Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (18-9, 7-5) Makes Second NEWMAC Championship Game Appearance

The Wheaton College men's basketball team made its second appearance in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament championship game in four seasons last week, as the Lyons fell just short of automatically qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in its 16-year history. Posting a 2-1 mark in the tournament, number-three seed Wheaton edged number-six seed Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 61-56 on Tuesday in Emerson Gymnasium and then cruised past number-two seed Springfield College, 90-78 in Friday's semifinal at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). On Saturday, the Lyons suffered a 64-60 setback to top seed WPI in the championship game at Harrington Auditorium. Reaching the third-highest win total in school history with an 18-9 record, Wheaton hopes to receive its third straight Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament bid later today.

Against MIT, the Lyons opened a 9-4 lead on the strength of seven points from senior tri-captain Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy). The Engineers responded with a 10-4 spurt to hold their only lead of the stanza at 14-13 with 11:10 remaining. With the score tied at 20-20, the hosts went on a 7-0 run to take a 27-20 advantage with less than four minutes to play. MIT outscored Wheaton, 10-6 the rest of the way to trail 33-30 at the break. In the second half, the Lyons captured their biggest advantage of the game at 53-44 on two free throws from senior tri-captain Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) with 7:06 to go. The visitors then used a 10-2 run over a four-minute span to narrow their gap to a single point with 2:56 on the clock. Vega and senior tri-captain Mark Ledwell (Charlemont, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional) converted back-to-back baskets for a 59-54 edge with under two minutes to go and junior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) sank two free throws with 11 ticks left to clinch the win. Vega finished with a game-best 22 points and became the third player in school history to surpass the 1,500-point milestone, while Stanton posted a double-double with 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Kelly added nine points and a game-high four steals.

Versus Springfield, Stanton scored a team-high 24 points on an astounding 9-of-10 from the floor and a perfect 6-of-6 from three-point range, as the senior forward exploded for 19 points in the second half alone. Other than a 2-0 Springfield edge to start the game, Wheaton held the lead through the game's entirety. Leading 8-7 with 16:03 remaining, the Lyons outscored the Pride, 11-4 over the next 4:31 to take a 19-11 advantage. Springfield cut its deficit to six, but Wheaton used a 10-2 run to capture its biggest lead of the half at 29-15 with just over seven minutes remaining. The Pride responded with a 10-3 spurt that brought the score to 32-25, which turned out to be the same point differential at the half. In the second half, Springfield got as close as six at 50-44 with 17:12 remaining, but Ledwell and Vega helped key a quick 7-0 run to push Wheaton's margin back to double figures. The Pride stayed within striking distance and trailed 57-50 with 14:30 to play, but from that point forward Stanton took the game into his own hands. Stanton erupted for 14 of the team's next 19 points, including scorching the net for four straight three-point buckets, for a 76-62 cushion with 7:40 on the clock. The Lyons balanced their scoring with a total of five players recording double-figure totals. Sophomore Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) finished with 14 points, while Kelly and Vega chipped in with 13 points each. Kelly dished out a game-high seven assists and Vega posted a game-high tying four steals.

At WPI, the two teams played nip-and-tuck for the first seven minutes, as the hosts held an 11-9 edge with 12:33 remaining. The Engineers then used a 10-2 run over the next five minutes to create some separation. WPI maintained a comfortable advantage and led 25-16 with 5:36 on the clock, but Wheaton battled back and outscored the Engineers, 15-6 the rest of the way to knot the game at 31 apiece at the intermission. Vega scored 10 of the Lyons' points during that spurt. Similar to the first half, WPI jumped out to an eight-point advantage at 51-43 midway through the second stanza. Wheaton then went on a 9-1 run to tie the contest at 52, as Zukowski knocked down one of this four three-pointers. Knotted at 57 apiece with three minutes to play, the Lyons had the opportunity to take their first lead since the early going of the opening half. After grabbing a defensive rebound off a WPI miss, Wheaton misfired on a three-point attempt with 2:31 remaining. The Engineers took advantage by hitting two straight treys, with the latter turning out to be a four-point play after the foul. Vega finished with a team-high 15 points, while Zukowski added 14 points and seven rebounds. Senior Mark Ledwell (Charlemont, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional) accounted for seven points and a game-best nine boards.

Vega Posts NEWMAC Player-of-the Week Accolades in Final Week of Regular Season

Vega posted NEWMAC Co-Player-of-the-Week accolades for the week ending on Sunday, February 21. Vega led Wheaton to a 1-1 mark, averaging 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 8-of-14 (.517) from three-point range and 7-of-8 (.875) from the free throw line. The Lyons suffered a hard-fought 78-75 overtime loss at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut before responding with a 76-67 victory over Babson in the regular season finale played in Babson Park. At Coast Guard, the senior guard accounted for 24 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Against Babson, Vega dropped in 19 points, going 6-of-12 (.500) from the field and 4-of-6 (.667) from behind the three-point arc, and pulled down five rebounds.

Women's Basketball (11-15, 6-7) Falls to Springfield in NEWMAC Tourney First Round

The sixth-seeded Wheaton College women's basketball team had its season come to a close last Tuesday night, as the Lyons fell to number-three seed and eventual conference champion Springfield College, 69-52 in NEWMAC Tournament first round action at Blake Arena. Wheaton finishes the season with an overall record of 11-15.

Springfield didn't waste anytime offensively, as the Pride knocked down a pair of three-pointers in the first minute of play. Wheaton brought the score back to 6-5, but the hosts then went on a 9-0 run to lead 15-5 with 15:28 remaining. Springfield led by as many as 14 points on two occasions, including a 29-15 cushion with over six minutes to play. The Lyons outscored the Pride, 11-5 the rest of the way to stay within striking distance at halftime. In the second half, baskets by senior Mary Flaherty (Mattapoisett, MA/Old Rochester) and sophomore Samara Audet (Derry, NH/Trinity) narrowed Wheaton's deficit to four points, as the Lyons held the Pride scoreless for the first four minutes of the stanza. Springfield bumped its lead out to nine points twice, but the visitors again chipped away and trailed 42-38 midway through the half. The Pride responded with eight unanswered points to take a double-digit advantage that was not relinquished. Freshman Courtney Riley (Quincy, MA/Fontbonne Academy) registered her sixth double-double of the season with 13 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high tying six blocks. Flaherty accounted for 11 points, while sophomore Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton) rounded out the double-figure scoring with 10 points, nine boards, a career-high tying six steals and four assists. Senior Vanessa Savas (Belmont, MA/Belmont) added a season-best 12 boards.

Men's Swimming (8-4) Captures Best Finish Ever at a NEWMAC Championship Meet

The Wheaton College men's swimming and diving team posted its best finish ever at a NEWMAC Championship for the second successive season, as the Lyons placed fourth among the seven competing teams at MIT's Zesiger Pool last weekend. Wheaton totaled 397 points and shattered 14 school records during the three-day meet. Under second-year head coach J.P. Gowdy, the Lyons have moved up two places in as many seasons over the seven-year history of the meet.

Sophomore captain Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) highlighted Friday's competition with a NCAA Division III national meet provisional qualifying standard in the 50-yard freestyle event, successfully defending his title with the nation's fourth-fastest time of 20.80. Earning NEWMAC All-Conference honors with the victory, Roberts not only broke a Wheaton record but also shattered the NEWMAC Championship mark, NEWMAC open record and Zesiger Pool top time. Roberts, who became Wheaton's first male swimmer to attend a NCAA Championship last season, should have little difficulty advancing to this year's meet.

Roberts also anchored a pair of record-breaking relay races Friday, as the Lyons placed third in the 400-yard medley and fourth in the 200-yard freestyle. Smashing the Wheaton mark by nearly nine seconds in 3:31.27, the school's medley consisted of senior captain Chris Klinkow (Hollis, NH/Hollis-Brookline), sophomore Matt Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) and freshman Matt Jordan (Ellsworth, ME/Ellsworth). The same four also sided for a 1:26.87 finish in the 200-yard freestyle. Hurley rounded out an impressive first day with a school-best and sixth-place mark of 1:59.02 in the 200-yard individual medley.

The Lyons continued their torrid stretch on Saturday, as five more school records were broken. Klinkow, Roberts, Hurley and Jordan once again set a new Wheaton best in the 200-yard medley relay with a third-place time of 1:36.30. Freshman Joe Fowler (Farmington, ME/Mount Blue) shed almost six seconds off the old 400-yard individual medley mark, while Roberts bested his old record in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:45.42. Hurley shattered a six-year record in the 100-yard breaststroke with a fourth-place time of 1:00.10, while Jordan set a new mark in the 100-yard backstroke with a national meet provisional qualifying time of 52.62 in the preliminaries.

Wheaton capped off its final day in strong fashion Sunday, as the Lyons saw an additional five school marks fall. Fowler and Jordan captured Wheaton's fastest times in the 1,650-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke events, respectively, while Roberts notched a national meet provisional qualifying mark in the 100-yard freestyle in 46.49. Breaking his own record, Roberts earned his second NEWMAC All-Conference recognition of the meet after finishing second in the event. Rounding out the record holders included Hurley in the 200-yard breaststroke at 2:11.80, Klinkow in the 200-yard butterfly in 2:00.29 and the 400-yard freestyle relay comprised of Klinkow, Roberts, Hurley and Jordan in 3:12.67. On the platform, senior Aaron Fix (Minneapolis, MN/St. Paul Academy) advanced to the three-meter dive finals and took eighth overall with 311.55 points.

Men's and Women's Track and Field Boasts Several NCAA Qualifying Standards and One Event Winner at All New England Championship

Sophomore Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) captured the women's high jump title at last weekend's All New England Championship hosted by Boston University, as the All-America jumper topped the competition from NCAA Divisions I, II and II and in the process helped lead the Wheaton College women's indoor track and field team to 16th place with 15.5 points. The men tied for 31st overall with a total of four points.

Harlow cleared a national meet provisional qualifying height of 5' 5 3/4" at BU's Track and Tennis Center. Senior captain Kathrine Wallace (Glenmoore, PA/The Hill School) placed in a tie for fourth in the event at 5' 3". Wallace also anchored Wheaton's provisional qualifying 4x400-meter relay team, joining senior captain Jessica Allegra (East Hampton, CT/East Hampton) and freshmen Chelsea Nader (Ardmore, PA/Lower Menan) and Julie McLane (New Canaan, CT/New Canaan) for an eighth-place time of 3:55.89.

The Lyons put another relay in position to qualify for the upcoming national championship in mid-March, as Wheaton's distance medley team placed eighth overall with a provisional qualifying time of 12:16.67. On that squad was Allegra, senior Lindsay Whalen (Dedham, MA/Dedham), junior captain Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional) and first-year Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro). Brousseau also raised her position on the NCAA women's indoor performance list in the mile, finishing 11th overall with a provisional qualifying time of 5:03.65.

For the men, junior captain Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover) improved his standing on the NCAA men's indoor performance list in the open 400-meter dash. Sisodia advanced to the finals, where he placed fifth overall with a season-best time of 48.72. Senior captain Jamaal Rawls-Payton (Stoughton, MA/Stoughton) competed in the 55-meter hurdles event and advanced to the semifinals, taking 15th with a time of 8.15.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/30/07.
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