Athletics > Weekly Lyon > 2004--05 > March 28, 2005
For Prospective Student-Athletes
Weekly Lyon
Baseball (6-3, 1-1) Splits Doubleheader with Babson in NEWMAC Opener
The Wheaton College baseball team split a pair of games with visiting Babson College in Saturday afternoon's New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener at Sidell Stadium. The Lyons dropped a tough 1-0 eight-inning decision in the first contest and then posted a convincing 8-1 victory in game two to salvage the split. Originally scheduled to be played at Babson, the games were moved to Wheaton due to unplayable field conditions in Babson Park.
Senior hurler Matt Ponte (Fairhaven, MA/Fairhaven) tossed seven innings of scoreless baseball with eight strikeouts in game one, but in the eighth Babson managed to plate the game's only run. Both teams had their fair share of scoring opportunities over the course of the game, but Ponte and his counterpart were able to get out of those situations unscathed. Babson's best chance came in the bottom half of the fifth with a bases-loaded opportunity and only one out, but Ponte induced an inning-ending double play to thwart the threat. In the top half of the sixth, the Lyons had runners on second and third with one out, but Babson retired the next two batters on strikes to keep Wheaton off the scoreboard.
In game two, the Lyons fell behind a run in the first inning, as the Beavers capitalized on a Wheaton throwing error. The Lyons rallied back in the third thanks in part to a two-run single from senior Keith Cooper (Swampscott, MA/The Pingree School). Wheaton tacked on four runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to close out the scoring. Senior Jon Jackson (Ipswich, MA/Hamilton-Wenham) earned his third win of the season, allowing two hits with five strikeouts and three walks in six innings. Wheaton posted 11 hits in the victory, led by Cooper's 3-for-4 performance with two RBI and two runs scored. Senior Rob Cipolla (South Windsor, CT/Kingswood-Oxford) went 2-for-3 with a RBI and run scored, while junior Andy Koocher (Portland, ME/Portland) was 2-for-4 with a RBI. Junior Mark Baumer (Durham, ME/Greely) went 1-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored.
Cipolla and Ponte Collect NEWMAC Co-Player and Co-Pitcher of the Week
Cipolla and Ponte swept last week's conference awards, capturing NEWMAC Co-Player and Co-Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for the week ending on Sunday, March 20.
Cipolla batted 12-for-22 (.545) with 10 runs scored, seven RBI, six walks and a pair of doubles in seven games. He posted multiple hits in five of those contests, including a 2-for-2 performance with three runs scored, two walks and a RBI in the Lyons' 19-6 victory over 23rd-ranked Heidelberg College. Cipolla's top offensive showing came against Montclair State University, as he went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs scored, a homer and a double to lead Wheaton to an 18-5 win over the Red Hawks.
Ponte pitched an impressive 17 innings in his first two appearances of the season, leading the Lyons to a 1-1 mark against a pair of highly-touted programs. He fanned 12 batters with two walks while allowing four earned runs for a 2.12 earned run average. Ponte struck out seven with no walks in Wheaton's 7-3 victory over The College of New Jersey and later fired a complete-game six hitter in a tough 4-3 defeat to 13th-ranked Salisbury University.
Men's Lacrosse (1-3, 0-1) Earns First Win, Splits with Roger Williams and WNEC
The Wheaton College men's lacrosse team gave interim head coach Steve Batchelor his first victory of the season last Tuesday night, as the Lyons edged the Hawks from Roger Williams University, 7-6 in a non-conference game held at Mansfield High School. Wheaton then opened Pilgrim League play with a 13-3 setback at Western New England College on Saturday afternoon in Springfield.
Against Roger Williams, the Lyons jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first five minutes of play, as senior captain Trevor Ogden (New Canaan, CT/The Gunnery School), junior captain Taylor Jackson (Middlesex, VT/Union 32) and freshman Sean Agoliati (Poughkeepsie, NY/Loomis-Chaffee School) each posted a goal in the opening period. The Lyons eventually took a 7-3 lead with under 11 minutes remaining in regulation, but the Hawks rallied with three unanswered goals to make things interesting. Roger Williams scored its final two tallies within 47 seconds of each other to trail 7-6, but with only one minute to play Wheaton was able to gain possession and run out the clock. Sophomore Andrew Rohan (South Hadley, MA/Avon Old Farms) led the way with two goals and one assist. Jackson finished the game with a pair of goals, while junior Adam Cohen (Montpelier, VT/Montpelier) added a goal and one assist. Sophomore goalie Nick Jones (Hamden, CT/Hamden) was credited with 22 saves.
At Western New England, sophomore Trey Helms (Cockeysville, MD/St. Paul's School) gave Wheaton an early 1-0 lead at the 11:11 mark of the opening period. The host responded with a pair of goals for a 2-1 edge at the end of one and then outscored the Lyons, 5-0 in the second to hold a 7-1 advantage at the break. Wheaton was held scoreless for nearly 28 minutes from the first through third quarters, as Western New England held a 6-2 goal margin in the second half. Junior captain Ellis Reavey (Longmeadow, MA/Longmeadow) accumulated two goals, while Jones posted 20 saves.
Women's Lacrosse (4-0, 1-0) Remains Unbeaten with Win over Smith in League Opener
The 11th-ranked Wheaton College women's lacrosse team cruised to a 24-4 victory in Saturday's NEWMAC opener at Keefe Field.
Wheaton and Smith exchanged the game's first two goals, with junior Molly Cronin (Brownsville, VT/Woodstock Union) giving the Lyons a 1-0 edge early. The Pioneers were unable to fend off the Lyons' potent attack, as Wheaton tallied seven straight goals for an 11-2 advantage at the half. In the second stanza, the hosts exploded for nine straight goals to lead 20-2. Nine different players figured in the scoring, including a third straight eight-goal performance from senior All-America Vanessa Pisano (Vineyard Haven, MA/Martha's Vineyard). Pisano also added two assists, while junior Julia Coit (South Portland, ME/South Portland) came back from injury to register five goals in her first action of the season. Freshman Meredith Hurd (Bath, ME/Hyde School) had a trio of scores, while first-year Sara Dimick (Cumberland, ME/Greely) recorded a game-best three assists. Senior goalie A.J. Vasiliou (Middletown, CT/Mercy) was credited with three saves, while sophomore Kristin Konig (Montecito, CA/Cate School) didn't have a stop in her first action this season.
Softball (10-3, 2-0) Opens NEWMAC Schedule with Pair of One-Run Decisions over Smith
The Wheaton College softball team held on for a pair of one run victories last Saturday, as the seventh-ranked Lyons edged the 25th-ranked Pioneers, 7-6 and 3-2 in a NEWMAC doubleheader at Clark Field. Originally scheduled to be played at Smith, the games were moved to Wheaton due to unplayable field conditions in Northampton.
Smith jumped out to a 3-0 advantage in the top half of the first in the opener. Wheaton got two back in the bottom of the inning off RBI singles from senior Kate Malloy (Cumberland, RI/Cumberland) and sophomore Jessica Depolito (Taunton, MA/Coyle & Cassidy) and then reeled off five runs in the fifth to take a 7-3 lead. The Pioneers made a valiant attempt at a comeback in the final inning, but freshman hurler Jodi Moynagh (Worcester, MA/Holy Name) entered the game in a save situation and forced Smith to ground out and strike out in her first two batters. The visitors then plated a run on an error, but Moynagh induced a fly ball to center for the final out of the game.
In game two, Wheaton brought across three runs in the bottom half of the fourth on one hit and a couple of Pioneer miscues. Smith made things interesting in the seventh, but Moynagh sent the next two batters down on fly outs. The Pioneers refused to quit and began their two-out rally with a triple to make the score 3-2, but Moynagh once again came up big in a tight game, forcing a soft liner to short to collect her fifth win of the season. Depolito finished the game 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Men's Tennis (8-0) Stays Perfect with Victories over Brandeis & Bridgewater State
The Wheaton College men's tennis team, ranked ninth in the Northeast according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), stayed perfect on the season with a pair of non-conference victories over regionally-ranked Brandeis University and local Bridgewater State College. The Lyons downed 13th-ranked Brandeis, 6-1 Tuesday in Wheaton's Beard Field House and later swept Bridgewater State, 5-0 on Thursday in Beard.
Against Brandeis, junior Matt Sheers (Beacon, NY/Beacon) and nationally-ranked sophomore Payum Payman (Pleasant Valley, NY/Arlington) put the hosts in front with an 8-5 decision in the top doubles position, but the Judges bounced back to win their next two matches and the elusive doubles point. Singles play was also a battle from start to finish, beginning with Payman's and Sheers' 7-6, 6-2 decisions, respectively, in the top two slots. Wheaton freshman Sean Daly (Miami, FL/LaSalle) needed a tiebreaker in the second set to win at third singles, while freshman Jared Karlebach (East Hampton, NY/East Hampton) used a tiebreaker in the opening set and a super tiebreaker in the final set to defeat his counterpart in the sixth spot. Sophomore Brian Danishevsky (Hamden, CT/Hamden Hall Country Day) was the only player to collect a straight-set win in the match in the fourth singles position, while classmate Brad Dressler (Cranston, RI/Cranston West) bounced back from a one-set deficit to record a pair of 6-4 wins to complete the singles sweep.
Versus Bridgewater State, Wheaton swept both doubles matches and four singles outings, as the Bears only sent four of their players to the contest. Junior captain Nick Potter (Concord, NH/Concord) and Karlebach improved to 5-1 overall after blanking their opponents in the top doubles slot. In the second position, juniors Jeff Selesnick (Concord, NH/Concord) and Brian Spielman (Madbury, NH/Oyster River) won 8-1 in their first action of the season. Wheaton also had little difficulty in the singles portion of the match, led by sophomore Raymour Radhakrishnan's (Amherst, NH/Bridgton Academy) 6-0, 6-0 victory in the fourth slot. In the top singles position, Sheers cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 decision. Danishevsky posted a decisive 6-0, 6-2 final at second singles, while sophomore Will Stoddard (Huntington, VT/Mt. Mansfield Union) won 7-5, 6-0 in the third position.
Unblemished Start to Season Lead Sheers to NEWMAC Player of the Week
Sheers began the spring season with an unblemished record and for it was awarded with NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week honors for the week ending on Sunday, March 20. Sheers had an outstanding five-match week for regionally-ranked Wheaton, posting a perfect 9-0 record in leading the Lyons to their third straight unbeaten spring trip in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Playing in the second singles spot and top doubles position, Sheers helped lead Wheaton to victories over Colby-Sawyer, Dickinson, St. Lawrence, Hobart and regionally-ranked Denison.
The Lyons began the week with a 6-1 decision over Colby-Sawyer, as Sheers posted an 8-5 doubles win and 6-2, 6-4 singles victory. In a sweep over Dickinson, he captured an 8-4 final in doubles play and a 3-2 outcome at number-two singles, as his opponent was forced to retire. Sheers was also a double winner in Wheaton's 6-1 final over St. Lawrence, winning a hard-fought 9-7 match at the top doubles position and a straight-set singles triumph. Against Hobart, Sheers captured another straight-set decision in singles competition. Sheers rounded out the week with an 8-6 final over the Denison tandem and a 6-3, 6-4 win at second singles. Wheaton posted its third sweep of the week against the Big Red.
Synchronized Swimming Leaves Collegiate Championship as Top Division III Team
For the second consecutive season under head coach Anna Eng, the Wheaton College synchronized swimming team improved its standing at a United States Collegiate Championship, as the Lyons placed seventh overall with 39.5 points at the University of Florida's O'Connell Aquatic Center. In addition to finishing seventh, Wheaton can lay claim as the top Division III team in the nation, as the Lyons edged out rival Keuka College by four points.
Extending its top-ten team finishes to 17 consecutive seasons dating back to 1989, Wheaton was among 25 institutions and more than 275 athletes competing for collegiate national titles in the solo, duet, trio and team events at the championship. The championship is an open-class meet, combining competition for NCAA Divisions I, II and III, plus NAIA schools.
Wheaton's team routine showed significant improvement from a year ago, moving up four places to eighth while qualifying for the United States National Championship. Senior co-captain Jamie Olken (Brighton, NY/Brighton), sophomore co-captain Elizabeth Corman (St. Paul, MN/Hill-Murray), sophomore Sarah Swinkin (Hamden, CT/Hamden) and freshmen Tori Hay (Danville, CA/Monte Vista), Megan Kinney (Los Angeles, CA/Marlborough), Esther Kovacs (Windham, NH/Notre Dame Academy) and Sachi Maekawa (Seattle, WA/Franklin) comprised the squad.
Maekawa and Kinney highlighted the meet on individual levels. Maekawa captured sixth place overall in the solo routine to qualify for United States Nationals, while Kinney retained Wheaton's national championship in the C figures category. Kovacs placed second in C figures, while Swinkin took sixth overall. Corman and Kinney also joined Hay, who earned All-Collegiate team honors in the meet, in the trio routine and took 13th overall. The squad's B team, consisting of sophomore Renata Paglio (Portland, ME/Deering) alongside first-year athletes Laura Fleck (Auburn, ME/Hebron Academy), Perri Kapp (Yarmouth Port, MA/Dennis Yarmouth), Ru-Shyan Yen (Des Moines, IA/Abraham Lincoln) and Ru-Huey Yen (Des Moines, IA/Abraham Lincoln), competed in the semifinal of the team competition and finished with 67.150 points.
This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/30/07.
Questions about this page? Use our query form.
Women's Soccer: Hough's tally sends Wheaton past Emmanuel, Leddy notches third shutout (more)
Women's Tennis: Geocaris and Teague draw weekly tennis honors from NEWMAC (more)