Wheaton men’s lacrosse, as well as Wheaton’s athletic department, will be sponsoring a tent at the 2012 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship at Gillette Stadium on May 26-28, 2012. All Wheaton lacrosse friends and family are welcome to tailgate. The tent will be located at the Hospitality Village (Tent #25). Map

September 1, 2009

2009 season preview

NORTON, MA- Coming off a memorable season that included a program-record-tying 14 victories and a regional ranking, the 2009 Wheaton College women's tennis team has the good fortune of returning a core of players that helped the Lyons post their highest New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) finish since 2003.

For veteran head coach Lynn Miller, who enters her 30th season and is approaching the 300-win plateau, there is an expectation to maintain last year's success. After starting 2008 with a 7-0 mark, the Lyons went 14-5 overall and 5-2 in league play, which was good for third in the eight-team NEWMAC. Wheaton advanced to the conference tournament semifinals while finishing the year ranked 12th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) regional poll.

"The majority of our returners came back stronger this fall," said Miller. "I have to give them credit for improving their games over the summer. They obviously did some work." Miller hopes that upgrade combined with better preparation will help overshadow Wheaton's lack of depth, as the Blue and White welcomes back seven players and a trio of newcomers.

"What they did in the offseason and summer in becoming mentally tough, being able to concentrate and showing consistency was missing as a team last year," added Miller. "The lack of tournament preparation in past summers and not being in good enough shape to play their best tennis hurt us. The triple sessions in preseason are comparable to playing three matches in one day, so preparation goes a long way."

Miller, whose coaching staff is completed by seventh-year assistant Brian Dalrymple and fourth-year assistants Bill Sadlowski and Chuck Straley, upgraded the team's strength of schedule to include Brandeis University, Endicott College and Division I University of Rhode Island. Endicott won The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Tournament title before losing to NEWMAC Tournament champion Wellesley College in the NCAA Tournament, while Rhode Island competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

The Lyons will once again be led by senior Katherine Knies (Purdys, NY/North Salem), who returns for her second season as the team's lone captain. Knies posted a 9-3 singles record and a 10-5 doubles mark as a junior. She is competing for a starting spot between third through fifth singles and either the second or third doubles positions. Classmate Caralina O'Connell (Norwalk, CT/Brien McMahon) is slotted as an exhibition player.

Wheaton's strong junior class is bolstered by doubles partners Sarah Geocaris (Newport Beach, CA/Sage Hill School) and Catherine Teague (Manchester, NH/Central). Standing 11th in the ITA regional poll after drawing NEWMAC All-Conference honors, the tandem recorded an impressive 18-6 ledger as sophomores, including a 15-3 mark at first doubles. Expected to side in the top spot for the third straight year, the duo is also battling out the first two singles spots.

Ranked 15th in the Northeast, Teague was 10-1 from the top singles position last year, while Geocaris, who is 22nd in the region, went 20-4 as a sophomore, including 10-1 at second singles. Ellen Van Faasen (Manchester, MA/Manchester Essex Regional) rounds out the junior class. Playing at third through fifth singles as a sophomore, Van Faasen recorded a 15-9 singles mark and a 16-6 doubles record.

Rosalyn Chesky (South Hadley, MA/Wilbraham & Monson Academy) and Allesandra DiOrio (Cumberland, RI/Lincoln School) comprise the sophomore class. Most likely starting the season at sixth singles and third doubles, Chesky registered double-figure wins in each solo and tandem action as a freshman. DiOrio, who is battling out the middle singles slots and second and third doubles positions with Knies and Van Faasen, also posted double-digit victories in singles and doubles.

The Class of 2013 consists of Jesse Boggis (Hopkinton, MA/Hopkinton), Skye Davis (Orleans, MA/Nauset Regional) and Julia Parmakian (Gorham, ME/Gorham), all of whom will play exhibition during the fall semester.

Wheaton gets underway against visiting Salve Regina University on Friday before opening its conference schedule on the road at Mount Holyoke College on September 12. The two-day NEWMAC Tournament is set to begin on October 24 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).