WHITTIER, Calif.– The Whittier College men's water polo team made the most of a full day at Lillian Slade Aquatics Center on Friday.
The Poets picked up a pair of non-conference wins, defeating Mt. San Antonio College 14-8 before closing the doubleheader with a 14-12 victory over Long Beach City College.
Whittier opened the day by taking control against Mt. SAC through the middle quarters.
After holding a 2-1 lead through the first, the Poets scored five times in the second and five more in the third to build a 12-5 advantage heading into the final period.
Jason Dickson led the offense with four goals, scoring three times in the second quarter before adding another in the third.
Whittier also made an impact defensively, finishing with 12 steals. Matthew Huacuja led the Poets with three, while Tal Fotin added two.
In goal, Mike Hale helped protect the advantage with nine saves while allowing four goals during his time in the cage.
Tomas Franco added four saves as the Poets held Mt. SAC to eight goals.
The second game brought a tighter finish against Long Beach City College.
Whittier started fast, scoring six goals in the opening period and four more in the second to take a 10-4 lead into halftime.
The Vikings cut into the deficit with five goals in the third quarter, but Whittier answered when it needed to and finished with three goals in the fourth to secure the 14-12 win.
The scoring was spread throughout the lineup.
Daniel Totev helped create chances throughout the match with three assists, while Huacuja added two. The Poets recorded nine assists as a team.
Hale played the full match in goal and made 12 saves to help Whittier withstand the second-half push.
The two victories gave the Poets another strong day early in the 2026 season and continued a stretch of high-scoring performances at both ends of the pool.
Whittier gets Saturday off before returning to Lillian Slade Aquatics Center on Sunday, September 13, for another home doubleheader. The Poets open against Grossmont College at 10 a.m. before taking on Orange Coast College at 2 p.m.
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