STANFORD, Calif. — The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges men’s water polo team, the sole Division III program at the MPSF Invitational, competed against elite Division I opponents this September in Stanford.
Although the Stags lost all four matches, they showed resilience with narrow defeats to No. 11 Pepperdine (14-10), No. 6 UC Davis (13-10), and No. 17 Santa Clara (12-10), following a tournament opener loss to No. 1 UCLA by a 23-4 score.
With a season record of 1-9 so far, all losses have been to Division I programs, including matchups against top-ranked UCLA and No. 2 USC. The final match against Santa Clara saw the Stags rally from a three-goal halftime deficit to tie 10-10 in the fourth quarter before falling 12-10.
Standout Performances Highlight Team Effort
Nick Kennedy led the Stags offensively, scoring six goals against Pepperdine and a hat trick versus UC Davis. He also had a six-goal game earlier this season against No. 2 USC. Weston Hartel contributed two goals and one assist in the opening game against UCLA.
In the Santa Clara game, Jack Bryant and Calvin Donat each scored two goals. Additional goals came from Jeffrey Koretz, Stryker Scales, Gavin Netherton, Fletcher Appeldorn, Pete Ryan, and Evan Liberatore throughout the tournament.
Upcoming SCIAC Play
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps will commence SCIAC conference play with an away game at Redlands, followed by hosting Pomona-Pitzer on Wednesday, Sept. 30, in the annual Sixth Street Rivalry.
CSB Take
The MPSF Invitational provided Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men’s water polo a rigorous test against nationally ranked Division I opposition. Despite finishing winless, the Stags’ ability to keep several matches close and display strong individual performances, particularly from Nick Kennedy, demonstrates their competitive potential. This challenging experience should serve as a valuable foundation as the team transitions to SCIAC play to pursue conference success.
Source: Original report
