REDLANDS, Calif. - The University of Redlands is set to host the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Men's Water Polo Championships this weekend Friday, November 21, through Sunday, November 23, at the Thompson Aquatic Center. After completing the round-robin, dual-match portion of the season, all nine SCIAC teams now compete in the tournament and advance through the event based on their results each day.
Pending any technical or weather-related issues, live streaming will be provided throughout the entire tournament. Per SCIAC policy, users will be charged a fee of $5 per day. The stream will be available through Redlands' portal at: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/redlands/.
The Whittier Colleges Poets (20-12) enter the SCIAC tournament as the top seed after registering an undefeated mark in conference action. The Poets needed overtime to top Redlands and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges. In addition, Whittier garnered three wins by a two-goal margin in a conference full of parity. Whittier is currently ranked No. 1 in the Division III Collegiate Water Polo Association Polls (CWPA) and No. 20 in the Varsity Polls. Freshman attacker Massimiliano Mirarchi (Rome, Italy) leads the Poets with 71 goals on the season. Senior goalkeeper Ryan Brunansky (Poway, CA) has patrolled the cage by hauling in 261 saves for the Poets.
Not to be overlooked is senior attacker Goran Mataic (Split, Croatia) up top the 2013 ACWPC and SCIAC Player of the Year who still proves deadly anywhere in the pool. He is joined by 2013 All-SCIAC Performers Marko Zuric (Split, Croatia), Wedge Molthen (Buena Park, Calif.), Filip Delic (Split, Croatia), andNicolas Beavers (Long Beach, Calif.) in one of the best starting lineups in all of Division III.
The CMS Stags (11-13) follow the Poets as the second seed after posting a 7-1 record in conference competition. Their only SCIAC loss came at the hands of Whittier, which prevailed by a score of 12-11 in overtime. Junior attacker Tanner Cullen (Lafayette, CA) leads the CMS offense with 74 goals scored this season. In addition, sophomore center Eric Bakar (Hillsborough, CA) and junior driver Adam Hilborn (Chula Vista, CA) have made a major impact on the Stags' success by combining for 55 netters. Senior goalie James Kelly has spent the vast majority of the season between the pipes, leading the CMS defense.
The Chapman University Panthers (15-9) hold the No. 3 seed after finishing the dual-match competition with a 6-2 record. Senior driver Mark Alvarado (Chicago, IL) heads the offensive assault with 60 goals on the season, while senior utility Jake Gross (San Diego, CA) has chipped in 35 scores. Junior goalkeeper Stephen Neil (Escondido, CA) defends between the cage for the Panthers, registering 154 stops and 38 steals.
The Bulldogs (8-19), the Cal Lutheran University Kingsmen (8-13), and the Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (8-16) all hold identical 4-4 conference records. Due to a four-step tiebreaker process, the Bulldogs received the fourth seed, followed by the Kingsmen as the fifth seed and the Sagehens as the sixth seed.
The host team from Redlands relies on multiple scoring options to get the job done. Freshman center Matthew Shippen (Santa Maria, CA) leads the Bulldogs squad with 38 netters. Senior center David Sekula (LaGrange, IL) and junior center John Koning (Poway, CA) have combined for 63 scores. Senior driver Michael Robinson (Corona, CA) has been the main facilitator by dishing out 42 assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Sekula (LaGrange, IL) has been a dominant force in the cage, corralling 251 saves.
Senior defender/utility player Zach Graper (Simi Valley, CA) leads the Kingsmen in goals with 38, while junior attacker Shea Craig (Newbury Park, CA) follows closely behind with 25 netters. Junior attacker AJ Franklin (Newbury Park, CA) and sophomore attackerZack Card (Burbank, CA) are tied with 14 assists. Senior goalkeeper Jesse Owens (Riverside, CA) has defended between the pipes efficiently, corralling 204 saves in 600 minutes played.
The Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens are led by a trio of scorers in senior attacker Stephen Vint (El Cajon, CA), sophomore attacker James Baker (Darien, CT), and junior defender Phillip Clayman (Clovis, CA). With their 2014 efforts combined, they have managed to score a total of 105 goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Ethan Caleb Prater-Fahey (San Diego, CA) has hauled in 186 saves, equaling a .472 save percentage, as the Sagehens' last line of defense.
The University of La Verne (8-16) possesses the seventh position in the tournament after topping Caltech and Occidental during the dual matches. Junior driver Bryan Jimenez (Commerce, CA) leads the Leopards with 47 goals on the season, while freshman driver Josh Vega (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) follows with 41.
The Occidental College Tigers (6-23, 1-7 SCIAC) and the Caltech Beavers (7-19, 0-8 SCIAC) round out the SCIAC tournament field, as they are positioned at eighth and ninth, respectively.
Sophomore goalkeeper Adam Florsheim (Issaquah, WA) serves as the team's defensive stopper, while senior defender Nick Heffner (San Diego, CA) provides quality offensive looks for the Tigers.
The Beavers are led by sophomore Chris Bradley (Half Moon Bay, CA), who has netted an impressive 131 goals on the year. Senior goalkeeper Ben Grabowski (Lake Forest Park, WA) has hauled in 317 saves.
Upon completion of this weekend's tournament, each team will receive points based on its finish in the event, with the tournament champion gaining 10 points and the runner-up earning eight points, followed by subsequent points for each place (3rd=7 pts, 4th=6, 5th=5, 6th=4, 7th=3, 8th=2, 9th=1). These points combined with one point for each dual-match win will determine the regular-season champion and final standings for the conference.
All information regarding ticket pricing, game times, seeding, and more can be viewed by visiting the tournament page.
