Athletics > Weekly Lyon > April 28, 2008
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Baseball (31-7, 9-3) Sweeps to Fourth Straight NEWMAC Title, Earns Eighth NCAA Bid
The Wheaton College baseball team, ranked 12th in the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) poll, won its fourth straight New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament and ninth in the league's 10-year history by sweeping four contests last week to extend its conference tournament winning streak to 13 games. The second-seeded Lyons downed visiting fifth seed Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 10-3 on Wednesday before knocking off number-three Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 13-2 on Thursday at home. Wheaton again defeated MIT, 7-1 in a Saturday semifinal played at Babson College before picking up a 4-1 win over third-seeded Springfield College during the championship game on Sunday in Norton. The Lyons automatically qualified for their fourth straight NCAA Tournament and their eighth in the last nine seasons.
Wheaton broke a tie against WPI with seven runs in the fifth inning before finishing with 22 hits, its most ever in a postseason game. Sophomore Paul Malaguti (Andover, MA/Andover) was 4-for-6 with two runs, two RBI and a home run, while senior Ken Depasse (Holden, MA/Saint John's) finished 3-for-3 with two RBI and his first collegiate homer. Junior Robert Foote (Walpole, MA/Walpole) went 3-for-5 with two RBI, freshman Eric Laliberte (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) was 3-for-4 with two runs, while seniors Scott Guillerault (South Portland, ME/South Portland) and Jake Yagjian (Brewster, MA/Nauset Regional) added three hits apiece. Junior Nick Pecora (Highland Park, NJ/Immaculata) plated the winning run on a two-run double. Senior Chris McDonough (Weymouth, MA/Weymouth) earned the win after yielding two runs on eight hits in six innings, fanning three.
During the Lyons' first encounter with MIT, Wheaton scored the final 12 runs after falling behind 2-1. Guillerault went 2-for-3 with three runs and three RBI, while Foote, Pecora and sophomore Jeff Lieneck (Foxboro, MA/Xaverian Brothers) contributed two hits and two RBI apiece, as Lieneck doubled twice. Depasse went 2-for-3 with two runs, Malaguti scored twice and freshman Sean Munley (Trenton, NJ/The Hun School of Princeton) drove in two runs. Junior Adam Gingras (Woonsocket, RI/Woonsocket) went eight innings for the victory, yielding two runs on six hits with six strikeouts.
In Wheaton's second contest against MIT, junior Brian Hughes (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) allowed one run on one hit through seven innings, and the Lyons plated four runs in the eighth to break open a 3-1 game. Hughes also struck out two before classmate Josh Simmons (Cranston, RI/Cranston West) got the final four outs for the save. Malaguti was 2-for-4 with two runs, Pecora added two hits and Munley drove in a pair. Guillerault and Yagjian both walked three times.
Against Springfield, the Blue and White received 7.2 strong innings from sophomore Nick Kostaras (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro), who allowed one unearned run on three hits with a career-high seven strikeouts, and the hosts grabbed a 3-0 lead after two innings before holding on. Simmons fanned two during a no-hit ninth to record another save. Malaguti finished 3-for-4 with two RBI, Guillerault was 2-for-2, Laliberte went 2-for-3 with two runs and Munley drove in a pair.
Thanks in large part to Gingras and McDonough, who have each tied a program record with two shutouts this season, Wheaton has notched a school-record seven shutouts in 2008. McDonough is just the second Lyon to record a pair of two-shutout campaigns, having also done so last year, while Simmons is tied for third at Wheaton with 10 saves this spring. The Lyons have a program-record 29 sacrifice flies. Guillerault has 16 doubles, two short of the program record, while Munley's 40 RBI are two shy of Wheaton's freshman mark. Lieneck has tied the standard by being hit 13 times by a pitch.
Guillerault is among the top five in many career categories at Wheaton, ranking first in games played (179), walks (124) and hit-by-pitch (35), second in home runs (25), tied for second in sacrifice flies (12), and third in RBI (167), doubles (53) and runs (150). Yagjian is tied for second in sacrifice flies (12), is fourth in bases on balls (78) and times hit by a pitch (25), and ranks fifth in games (166) and hits (202). McDonough is first in strikeouts (224) and complete games (11), tied for second in shutouts (4), and third in wins (21) and innings (248). Simmons is second in saves (18) and third in pitching appearances (57), while senior Keith Pescosolido (Newton, MA/Newton North) is fifth in games (54).
Men's Lacrosse (7-8, 5-2) Extends Winning Streak to Four, Clinches Pilgrim's Second Seed
The Wheaton College men's lacrosse team completed its regular season slate riding a four-game win streak, capturing a pair of victories last week while nailing down the second seed in the upcoming Pilgrim League Tournament by virtue of action from around the conference. The Lyons defeated visiting Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 14-6 on Wednesday before downing Babson College, 11-7 on Saturday in Mirrione Stadium to finish the regular season tied for second in the Pilgrim, its best league showing in 10 years. As the second seed in the four-team conference tournament, Wheaton will again host Babson, the number-three seed, on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. for its first home Pilgrim League Tournament contest since 1998. A win would propel the Lyons to their first final since 1996.
Against MIT, Wheaton led 5-0 after one quarter, scoring all five goals during a 5:54 span late in the period, and 9-1 by halftime before the teams split 10 second-half markers. Freshman Duncan Smith (Centerport, NY/Harborfields) scored a season-high four goals, while classmate Chris Landers (Manchester, MA/Proctor Academy) tallied three goals and three assists. First-year Ben Cederberg (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) added two markers and a pair of helpers, while sophomore Warren Garceau (Guilford, CT/Canterbury School) had two goals and an assist. Freshman Bobby Barry (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) scored twice, sophomore Drew Schaffer (New Haven, CT/Loomis Chaffee School) added a goal and two helpers, and senior Richie Rasamny (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) had two assists. Sophomore Schuyler Horn (New Hartford, CT/Kingswood-Oxford School) made 14 saves.
Wheaton yielded the game's first three goals to Babson during a 6:19 span before outscoring the Beavers, 11-4 during the remainder of action. The Lyons still trailed by two before a 5-0 run brought them from behind and put the hosts in front for good. Landers recorded a hat trick and two assists, Cederberg notched two goals and a pair of helpers, and Smith scored twice. Junior Jeff Gomer (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) went 8-for-10 on face-offs, while Horn recorded 10 saves.
Rasamny is tied for 10th in program history with 110 career points. In addition to 58 goals, Rasamny is fifth in assists (52), as he is the fourth Lyon with 50 goals and assists. Having appeared in 59 contests, Rasamny has matched the school mark for games played. With 26 goals, Landers has recorded the most by a Wheaton freshman since 1996, which was the last time three Lyon first-years notched a dozen goals apiece. Landers, Cederberg (18) and Smith (12) have each reached the plateau this spring.
Women's Lacrosse (7-9, 3-3) Drops Non-League Affair, Draws NEWMAC's Fourth Seed
The Wheaton College women's lacrosse team lost its only contest last week, an 18-7 decision against visiting non-conference foe Wesleyan University. By virtue of NEWMAC results from the weekend, the Lyons drew the number-four seed in the league tournament. Wheaton hosts fifth-seeded Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the first round on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., marking the ninth consecutive year the Blue and White will host a postseason contest. The tournament semifinals and championship game will be held on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, at Babson College.
Against Wesleyan, the Lyons yielded the first five goals and trailed 8-1 with 10:24 remaining in the opening half. Senior Sara Dimick (Cumberland, ME/Greely) led the way with three goals, while junior Caitlin Grant (Walpole, MA/Walpole) scored twice. Freshman Annalisa Carson (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) made six saves.
Senior Meredith Hurd (Bath, ME/Hyde School) is fourth in program history in career goals (146) and fifth in points (165).
Softball (29-14, 12-4) Falls in NEWMAC Semifinals During Loudenburg's Final Game
The second-seeded Wheaton College softball team won its NEWMAC Tournament first-round game against visiting number-six Smith College, 9-1 in six innings on Wednesday before falling twice over the weekend to be eliminated during 19th-year head coach Gina Loudenburg's final games at the helm of the program. The Lyons fell at top-seeded Wellesley College, 4-0 on Saturday before dropping a 2-1 decision on Sunday to number-three Springfield College, the eventual tournament champion. The semifinal appearance was Wheaton's first since 2005 and 17th during Loudenburg's tenure.
Against Smith, the Lyons strung together six runs on eight hits during a nine-batter span in the second to break a 0-0 tie. Eight of Wheaton's nine starters either scored or drove in a run, with freshman Nicole DeRosa (Greenwich, CT/Greenwich Academy) finishing 2-for-3 with three RBI and two doubles. Classmate Kristen Hunt (Milford, CT/Jonathan Law) was 3-for-3 with two runs and three steals, while senior Alix Brozman (Chappaqua, NY/Horace Greeley) had two RBI. Classmate Jodi Moynagh (Worcester, MA/Holy Name Central Catholic) yielded one unearned run with six strikeouts.
With Wheaton playing the home team at Wellesley, which is ranked 22nd by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), Moynagh held the Blue to only an unearned run in the fifth inning before Wellesley put the game out of reach in the seventh. Senior Audrey Poulton (Charlestown, RI/Chariho Regional) posted both of the Lyons' hits, while Moynagh had six strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
As the visiting team, Wheaton knotted its contest with Springfield in the fifth inning before the Pride tallied the winning run in the bottom half. Poulton and senior Erika Marini (Pawtucket, RI/Saint Raphael Academy) each went 2-for-4, while sophomore Andrea Bagley (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) suffered the loss after two innings of one-run, three-hit ball. Moynagh yielded one run over four frames.
The Lyons hit 17 triples this season, falling two shy of the program history, and their 26 home runs were fifth in school annals. Wheaton's pitching staff had a school-mark eight saves, thanks in part to Poulton's program-record four this year. Moynagh became the third Lyon pitcher to post three 100-strikeout seasons. She is fifth at Wheaton in single-season strikeouts (172) and 10th in wins (17) and shutouts (6). At bat, Poulton tied for third in sacrifice bunts (13) and tied for 10th in doubles (13), notching the program's most since 2003. DeRosa and Marini tied for fourth in triples (4), while DeRosa tied for 10th in home runs (7) to finish one shy of the program's freshman record, set in 1997. The Class of 2011 had the highest long ball total for any freshman class in program history with 14.
Brozman ended up eighth in program history in career sacrifice hits (25), Benton is ninth in home runs (11) and Marini is tied for 10th in long balls (9). Marini finished third in career assists (276), tied for eighth in sacrifice flies (6), tied for ninth in times hit by a pitch (5) and placed 10th in doubles (30). Moynagh is tied for second in saves (3), third in each wins (52), strikeouts (504), pitching appearances (95), innings pitched (530.2) and complete games (51) and fourth in shutouts (14). Poulton is first in saves (7), fourth in strikeouts (176), fifth in appearances (68) and tied for eighth in wins (22), while Bagley is seventh in strikeouts (118) and 10th in wins (19).
Men's Tennis (9-7, 2-3) Splits Pair of NEWMAC Tournament Matches, Falls in Semifinals
The Wheaton College men's tennis team, ranked 18th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) Northeast poll, went 1-1 in the NEWMAC Tournament last week, advancing to the semifinal round for the ninth time in the league's 10-year history and for the sixth consecutive season. The fourth-seeded Lyons downed visiting number-five United States Coast Guard Academy, 5-3 on Thursday during the first round before falling to top-seeded Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 5-0 on Saturday in a semifinal match played at Coast Guard. MIT eventually won its 10th straight league title.
Against Coast Guard, sophomore James Little's (Mount Desert, ME/Mount Desert Island) three-set singles win clinched his team's triumph. Wheaton held a 2-1 lead after doubles, as the tandems of sophomore Kyle Hudgins (Uxbridge, MA/Uxbridge)/freshman Brian Krantz (Milford, CT/Joseph A. Foran) and first-years Harry Altman (Riverdale, NY/The Dwight School)/Cullen Garrity (Middletown, MD/Saint James School) both notched victories. During singles, the teams split the first four matches, and the Lyons held a narrow 4-3 edge with Little still in action in the second position, as his eventual 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 victory gave Wheaton the win. Altman and Krantz each won in straight sets.
Wheaton was blanked by MIT, which is 13th in the ITA's latest regional poll. The Lyon doubles tandems of Little/freshman Gregory Poulin (Boxboro, MA/Home Schooled) and Altman/Garrity had their team's closest decisions, both falling 8-4. In singles, Poulin only lost his opening set by a 7-6 count.
Women's Track and Field Wins 10th Title in 11 Years, Men Place Fifth at NEWMACs
The Wheaton College men's and women's track and field teams competed at the NEWMAC Championship on Saturday, as the women corralled their 10th league title in 11 years, finishing with 205 points to edge second-place Springfield College's 203-point total. The Lyon men placed fifth. In the NEWMAC's 10-year history, the Blue and White women have won nine championships while taking 11 crowns in the program's 15 years of competing at a conference meet. Wheaton's squads combined for all-conference placement in 19 events, requiring a top-two finish, led by the women's 13 honors.
Juniors Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) and Morgan Jamiel (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate) and sophomore Renee Thompson (Hartford, CT/Weaver) led the way with three all-league accolades each for the women. Ezeigwe won both the 100- and 200-meter dashes, provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championship during the 100M trials. She also pushed the 4x100M relay quartet to victory, joining Jamiel, Thompson and freshman Laurenmaria Smith (Providence, RI/Hope). Thompson won the 400M while running for the 4x400M relay team, which finished in a NEWMAC meet-record 3:56.81. Thompson joined juniors Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School) and Christine Moreau (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) and sophomore Kelly Libert (New Haven, CT/James Hillhouse). Jamiel was the runner up in the 100M hurdles and javelin. Three additional Lyons corralled victories, as senior Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) won the 1,500M, junior Amanda Rawson (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) topped the 5,000M, and freshman Erin Neville (North Providence, RI/La Salle Academy) had the top high jump height and provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championship. Placing second were junior Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) in the 400M, sophomore Katie Pratt (Litchfield, CT/Litchfield) in the 3,000M steeplechase and freshman Diana Kornberg (Highland Mills, NY/Monroe-Woodbury) in the shot put.
On the men's side, junior Albi Skenderi (Glendale, NY/Grover Cleveland), sophomore Merzudin Ibric (Revere, MA/Phillips Academy) and freshman Mark Williamson (Vienna, VA/James Madison) each drew three all-conference accolades. Two NEWMAC Championship records fell, with Williamson playing a hand in both. Williamson provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championship in the 400-meter dash at 48.48 while eclipsing the league meet mark. During the 4x100M relay, Williamson's quartet turned in a 42.45 showing, as he was joined by Ibric, sophomore Mark Cimino (Danbury, CT/Danbury) and freshman Raiyan Banaji (Bombay, India/American School of Bombay). Ibric won the 200M and ran a leg for the second-place 4x400M relay team, joining Skenderi, Williamson and junior Jonathan Cunha (Lexington, MA/Lexington). Skenderi capped his day by winning the 110M hurdles and turning in a runner-up showing in the 400M hurdles race.
This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 4/28/08.
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