LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (Nov. 18, 2024) – Freshman
Zander Montoya (La Verne, Calif. / Damien) picked up SCIAC Offensive Athlete of the Week Honors in the final week of recognition for the 2024 men's water polo season.
The rookie attacker dominated the first half against first-place Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, steering the home team to a one-goal victory that gave the team's playoff hopes a second wind. He scored four goals in the first 16 minutes of Wednesday's game, including an improbable blast from three-quarters pool to beat the Sagehens keeper for a tally that wound up being completely necessary to the Poets' postseason endeavors. He also scored twice against Chapman University on Saturday, another must-win game for the Purple & Gold.
Montoya and the Poets' season came to an end Saturday against Chapman. While the Poets picked up the win and finished the season victors in each of their final two games, they found themselves on the short end of a three-way tiebreaker with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges and California Lutheran University.
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