LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (Jan. 24, 2022) – The Whittier College women's water polo team had itself a successful first weekend of the season at the Beach Invite, sweeping the SCIAC Weekly awards thanks to a 12-6 non-conference win over SCIAC foe University of La Verne.

Senior attacker Natasha Velez (La Habra, Calif. / Cypress College) took Offensive Athlete of the Week honors for her five-goal Sunday. Velez hung four goals on the Leopards as well as an additional goal on Long Beach State, the nation's 12th-ranked team. The senior, who ranked among the Poets' leading scorers back in 2020, was as efficient as she was deadly with her shot, with her five goals coming on just six attempts.

The Poets also managed to produce the SCIAC Defensive Athlete of the Week in senior Bryanna Santis (Commerce, Calif. / Fullerton College). Santis gave the Purple & Gold a consistent defensive force both statistically and the in field, helping hold the Leopards to just a pair of goals through the first three quarters of Sunday morning's game. She also came away with seven combined steals between the two games as well as an additional field block against the Leopards. The senior added in two assists for good measure, helping Whittier secure a 1-1 start to the season with the victory coming against a team the Poets will see twice more this season, with the next meeting set to occur in a little over a month in La Verne.

Velez, Santis and the Poets are next slated to compete in the Bulldog Classic on the weekend of February 19 before opening up the SCIAC slate at Caltech on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

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