutouts (15) while standing fifth in wins (26) and minutes (4,032:53) and sixth in saves (156). Junior Chris Smart (Brookfield, CT/Brookfield) is seventh in victories (13), and senior Adam Sussman (Swampscott, MA/Swampscott) is tied for 10th in games played (80). Moreira is tied for fourth in single-season goals (15), three off the school mark, and is tied for eighth in points (32). Davidson is tied for third in shutouts (8) and tied for seventh in wins (12).

The Wheaton College women's soccer team, which is ranked 25th nationally and fourth in New England by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), went 2-0-1 last week, earning a share of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference's (NEWMAC) regular season title before picking up a first-round victory during the tournament. The Lyons tied regular season co-champion Wellesley College, 0-0 in double overtime on Tuesday, earning a share of their 11th straight regular season conference crown, before downing host Salem State College, 1-0 on Thursday. Against seventh-seeded Babson College on Saturday, number-two Wheaton notched a 2-1 victory, advancing to the league tournament semifinals for the 15th straight season.

The Lyons will oppose third-seeded Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Saturday in a 1:30 p.m. semifinal at Wellesley, with a spot in their 11th straight title game on the line. Wheaton seeks its 10th league tournament crown and entry into the NCAA Tournament for the 10th straight fall. With 15 shutouts, the Lyons have tied the sixth-highest total in program history. Wheaton has blanked 11 of its last 13 opponents while allowing three goals in the last 1,236:53 over 14 contests since September 23.

Wheaton controlled play against visiting Wellesley, racking up advantages of 31-3 in shots and 4-1 in corner kicks, while sophomore Lindsay Leddy (Warwick, RI/Wheeler School) made one save.

Senior Lyndsey McManus (Marshfield, MA/Marshfield) scored on a breakaway feed from classmate Kathleen Carroll (New Paltz, NY/New Paltz Central) in the 64th minute for the only scoring at Salem State. Sophomore Erin Cawley (West Springfield, MA/West Springfield) made three saves for her first collegiate shutout in her second career start.

Sophomore Emily Vincunas' (Granville, MA/Wilbraham & Monson Academy) first goal of the season, with 10:01 remaining, snapped a tie and sent Wheaton past visiting Babson during the NEWMAC Tournament. The Lyons had taken the lead with six seconds left in the first half on a marker from sophomore Jessica Stuart (Weymouth, MA/Weymouth), who converted passes from senior Rosie Levy (Torrance, CA/Chadwick School) and junior Emily Hough (Norwich, VT/Hanover). The Beavers snapped Wheaton's shutout streak at 702:25 with a 75th minute marker, but Vincunas put the hosts in front to stay just four minutes later. Leddy made four stops.

Hough is seventh in program history in career assists (33), eighth in points (93) and tied for ninth in goals (30), while Leddy is third in shutouts (17), tied for fourth in wins (28) and seventh in minutes (3,536:05). Freshman Cassey Muse (Candia, NH/Central) has 15 goals, the third-highest freshman total in program history, and has eight winners. With 10 assists, Hough is the fifth Wheaton player with three double-digit assist seasons. Leddy is tied for sixth in season wins (15) and tied for seventh in shutouts (7).

The Wheaton College women's volleyball team went 1-2 last week, falling twice in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play to narrowly miss out on qualifying for the postseason tournament. The Lyons dropped a 3-2 (25-21, 25-22, 23-25, 23-25, 11-15) decision to visiting Clark University on Tuesday before rebounding with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-22) triumph at non-league foe Emmanuel College on Thursday. However, Saturday's 3-2 (16-25, 25-21, 19-25, 25-18, 9-15) loss at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in a must-win match for both teams ended Wheaton's campaign. The Blue and White's eight five-set wins and 13 five-set matches were its most in the last two decades, as the Lyons had gone to five sets 13 times during their previous 91 matches since 2006 prior to this fall.

Sophomore Miranda Howitt (San Francisco, CA/International) turned in a double-double against Clark with 23 kills and 14 digs, while senior Lauren Kraus (Westboro, MA/Westboro) had eight kills and five aces in her final match in Emerson Gymnasium. Junior Becca Rose (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) recorded 47 assists and 15 digs, and sophomore Lauren McGrath (Wading River, NY/Shoreham-Wading River) had five blocks. Sophomore Emily Davisson (Carpinteria, CA/Laguna Blanca School) totaled 25 digs, while junior Kristen Hunt (Milford, CT/Jonathan Law) and freshman Olanna Nissim (Greenwich, CT/Greenwich) had 17 apiece.

At Emmanuel, Kraus, Howitt and freshman Rachel Vergara (Needham, MA/Needham) recorded 11, 10 and nine kills, respectively, while Rose tallied 36 assists. Davisson led the defense with 20 digs, Howitt contributed 17, and Nissim added 11. Nissim also accounted for four service aces, while Kraus and Vergara posted three blocks apiece.

Howitt led the visitors with 15 kills and 17 digs at WPI, while Kraus closed the book on a standout career with 12 kills and four blocks. Vergara added eight kills, and Rose provided 43 assists, 11 digs and three blocks. Davisson turned in 23 digs, while Hunt had 16.

Rose enters her senior year third in program history in career assists (3,214) and tied for sixth in aces (204), while Kraus finished her four years fourth in attacks (3,112) and sets played (467), fifth in kills (1,143), sixth in hitting percentage (.228), seventh in blocks (288) and eighth in aces (184). Hunt is fifth in digs (1,464). Rose totaled the program's third-highest single-season assist total (1,170) this fall, becoming the first player in Wheaton history with multiple 1,000-assist seasons, while Howitt was sixth in kills (456), recording the most by a Lyon since 2000 and the highest figure by an underclassman since 1998. Howitt was also fourth in attacks (1,277) with the most since 1999.

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming & diving teams kicked off their 2009-10 seasons last week, splitting at Roger Williams University on Wednesday before hosting a double-dual meet on Saturday. The Lyon women downed the Hawks, 175.5-121.5, while the men suffered a 192-104 setback. Wheaton's women then downed Brandeis University, 179-107 and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 207-86 in their home opener, while the men suffered a 173-109 loss to the Judges and a 169-118 defeat at the hands of the Engineers.

Against Roger Williams, junior Dania Piscetta (Belmont, NH/Belmont) and sophomore Julia Wright (Pomfret, VT/Northfield Mount Hermon School) each won a pair of events to lead the women to 11 victories. Piscetta won the 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley, while Wright captured the one- and three-meter diving events. Senior Sarah Houlihan (West Springfield, MA/West Springfield) was victorious in the 500-yard freestyle, junior Nicole Zais (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) took first in the 200-yard breaststroke, while sophomores Taryn Brosnan (Westford, MA/Academy of Notre Dame) and Sarah Miller (Madison, NJ/Madison) won the 200-yard butterfly and free, respectively. Freshman Caroline Isaacs (San Jose, CA/Archbishop Mitty) captured the 1,000 free, and classmate Kirstie Parkinson (Singapore, Singapore/Singapore American School) took the 50 breast. The 200 free relay team, comprised of juniors Kathleen Dwyer (Barrington, RI/Barrington) and Samantha Farrell (Reading, MA/Reading Memorial) and freshmen Dana Auger (Milford, MA/Milford) and Julia Kusiak Carey (Shawmut, ME/Lawrence), also won.

On the men's side, junior Sam Dean-Lee (Rocky Hill, CT/Xavier) won the 200-yard freestyle, classmate Zach Fichman-Klein (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) was victorious in the 50-yard butterfly, and sophomore Charles Western (Syracuse, NY/Nottingham) took first in the 200 fly.

Versus Brandeis and WPI, Piscetta and Zais helped the Blue and White capture 13 of the meet's 16 events, as Piscetta won the 100- and 200-yard freestyles and the 200-yard individual medley, while Zais took first in the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes. Piscetta and Zais joined Brosnan and senior Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) to capture the 200-yard medley relay victory. Zais sided with Farrell, Miller and senior Aurelie Marcotte (Hampden, MA/Minnechaug Regional) on the winning 400 free relay. Brosnan won the 100-yard butterfly to round out a pair of victories, Houlihan won the 500 and 1,000 frees, and Wright bested the one- and three-meter dive fields. Auger won the 50 free.

For the men, junior Jonathan Gold (West Harrison, NY/Fordham Prep) won the one- and three-meter dives. Classmate Corey Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) was the runner up during the 200-yard breaststroke, and sophomore Devon Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) took second in the 200-yard backstroke. The Lyons' 200-yard medley relay quartet notched a runner-up showing, as Dean-Lee, Fichman-Klein, junior Ben Sabol (Saint Petersburg, FL/Shorecrest Prep) and freshman Sam Neill (Ludlow, MA/Belchertown) combined on the performance.