Men's Tennis Falls Short in NEWMAC, Women Take Wheaton Invitational

The Wheaton College men's tennis team suffered a 5-4 loss to New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foe Springfield College Wednesday afternoon at Clark Tennis Courts. The win moves the Pride to 5-8 (1-1 NEWMAC) while the Lyons fall to .500 at 3-3 (0-2 NEWMAC).

Senior Neall Oliver (Portland, Maine/Deering) improved to 5-1 with a 6-2, 6-3 win over freshman Kyle  Mersereau (Brunswick, Maine/Brunswick) at No. 1 singles. Sophomore Dan Sharon (Santa Monica, Calif./Brentwood School) was victorious at No. 4 singles as he defeated senior Zach O'Leary (Westboro, Mass./Westboro) in straight sets at No. 3 singles, 6-1, 6-1. At No. 4 singles, sophomore Sam Jackson (Darien, Conn./Darien) upended senior Doug Nickerson (Falmouth, Maine/Penn State) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

For Springfield, junior Benjamin Burnap (Westerly, R.I./Westerly) defeated sophomore Ned Terrace (Chappaqua, N.Y./Horace Greeley) 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2 singles while sophomore Joe Giannelli (Watertown, Conn./Holy Cross) tripped up junior William Beaton (Groveland, Mass./Pentucket) at No. 6 singles, 6-0, 6-1.

With the Lyons holding a 4-3 lead late in the match, junior Jesse Boyd (Bolton, Conn./Bolton) earned the fifth and decisive point at No. 5 singles, where he defeated freshman Lawrence Chan (Lincoln, R.I./Wheeler School) . After dropping the first set 6-1, Boyd rallied back to win the second set 6-3 before disposing of Chan with a 6-1 win in the third and decisive set.

Sharon and Chan were victorious for the Lyons at No. 2 doubles, defeating Dickerson and Boyd 8-5. Springfield picked up the other two doubles points, however, as Mersereau and Burnap scored an 8-5 win over Oliver and Terrace at No. 1 doubles while O'Leary and Giannelli posted an 8-0 shutout at No. 3 doubles over Beaton and classmate Kyle Kiernan (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet Regional).

The Lyons return to action on Saturday when they travel to Worcester for a 1 p.m. contest with Clark. The Pride host Coast Guard Saturday at 1 p.m.

On the women's side, sophomore Lyndsay Cooke (Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield Christian) and freshman Alexandra Marlowe (Mesa, Ariz./Mountain View) captured singles championships for the Wheaton College women's tennis team at the 2012 Wheaton Invitational Sunday, March 25 at the Beard Field House Tennis Courts.

After receiving a first round bye in the Flight 1 singles bracket, Cooke defeated Roger Williams junior Tracy Klein (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown South), 8-1, in the semifinals before knocking off Holy Cross freshman Taylor Stathis (Rockaway Beach, N.Y./Dominican Academy), 8-4, in the finals.

Competing in the Flight 2 singles bracket, Marlowe also received a first round bye. In the semifinal round, she upended Endicott junior Gina Pinciaro (Beverly, Mass./Beverly), 8-0, and Holy Cross sophomore Molly Montgomery (Vinnetka, Ill./Loyola Academy) in the finals, 8-4.

In Flight 1 Doubles, Wheaton's team of sophomores Morgan Bell (Gloucester, Mass./Pingree School) and Sarah Crom (Bremen, Germany/International School of Bremen) were eliminated in the semifinal round by Endicott seniors Kate Cioffi (Essex, Vt./Essex) and Emily Annis (Hampton, N.H./St. Thomas Aquinas), 8-5. The pair rebounded to defeat Salve Regina's freshmen team of Emily Shay (Ashburnham, Mass./Cushing Academy) and Emily Walters (Wethersfield, Conn./Mercy) in the consolation semifinals, 8-0, and RWU's team of junior Olivia Hilton (Vernon, Conn./Rockville) and freshman Hillary Dutton (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire) in the finals, 8-1.

Sophomore Jessica Moore (Middletown, R.I./The Prout School) and freshman Kathryn Burleson (Osterville, Mass./Cape Cod Academy) were paired up for the Lyons in the Flight 2 Doubles bracket. They defeated senior Lauren MacLeod (Mashpee, Mass./Mashpee) and freshman Natalie Egbert (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) of Endicott in the semifinals, 8-3, before falling to Roger Williams sophomore Alexandra Reilly (North Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) and freshman Alexandra Brown (Kennett, Mo./Kennett) in the finals, 8-3.

The Lyons return to action on April 10 when they host Holy Cross at 4 p.m.