The women captured wins in 11 of 16 events, with senior Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) and juniors Dania Piscetta (Belmont, NH/Belmont) and Nicole Zais (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) each earning individual event victories twice. Senior Stephanie Conelias (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) and sophomore Sarah Miller (Madison, NJ/Madison) also had a hand in two wins apiece.

Meehan was triumphant in the 50-yard backstroke and butterfly events, Piscetta touched the wall first in the 50-yard breaststroke and 100-yard back races, while Zais was victorious in the 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard individual medley. Conelias won the 100-yard butterfly, Miller secured the fastest time in the 100 breast, and the tandem joined senior Chelsea Stephenson (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth) and freshman Katie Bordeau (Sanford, ME/Sanford) on the top 400-yard medley relay team.

Rounding out the winners were junior Kathleen Dwyer (Barrington, RI/Barrington) in the 1,000-yard free and sophomore Julia Wright (Pomfret, VT/Northfield Mount Hermon School) in the three-meter dive.

On the men's side, the Lyons carried a 142-134 advantage into the 400-yard free relay and needed either a first-place finish or second- and third-place marks. Wheaton landed a runner-up placement, but Colorado College took first and third, as the hosts fell just short.

Junior Zach Fichman-Klein (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) earned wins in the 50-yard fly and free races, while classmate Corey Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood) picked up a victory in the 100-yard fly, edging out a teammate by 0.08 ticks.

Juniors Jonathan Gold (West Harrison, NY/Fordham Prep) and Ben Sabol (Saint Petersburg, FL/Shorecrest Prep) placed first in the three-meter dive and 50-yard back, respectively.

The Lyons hit the road on Saturday when they travel to New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) member Springfield College for a double-dual meet with the Pride and Keene State College at 1:00 p.m. The Pride women are the nine-time defending conference champions.

Anthony Coppola

NORTON, MA- Wheaton College men's basketball junior Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown) became the 12th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone, hitting the plateau during the Lyons' season opener at Emerson College on Tuesday. In netting 18 points, Coppola became the fourth junior to record 1,000 points after narrowly missing out on being the initial sophomore to hit the mark, finishing last year with 983.

A first-year captain, Coppola canned a three-pointer with 54 seconds remaining of an eventual 59-56 loss to the Lions, bringing Wheaton within three points. Coppola became the first Blue and White player to clear the 1,000-point barrier since Brian Zukowski '07 on November 17, 2006, and the initial Lyon junior since Josean Vega '05 on January 29, 2004.

With 1,001 career points, Coppola is now just 37 short of entering Wheaton's top 10. A 40.1-percent career three-point shooter, the two-time all-conference selection is seventh in school history in three-pointers (128). In 52 games as a Lyon, Coppola has paced the squad in scoring 39 times while canning at least one three in 48 contests.

As a sophomore, Coppola averaged 18.6 points while tying for seventh in program history in field goals (172) and netting the 10th-most points (483). The shooting guard tied a school record with 15 field goals against Salve Regina University on November 18, 2008, while tying for third in points, dropping an underclassman-record-tying 37. During the 2007-08 campaign, Coppola landed all-region honors in addition to being named the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference's (NEWMAC) and D3hoops.com Northeast Region's top rookie. He tied a school record with four 30-point games, hit the second-most three-pointers in program history (85) and recorded the second-best three-point percentage (47.2). Coppola also placed seventh in points (500) and tied for seventh in field goals (172).

Prior to Coppola scoring at least 483 points each of the past two seasons, only two underclassmen in program annals had reached that plateau, with Will Hawkins '93 and Chris Sullivan '93 both doing so on one occasion. Sullivan and Hawkins stand first and second, respectively, in school history in scoring.

Wheaton's 1,000-Point Club

Coppola got to the milestone in his 52nd career game, shooting 6-of-14 from the floor and 4-for-4 on free throws with three steals. The last Wheaton player to tally his 1,000th point was Brian Zukowski '07, exactly three years ago to the day. Sophomore Brendan Degnan (Narragansett, RI/Bishop Hendricken) tacked on a career-high 17 points, going 6-of-11 from the field and hitting 4-of-5 freebie tries. Senior Ben Stehle (Newton, MA/Newton South) hauled down 10 rebounds. Wheaton forced the hosts into 27 turnovers, collecting 11 steals.

Senior Bryan Rouse (East Greenwich, RI/Toll Gate) led the Lions with 20 points, sophomore Andrew Venter (Boston, MA/Mansfield) shot 6-of-8 for 17 points, and classmate Nathan Firn (Wadesboro, NC/Joseph A. Foran) tallied 10 points.

A three-pointer by Coppola with 54 seconds left brought the visitors within 57-54 and pushed him beyond the 1,000-point threshold, and Degnan countered two Emerson free throws with a lay-up at the 44-tick mark. After grabbing a defensive board with eight seconds left, Wheaton missed a chance to pull within one and, following an offensive rebound, a three-pointer was offline.

Two early buckets by Coppola during the opening stanza forced a pair of ties, and Degnan buried two free throws to make it 11-11. A Coppola lay-up at 9:02 gave the Lyons a 15-14 edge, but Emerson scored eight straight points and eventually forged a 27-19 lead at 2:13.

Wheaton trailed by a 27-22 count at halftime but completed a 9-0 run that carried over from the first half when senior Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) notched a steal and scored to give the Lyons a 28-27 advantage at 17:44 of the second stanza. However, Emerson took the lead for good 18 seconds later before leading by as much as 54-45 with 6:15 left and held off the visitors, who finished the game on an 11-5 run.

The Lyons kick off their home slate by hosting the Wheaton Tip-Off Tournament on Friday and Saturday. After Plymouth State University and Salve Regina University meet at 6:00 p.m. on the opening night, Wheaton faces Lyndon State College at 8:00 p.m.

Senior Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) turned in an all-around solid performance for the Lyons, registering a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds to go alongside four steals and three blocks. Freshman Jeana Trimboli (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) hit a trio of three-pointers to finish with 11 points and four assists, while senior Ida Kruse (Vershire, VT/Rivendell Academy) had 10 points. Classmate Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) recorded a game-high five assists.

For Roger Williams, freshman Elizabeth Kilzi (Waverly, PA/Abington Heights) recorded nine points, sophomore Ryan Weekes (Worcester, MA/Holy Name Central Catholic) tallied seven points and eight rebounds, while sophomore Paige Congdon (Westwood, MA/Westwood) and freshman Rachel Chuckran (Bridgewater, MA/Bridgewater-Raynham Regional) each pulled down eight boards.

After shooting just 25.9 percent from the floor in the opening half with no three-pointers and shooting 33.3 percent from the foul line, Wheaton hit on 51.9 percent of its second-half shots, including going 3-of-4 beyond the three-point stripe. The Lyons held the Hawks to 21.4 percent shooting in the second stanza, as the visitors made just six field goals and were 0-of-10 on threes.

Kruse's lay-up nine seconds into the second half and six straight points by Champney propelled Wheaton to an 8-0 run and a 26-21 advantage with 16:28 remaining. A bucket by Roger Williams sophomore Danielle Perrault (Ridgefield, CT/Trinity Catholic) gave the visitors a 31-30 edge with 9:21 to go, but it was all Wheaton after that, as the Lyons closed the game on a 23-5 run. Trimboli scored all 11 of her points during the stretch, while Champney added six points, as the hosts made nine of their final 11 shots.

A slow start to the opening half saw a combined 12 points for the first seven-plus minutes, as Roger Williams held a slim 7-5 edge. Trailing 14-8 with 7:30 to play, Wheaton went on an 8-0 run over 2:58 to take a 16-14 edge, its first lead since 5-3, as four different Lyons scored during the stretch. Junior Kate Malenczak (Sayville, NY/Sayville) drained a three for the Hawks at 4:01 for a 17-16 edge, and Roger Williams carried a 21-18 lead into the locker room.

The Lyons head to Maryland this weekend for the Mike Durgala Memorial Tournament at Johns Hopkins University, as they face the hosts on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

The fundraiser is held in honor of Ted Mullin, a swimmer at Minnesota-based Carleton College who died in 2006 from sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer. All Division III swimming & diving programs are invited to participate, as 104 squads combined to raise more than $50,000 in 2008. Pledges and donations are gathered for the Ted Mullin Fund for Sarcoma Research at the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital.

Participating teams complete a "Leave it in the Pool" practice, which consists of continuous relays of any stroke for one full hour. Wheaton is among eight participating New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) schools, joining another 22 from the region and nearly 130 college, high school and club teams from around the nation.

Kathleen Carroll

NORTON, MA- Wheaton College women's soccer senior Kathleen Carroll (New Paltz, NY/New Paltz Central) became just the fifth ESPN The Magazine Academic College Division All-America selection in school history, earning a spot on the second team. Carroll becomes the second player from the women's soccer program to draw an accolade, joining Erin Duffy '05. Qualifiers are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Carroll follows Duffy, Lisa Yenush '90, Dina Terceira '99 and Caitlin Grant '09 as Academic All-America selections. She was among 33 players chosen for three teams and one of 11 on the second squad. Carroll was also one of just four from a New England school and one of two hailing from a Division III institution in the region. She was the lone representative of New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) schools.

In leading the Lyons to their 10th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, where Wheaton fell in the second round to finish with an 18-4-2 mark, Carroll appeared in 21 of the Blue and White's 24 games. While playing dual roles as a back and a forward for a team that led the NEWMAC in goals scored and allowed, she also helped the Lyons record a league-best 16 shutouts. Carroll provided one goal and two assists while drawing 13 starts. She netted the winner during a 3-0 shutout of Western New England College on September 16, just 11 days after assisting the game-winner in a 2-1 victory over then-nationally-ranked Western Connecticut State University.

During her four-year career, Carroll helped the Lyons post a 77-13-6 overall record, including 31-2-3 in NEWMAC play. Wheaton qualified for four NCAA Tournaments, earned at least a share of four regular season league crowns and won two NEWMAC Tournaments.

In addition to being selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic College Division All-District I first team, which made her eligible for the national ballot, Carroll earned NEWMAC Academic All-Conference honors for the third straight season. A Dean's List qualifier during her career, Carroll has a 3.93 cumulative grade-point average while pursuing a degree in mathematics. Carroll, a member of Wheaton's Math Club, has also qualified for the Wheaton Presidential Award, which requires a minimum 3.75 GPA. Additionally, she studied last spring in New Zealand.

The College Division consists of NCAA Divisions II and III, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and two-year institutions. 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 GPA and be a starter or significant reserve.

Senior co-captain Alex Block (Saratoga, CA/Saratoga) picked up all-region accolades for the second time in as many seasons, being named to the second team after earning first-team honors as a junior, while junior Jessica Strock (Centerville, MA/Barnstable), who also drew second-team laurels, garnered her initial award.

Having at least three players named to an all-region team for the fourth straight year, Wheaton was one of six schools to place at least three players on the teams, joining New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foes Babson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Wellesley College and non-league members Nichols College and Saint Joseph's College of Maine.

Cassie Abel

Abel, who completed her career tied for second in program history in games played (80), started in 17 games and anchored a defense that held opponents to one goal or less seven times. She served as the trailer on defensive penalty corners for a team that allowed nine goals on 144 attempts. Offensively, she notched assists in two non-league wins before tallying a goal and a helper during a one-goal loss to Babson.

Alex Block

Joining Abel with 80 career games played, Block stands fifth in school annals in goals (23) and points (55) after notching three tallies, two assists and a pair of defensive saves during 18 starts from her midfield spot this fall. As the inserter on offensive corners and strong trail on defensive corners, Block combined to score twice and assist a goal in three non-league wins before providing a tally and a helper at Babson. Her defensive saves came against league tournament champion MIT and then-nationally-ranked William Smith College.

Jessica Strock

A starting forward in 18 games after missing all but one contest as a sophomore, Strock finished second on the team with 17 points and was tied for second in both goals (7) and assists (3). She recorded multiple points in six games, including tallying the game-winning goal at Lasell College. In the six games that Strock scored, Wheaton went 6-0.

As a team, the Lyons won three of their first four games and five of their initial eight before finishing the fall with a 6-12 record, including a 2-6 mark in the conference. Wheaton advanced to its ninth consecutive NEWMAC Tournament.

Cassie Abel

NORTON, MA- Wheaton College field hockey senior back Cassie Abel (Windham, NH/Salem) is set to play in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III Senior All-Star game this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. at New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) school Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, site of this year's national semifinal and championship games.

Abel, who was selected to the NEWMAC All-Conference second team, started in 17 games, anchoring a defense that held opponents to one goal or less seven times. She served as the trailer on defensive penalty corners for a team that allowed nine goals on 144 attempts. Offensively, she notched assists in non-league wins over River College and Simmons College before tallying a goal and a helper during a one-goal loss to conference foe Babson College.

Abel, who is tied for second at Wheaton in career games played with 80, helped steer the Lyons into their ninth straight NEWMAC Tournament. The Blue and White went 6-12 overall and 2-6 in conference play.

Dania Piscetta

NORTON, MA- Wheaton College women's swimming & diving junior Dania Piscetta (Belmont, NH/Belmont) was named New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Swimmer of the Week for the second time in three weeks for the week ending on Sunday, November 15.

Piscetta played a role in four of the Lyons' event victories during Wheaton's 160-140 home win over New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opponent United States Coast Guard Academy on Friday, as Wheaton raised its all-time series mark against the Bears to 5-0-1.

Besides edging out a Coast Guard swimmer by 0.11 seconds in the 200-yard freestyle event, Piscetta also won the 100-yard butterfly and freestyle races while anchoring the victorious 400-yard medley relay team. She swam the 100 fly in 59.68, the 100 free in 54.54 and the 200 free in 1:58.52, while the 400-yard medley relay team finished in 4:14.59.

At 4-0 on the young season, the Lyons host Colorado College in Balfour Natatorium on Thursday at 6:00 p.m.

The Wheaton College men's and women's cross country teams finished the 2009 slate at the NCAA Division III New England Championship on Saturday in Cumberland, Maine. The women were 24th among 47 scoring teams, while the men took 28th of 48. Sophomore Rachel Scavera (North Bend, OR/North Bend) was the first Lyon to complete the women's trail, notching a 105th-place showing among more than 300 runners. Freshman Lindsay Petrenchik (Chagrin Falls, OH/Chagrin Falls) and sophomores Savannah Geasey (Portsmouth, RI/Portsmouth) and Taylor Wills (Kinderhook, NY/Ichabod Crane) were the next three finishers. Junior Nick Kacher (Waltham, MA/Waltham) crossed the finish line in 101st, while classmate Colin Fahey (Waltham, MA/Weston) and freshman Michael Richard (Chicopee, MA/Holyoke Catholic) were the second and third Lyons, respectively.