The department will pay tribute to field hockey becoming the first Wheaton program to advance to an NCAA Tournament, women's indoor track & field capturing the school's initial NCAA national championship, and baseball qualifying for its first NCAA Tournament.

The ceremony commemorating the aforementioned programs will be facilitated by Executive Director of Athletics Chad Yowell, Associate Director of Athletics John Sutyak '00 and Senior Woman Administrator Rebecca Begley. Invited guests will be encouraged to join other former student-athletes, alums, families and additional Lyon supporters under the Homecoming Welcome Tent, sponsored by the Lyons Athletic Club (LAC) and Wheaton Alumnae/i Association.

Saturday's festivities are also set to have audio and video coverage from Norton Community Television and student-run campus radio station WCCS-FM 96.5. The broadcast will be on a tape-delay basis and will be available free of charge on Wheaton's athletics Web site at www.wheatoncollege.edu/athletics.

The 1983 Wheaton field hockey team not only qualified for the NCAA Tournament but also won its opening-round game against Salem State College under the former Debi Field, the squad's head coach. In the second round, the Lyons fell to eventual national champion The College of New Jersey. With a 13-3 record, Wheaton's winning percentage and nine shutouts that fall still each rank second in program history, while its 13 victories remain tied for second. The Blue and White's seven-game winning streak is also tied for the second best.

Wheaton's 1999 women's indoor track & field team's national championship marked the beginning of an era under head coach Paul Souza, now in his 16th year, that laid witness to five straight indoor national crowns from 1999-2003 and a trio of outdoor titles from 2001-03. The 1999 squad needed the meet's final event, the 4×400-meter relay, to pull out a tight win over the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse. Wheaton finished with 43 points to La Crosse's 38 at Ohio Northern University. During the meet, Lyons won one event while earning 10 All-America honors.

With current 14th-year head coach Eric Podbelski at the helm, Wheaton baseball qualified for the 2000 NCAA Tournament in just its third season of varsity existence, recording a 28-12 mark while winning its second straight New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular season and tournament championships. The Lyons went 11-1 in league play during the regular season before posting a perfect 3-0 mark in the conference tournament, defeating Springfield College, Clark University and Coast Guard.

Jennifer Harlow (photo by GreaterSnap)

NEW YORK, NY- Former Wheaton College women's track & field national champion Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) captured the high jump title at last weekend's ninth annual USA Track & Field (USATF) National Club Championship at Icahn Stadium, as the 2007 graduate led her Greater Boston Track Club (GBTC) team to the crown.

Besting the 14-athlete field with a jump of 5′ 8 3/4″ and edging out a teammate by 1 3/4″, Harlow helped GBTC secure its third team title with 159 points. The meet came down to the final event, as defending champion Central Park Track Club (CPTC) totaled 154 points to finish second. More than 500 athletes representing 64 USATF clubs from 21 different states competed in the two-day meet.

A two-time indoor high jump national champion during her stellar four-year Wheaton career, Harlow twice tied for second at the NCAA outdoor meet. All told, she was a five-time NCAA All-America performer. Following graduation, Harlow returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach during the 2008 season, helping lead the Lyons to their ninth New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship.

For complete results of the USATF National Club Championship, click here.

To learn more about GBTC, visit the club's official site here.

Christine Moreau

Lily Calderwood

Natana Jules

Recent graduates Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School), Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls), Christine Moreau (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) and Lauren Reddy (Walnut Creek, CA/Carondelet) were among 274 women from Division III to land on the USTFCCCA All-Academic team, while rising senior Merzudin Ibric (Revere, MA/Phillips Academy) was one of 186 men to draw an honor. To qualify, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 and met an NCAA Championship automatic or provisional qualifying standard during the indoor or outdoor season.

Merzudin Ibric

Lauren Reddy

Jules capped her career with the award after reaching All-America status during the 4×400-meter relay at the outdoor NCAA Championship. Calderwood, who also earned a USTFCCCA All-Academic accolade following her junior year, joined Moreau and Reddy in reaching a qualifying time for the national meet in the distance medley relay during the indoor season. Moreau also ran for indoor and outdoor 4×400M relay quartets that met NCAA times. A second-time honoree, Ibric competed in both the 4×100M and 4×400M relays at the outdoor NCAA Championship.

With a 3.11 cumulative GPA, the Wheaton men's team was one of 51 Division III programs to earn USTFCCCA All-Academic status, while the women were among 100 squads honored thanks to their 3.11 GPA. To be nominated, a team must carry a minimum 3.10 GPA, with the top award going to the program that had the combination of best GPA and overall finish at the indoor or outdoor NCAA Championships.

Adam Gingras, Krystin Hickey, Nick Pecora,Jennie Pleat, Brian Dundon, Mickey Jusme

NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College Department of Athletics held its annual awards ceremony at Emerson Dining Hall on Tuesday night. Highlighting the evening was the announcement of the winners of the department's five major awards, as five seniors and one freshman representing four different Lyon programs were recognized. All six earned end-of-the-year honors for the first time.

Seniors Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) and Nick Pecora (Highland Park, NJ/Immaculata) were recipients of the Dean Sue Alexander Senior Athlete Awards, classmate Adam Gingras (Woonsocket, RI/Woonsocket) was named Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year, while freshman Mickey Jusme (Providence, RI/Classical) was voted the school's top female athlete in receiving the Debi Field Athlete Award.

Seniors Brian Dundon (Mansfield, MA/Mansfield) and Jennie Pleat (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) received the Claudia Friese Special Recognition Award, which is intended to recognize behind-the-scenes dedication to the athletic program.

The senior athlete awards, which last year were renamed to acknowledge former Dean of Students Sue Alexander and her 21 years of support to Wheaton athletics, is presented to a male and female member of the graduating class who has made a significant contribution to the success of the Wheaton athletic program, including participating in intercollegiate athletics or intramural programs, displaying leadership ability, and providing commitment and relevant committee work.

Hickey, who became the women's basketball program's all-time leading scorer with 1,540 points and first four-time all-league selection earlier this year, led Wheaton to a 17-11 record while serving in a captain's role for the second straight season. A two-time all-region player and 2006 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Rookie of the Year, Hickey helped lead the Lyons to consecutive trips to the league tournament championship game, including in 2007 when the program reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 13 seasons.

Among the conference's top 10 in five statistical categories her senior year, Hickey paced the team in scoring, field goal percentage, three-point shooting and free throw percentage. In addition to finishing her career first in program annals in points, field goals and three-point shooting, Hickey will graduate among the top 10 in eight other categories.

A three-year starter for the nationally-ranked baseball team, Pecora is in the midst of his best season to date, having already helped the Lyons claim their third regular season league title in his career. Looking to push Wheaton to a fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, Pecora is among the conference's elite in several categories, including leading the pack in hits, runs and doubles. He also stands second in total bases, fourth in slugging percentage, fifth in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage and tied for sixth in home runs.

Off the diamond, Pecora is a resident adviser in Metcalf Hall, where he spearheaded his team's participation in the White Ribbon Campaign (WRC), which is the largest effort in the world of men working to end violence against women. A member of the school's Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), Pecora was also the recent recipient of the Eliza Baylies Chapin Wheaton Leadership Award, which recognizes students who find or revitalize a program or office at Wheaton.

Gingras, who earlier today helped pitch the Lyons to victory, became the second baseball player in as many years to garner the Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year Award. An All-America and all-region selection as a junior, Gingras has been victorious in 13 of his last 15 decisions. The 2008 NEWMAC Pitcher of the Year is currently 5-2. Entering the week, the righthander ranked third in the conference in ERA, tied for third in wins, tied for sixth in starts, seventh in strikeouts and ninth in innings pitched. For his career, he is seventh in program history in wins, eighth in innings pitched and tied for 10th in complete games.

Jusme earned the distinction of becoming the first freshman to be honored with the Debi Field Athlete Award, which has been given annually since 1984. An All-America triple jumper during the NCAA indoor championship, Jusme finished third in the country at 39′ 3 3/4″ while also qualifying for the national meet in the long jump at 18′ 5″. Named Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Field Athlete of the Week four times thus far, she has provisionally qualified for the outdoor national championship in both the triple and long jumps. Jusme, who won the triple jump at Saturday's conference meet with a league-record leap of 39′ 3 3/4″, was named NEWMAC Field Athlete of the Year.

Dundon and Pleat served as the Wheaton Athletic Mentors (WAMs) Co-Presidents in their third year as members, with Dundon finishing up his second as co-president. Pleat handled secretary duties as a junior for the WAMs, which is the school's student-athlete advisory committee (SAAC). As an officer, Dundon had heavy involvement in the acquisition of funds for the Big Event, which is the WAMs' signature event, while Pleat organized many of the logistics for the event in addition to playing a large role in introducing superfan T-shirts. Additionally, Pleat was the recent recipient of the Caroline Cutler Metcalf Leadership Award The pair has also provided pivotal leadership roles in the current reorganization of the group's operating structure and constitution.

Voted on by Division III track & field regional representatives prior to this year's NCAA Championship in Terre Haute, Indiana, this prestigious accolade comes nearly three years after James was tabbed to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III Silver Anniversary Team, which commemorated the 25th anniversary of women competing in NCAA outdoor track & field championships.

An astounding 17-time national champion and 24-time All-American when combining the indoor and outdoor seasons, James remains the most decorated athlete in Wheaton history. She recorded an impressive seven national crowns and 10 All-America awards during her four indoor seasons, leading the Lyons to three national titles and one runner-up finish.

A winner of four straight indoor championships in the 400-meter dash from 2001-04 and a member of three 4×400M relay team titles, James is the only Division III man or woman to have swept a track event all four years. Her winning 400 time of 55.46 seconds in 2002 is tied for the fastest finals mark in meet history, while the relay's finish of 3:45.01 in 2003 remains the top time ever, as the next closest was by another Wheaton quartet with a time of 3:48.78 in 2002.

Helping the Lyons become the first Division III program to sweep three straight indoor and outdoor national titles, James was just the second Division III athlete to grab eight indoor and outdoor national championships in a single event, doing so in the 400M dash. James also became just the second athlete to capture three successive 200M dash outdoor national crowns. Her seven individual outdoor national titles tied her for second for most titles in a career.

The 2002 Division III track & field recipient of the Honda Award, which recognizes the top female collegiate athlete in each of 12 sports, and finalist for the Honda-Broderick Cup, given to the division's Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year, James remains Wheaton's record holder in the indoor and outdoor 200 and 400M dashes. She also anchored the school's top indoor and outdoor 4×400M and indoor 4×200M relay teams and ran a leg on the fastest outdoor 4×100M relay squad.

The Wheaton College men's and women's track & field teams each finished among the top 20 when the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship ended on March 7 before sending eight athletes to the two-day NCAA Championship at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana, where the women tied for 12th upon the meet's completion on Saturday. Three Lyons earned All-America honors by placing among the top eight in an event.

At the ECAC meet, Wheaton's women took seventh place out of 51 scoring teams, while the men tied for 19th among 50 squads. Sophomore Erin Neville (North Providence, RI/La Salle Academy) won the high jump with an NCAA Championship provisional qualifying mark, while the 4×400-meter relay quartet also met a provisional standard, as senior Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls), junior Renee Thompson (Hartford, CT/Weaver), sophomore Laurenmaria Smith (Providence, RI/Hope) and freshman Didine Jusme (Providence, RI/Classical) placed third. For the men, sophomore Mark Williamson (Vienna, VA/James Madison) won the 400M while meeting a provisional time.

The Lyon women tied for 12th out of 68 teams at the NCAA meet, while the men tied for 66th among 74 squads. Neville and freshman Mickey Jusme (Providence, RI/Classical) were third in the high and triple jumps, respectively, as Neville earned her second All-America honor and Jusme her first. Wheaton's women had at least one field athlete record an All-America finish for the 11th straight indoor national championship, including for the sixth consecutive year in the high jump. Freshman Cailean Robinson (Newton, MA/Phillips Exeter Academy) was eighth in the 55-meter dash, as he drew his initial All-America finish. During Friday's trials, Robinson broke a school record by finishing in 6.39. Also competing at the NCAAs were freshman Lauren McGrath (Wading River, NY/Shoreham-Wading River) in the high jump, Mickey Jusme in the long jump, and Jules, Didine Jusme, Smith and freshman Lauren Cardarelli (Cranston, RI/La Salle Academy) in the 4×400M relay.

The men finished tied for 66th with one point, as freshman Cailean Robinson (Newton, MA/Phillips Exeter Academy) earned his first All-America accolade following an eighth-place showing in the 55-meter dash. His Saturday time of 6.43 came a day after he broke his own school record during the trials in 6.39. Robinson was the lone freshman to qualify for the final.

In the triple jump, Jusme was one of two underclassmen to reach the final, as she finished behind a pair of seniors with a personal-best leap of 39′ 3 3/4″, which was 2 1/4″ shy of the winner. Jusme advanced to the final after jumping 38′ 5 " in the trials.

The women's 4×400-meter relay team also competed, with senior Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) joining three Rhode Islanders to finish 10th, as Jules, sophomore Laurenmaria Smith (Providence, RI/Hope) and freshmen Lauren Cardarelli (Cranston, RI/La Salle Academy) and Didine Jusme (Providence, RI/Classical) posted a time of 3:56.94.

In addition to Mickey Jusme scoring six points, sophomore Erin Neville (North Providence, RI/La Salle Academy) earned six points during yesterday's high jump, as she placed third while garnering her second career All-America laurel.

Neville reached a height of 5′ 5 1/4″ while matching the placement she recorded in the event during the NCAA indoor meet as a freshman, ensuring the Lyons had at least one field athlete record an All-America finish for the 11th straight indoor national championship, including for the sixth consecutive year in the high jump. Freshman Lauren McGrath (Wading River, NY/Shoreham-Wading River) joined Neville in the 15-athlete field, as Wheaton was the lone team to have a pair of competitors in the event.

Two others Lyons competed on Friday, with freshman Cailean Robinson (Newton, MA/Phillips Exeter Academy) running to a school-record 6.39 during the men's 55-meter dash trials and classmate Mickey Jusme (Providence, RI/Classical) taking part in the women's long jump. Robinson, who eclipsed a mark he had set on February 27, qualified for the eight-runner final round by taking third in his seven-athlete field.

Jusme returns to action tomorrow during the second and final day of competition in the triple jump, which begins at 11:30 a.m. The 55M finals begin for Robinson at 3:25 p.m., while Wheaton's women's 4×400M relay quartet hits the track at 4:40 p.m.

Rose-Hulman Institute also hosted the national indoor meet in 2007, when the Lyon women finished ninth in the country. Three of the women's four events are in the field, with freshman Mickey Jusme (Providence, RI/Classical) qualifying in the long and triple jumps. Jusme enters the meet tied for fourth in the long and fifth in the triple, as her triple distance of 38′ 11 1/2″ was good for an automatic qualifying standard. In the long jump, Jusme posted a provisional mark of 18′ 5″.

Two Lyons are in the high jump field with provisional heights, as sophomore Erin Neville (North Providence, RI/La Salle Academy) and freshman Lauren McGrath (Wading River, NY/Shoreham-Wading River) stand fourth and tied for seventh, respectively. Clearing 5′ 6 1/2″, Neville picked up All-America honors as a freshman after finishing third in the nation. McGrath leapt to a height of 5′ 5 3/4″.

Wheaton also sends a 4×400-meter relay team, as the quartet looks to gain All-America form after just missing the accolade a year ago. Senior Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls), junior Renee Thompson (Hartford, CT/Weaver) and freshmen Lauren Cardarelli (Cranston, RI/La Salle Academy) and Didine Jusme (Providence, RI/Classical) enter the weekend with the ninth-fastest time of 3:57.25, which surpassed a provisional time.

Freshman Cailean Robinson (Newton, MA/Phillips Exeter Academy) represents the men in the 55-meter dash, as his school-record time of 6.41 seconds stands 10th nationally. His time met a provisional standard.

The Lyon women finished the two-day meet in seventh place with 34 points out of 51 scoring teams, which included a pair of NCAA Championship provisional qualifying standards, while the men tied for 19th place with 17 points among 50 squads. The men also recorded a provisional mark, while the teams combined for two event victories. Saint Lawrence won the men's title, and Springfield College topped the field on the women's side.

Sophomore Erin Neville (North Providence, RI/La Salle Academy) was victorious in the high jump with a provisional mark of 5′ 5 3/4″. Wheaton's 4×400M relay also earned a provisional standard, as senior Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls), junior Renee Thompson (Hartford, CT/Weaver), sophomore Laurenmaria Smith (Providence, RI/Hope) and freshman Didine Jusme (Providence, RI/Classical) placed third in 3:58.86.

Jusme landed an individual top-five time in the 55M hurdles, while freshman Tope Waheed (East Providence, RI/East Providence) was 10th in the weight throw. The Blue and White's 4×800M relay team, comprised of seniors Miriam Ledley (Needham, MA/Needham) and Lauren Reddy (Walnut Creek, CA/Carondelet), junior Katie Pratt (Litchfield, CT/Litchfield) and freshman Savannah Geasey (Portsmouth, RI/Portsmouth), also turned in a 10th-place finish.

For the men, sophomore Mark Williamson (Vienna, VA/James Madison) bested the field in the 400M dash while meeting a national meet provisional qualifying time of 49.61. Freshman Kyle Ricci (Warwick, RI/Bishop Hendricken) rounded out the top five placements by taking fifth in the 500M run.

Junior Mark Cimino (Danbury, CT/Danbury) was sixth in the 55M dash, while the men's 4×800M relay, consisting of sophomores Colin Fahey (Waltham, MA/Weston) and Nick Kacher (Waltham, MA/Waltham) and freshmen Jason Browne (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) and Dylan Treivush (Beverly Hills, CA/Harvard-Westlake School), came in ninth.

Traveling to next weekend's NCAA Championship at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology for the second time in three years, the Lyons begin the two-day meet on Friday. Wheaton will learn on Monday which of its athletes qualify for the national competition.