Wheaton News

Baseball: Wheaton captured its 14th New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament Championship after defeating Babson College in a best-of-three series. The Lyons then earned the top seed in the NCAA New England Regional, which marked the program’s 13th postseason appearance. Eric Dumas ’16 was named the NEWMAC Pitcher of the Year, after concluding the regular season with an NCAA-leading 13 saves, while head coach Eric Podbelski was named the D3baseball.com New England Region Coach of the Year.

Men’s basketball: William Battaglia ’16 concluded his stellar four-year career by becoming the program’s seventh all-time leading scorer, after netting 1,281 points in 91 games. Benjamin Christopher ’17 and Alexander Sugarman ’17 were recognized by the NEWMAC for their work in the classroom, earning Academic All-Conference accolades.

Women’s basketball: Kiley Shoemaker ’16 ended her career with a NEWMAC All-Conference First Team honor, as well as a spot on the New England Women’s Basketball Association (NEWBA) All-Region Second Team. During her four years with the Lyons, Shoemaker erased a 28-year rebounding record, tallying 943 rebounds in 105 games. She is the Lyons’ all-time leader in free-throw percentage (.847) and blocks (284), while also being one of a handful of players to join the 1,000+ point club. Rebecca Arnone ’16 concluded her career second in free-throw percentage (.811), third in three-point field goals made (163) and 10th in assists (256), while being named to the NEWMAC All-Conference Second Team.

Men’s cross country: Joshua Alabre ’18 highlighted the Blue and White’s performance at the NCAA Division III New England Regional Championships, finishing the eight-kilometer race in a personal best time of 27:55.7.

Women’s cross country: The Lyons concluded the NCAA Division III New England Regional Championships with a 17th-place finish out of 56 teams, with Georgia Crane ’16 leading the way. The senior finished the race with her best regional time of 22:33.2. Jordan Silva ’16 also turned in her best regional performance, ending the six-kilometer race in 23:29.9. Prior to regionals, the Lyons finished the NEWMAC Championships in fifth place, with Crane earning All-Conference honors for her 12th-place finish.

Field hockey: Amelia Gage ’17 was honored for her play this season with a spot on both the NEWMAC All-Conference and National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-Region Second Team. The program was also recognized for team members’ work in the classroom, picking up an NFHCA National Academic Team Award. The National Academic Team Award recognizes teams that achieve a grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the field hockey season.

Men’s lacrosse: Ryan Clair ’16 concluded his four-year career with a spot on the NEWMAC All-Conference First Team. Clair helped the Lyons reach the conference tournament under first-year head coach Kyle Hart, who led the Blue and White to a 7–9 overall record. Wheaton opened Hart’s tenure with a 7–6 road win over the University of New England, before coming home to win five consecutive games at Diane C. Nordin ’80 Athletic Field.

Women’s lacrosse: The Lyons, who ended the year with a 9–9 overall record, made their sixth consecutive trip to the NEWMAC semifinals. Brooke Sabol ’16 wrapped up her career with her second consecutive Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Berkshire All-Region First Team accolade, while also earning a spot on the NEWMAC All-Conference First Team. Sabol was joined on the All-Conference list by Maria Cambi ’16 (First Team) and Jenna Tewksbury ’16 (Second Team).

Men’s soccer: The Lyons made the NEWMAC Tournament for the 18th consecutive season, earning the second seed in the five-team tournament. For their work on the field, Wheaton had a quartet of players
earn all-conference honors, with Noah Kossoff ’16, Kevin Gil ’16 and Kevin Davis ’17 earning First Team recognition. Sophomore Amara Sesay ’18 was named to the Second Team. Davis was also honored as the 2016 Chad Yowell Athlete of the Year.

Women’s soccer: Julia Cipriano ’16 concluded her four-year career with a number of individual accolades, including a National Soccer Coaches of America Association All-American honor. She is the 17th player in 19 seasons to earn an All-American distinction. Cipriano was also named the NEWMAC Player of the Year, while earning a spot on the conference First Team, as well as the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) Division III All-New England Team. Cipriano ends her career ranked second all time in games played, eighth in assists and 10th in both goals scored and points. Julie Beyar ’16 was named to the NEWMAC and NEWISA Second Team, while Brooke Collard ’17 also earned All-Conference honors.

Men’s swimming and diving: The Lyons were one of two teams to be honored with the NEWMAC Sportsmanship Award for their character on the pool deck this season. The team posted its best conference championship finish since the 2010–11 campaign, breaking eight program records over the four-day event, including seven individual marks by Jonathan Dunnett ’18. Michael “Mike” Gibson ’16 concluded his career with NEWMAC Academic All-Conference honors.

Women’s swimming and diving: Finishing the NEWMAC Championships in fifth place, the Lyons shattered 10 program records along the way. Jenna Hayden ’18 registered a pair of NCAA B-Cut times in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard freestyle, while setting eight new team records. Rebecca Idman ’16, Jessica Ryabin ’17 and Lucy Frey ’18 each earned NEWMAC Academic All-Conference honors.

Synchronized swimming: Wheaton concluded the U.S. Collegiate National Championships sixth overall, tallying 53.0 points, which marked the 28th consecutive time the Lyons have earned a top-10 finish at nationals. Emma Willing ’17 earned an All-American award at the conclusion of the meet, while Margy Mackin ’19, Gabrielle “Gaby” Eustache ’19 and Andreina Rojas ’18 each earned a Division III All-Collegiate Award.

Softball: After concluding the season with a 23–14 overall record, Emma Hart ’16 and Caroline Fairbanks ’17 were each selected to the 2016 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III All-Region list. The duo, along with teammate Kelly Welch ’16, were also honored with NEWMAC All-Conference accolades.

Track and field: Cathryn MacGregor ’19 was tabbed the NEWMAC Rookie of the Year after guiding the Lyons outdoor track and field team to a fourth-place performance at the conference championships. MacGregor won the javelin, earning a First Team All-Conference honor with a toss of 37.01m. Wheaton’s 4×100 meter relay and 4×400 meter relay teams each earned All-Conference honors with first- and second-place finishes, respectively, while Emily Gustavson ’17 earned a pair of first-place finishes in the 200-meter and 400-meter. Francesca Flynn ’16 placed first in the 100-meter, earning First-Team All-Conference honors. Flynn, Gustavson, Georgia Crane and the 4×100 relay team (Kalah Thomas ’17, Gustavson, Kelly Ludew ’17 and Flynn) all qualified for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Gustavson also went to nationals in the 400-meter dash during the indoor season. Samuel Miklovich ’16 and Brendan Sullivan ’17 paced the men’s team this season, both earning spots at the New England Division III Championships.

Volleyball: Deirdre Wilson ’16 ended the season with her second consecutive NEWMAC All-Conference Second Team honor. Wilson concluded her four-year career sixth all time in program history in assists with 1,785 and eighth in kills with 829.