Posted on January 16 2011 by Sam Unwin

Tigers earn top spot in Division III Pre-Season poll

A year ago the women’s water polo team at Occidental College had no seniors and competed with the top schools in the Nation to finish third in the final National Poll of 2010. Entering the 2011 season, the tenacious Tigers are ranked No. 1 among the Division III programs in the country, edging Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe Pomona-Pitzer for the top spot.

Occidental received 98 points in the pre-season poll with the Sagehens earning 94 to take the second spot. Following suit were four more SCIAC schools as the University of Redlands landed third with 88 points. California Lutheran University, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Whittier College rounded out the top six, all representing the SCIAC. The University of La Verne enters the spring as the No. 10 team to put seven of eight league schools among the top in the country.

Last spring Occidental posted a 17-17 overall record, but were 8-2 in SCIAC play, placing second to league champion Pomona-Pitzer.

The senior duo of Julie Monday and Karie Nickle landed on the First Team All-SCIAC in 2010 while junior Tessa Bailey-Findlay and sophomore Nanea Fujiyama were Second Team selections.

Oxy graduated no players last year and returns all 11 from the roster last spring including three All-Americans in Monday, Nickle and Fujiyama. With all seven starters and three additional players who each saw ample playing time the team returns to the pool an experienced and more confident unit, which will play a vital role once league play begins.

Over the course of a season, a young, small team came a long way in 2010, starting slow, but generating momentum and consistently improving to be in top form for SCIAC play.

One of the most vast improvements comes in front of the cage. Entering last season Rachel Adeleye had never played goalie before, presenting a big concern, but incredible strides made throughout the course of last season bring the sophomore back to the pool a very competent keeper. The roster now boasts three additional goalkeepers who will provide depth and will compete for playing time, enhancing the overall level of play in front of the cage.

The goalie depth is not the only addition to the Tigers’ squad for 2011. The Black and Orange boast a roster nearly twice the size of a year ago thanks to a fantastic recruiting class. That in and of itself is sure to create greater competition in practice, ultimately enhancing the level of play during games. Joining the squad this spring are a talented group, which includes a pair of transfer attackers in Merry Sanders (Pasadena City College) and Jo Cheney (Boston University). Also expected to be impact freshman for the Tigers are attacker Kelsey Shyba (Los Gatos HS), goalie Sofronia Munoz (Crescenta Valley HS) and utility Lindsay Albino (Choate-Rosemary Hall).

“I anticipate our starting line-up will remain the same,” head coach Larry Zubrin shared, “However the addition of a deeper bench should pay great dividends down the stretch.” 

The Tigers return every player from last season, but are a much different team entering competition in 2011. 

“With four seniors on the roster and seven others with collegiate experience the incoming players will play a vital role in adding depth to each position,” Zubrin said. “This added depth will enable us to use the bench more often, ideally keeping our starters fresh and able to play at a higher level throughout each game. On paper we look like a very strong team, but games aren’t won or lost on paper. More than anything we will need rely on the factors that got us to this point; our hard work-ethic and mental toughness.”

Occidental will have to be mentally tough out of the gate as they are slated to face off with a number of NAIA and Division I programs from the get-go. The Tigers open their campaign on the road against Azusa Pacific on Feb. 12 and face No. 6 Loyola Marymount, No. 12 UC Santa Barbara, No. 16 Cal State University, Northridge, No. 20 Cal State University, Bakersfield and No. 21 Marist University during non-conference action.

Entering the season as the No. 1 team in Division III comes with high expectations.

“Our experience will be a key factor, but in order for us to rise to the next level, we will need to effectively integrate many of our incoming players,” Zubrin added, “I believe we have an outstanding combination of experience, talent, and depth at every position. Our focus each day at practice and in each of our early season games will be to build on our team chemistry and to enhance our mental toughness in order to live up to the expectations we’ve placed on ourselves.”

After winning the Collegiate III Championship in 2000, the women’s team entered the season ranked No. 1 in 2001 marking the last time the Tigers were ranked atop the poll.

“This year is a little different as we did not win the title last year, so we are essentially defending a title we have yet to win,” Zubrin noted. “This means we still have a lot to prove. Although we are entering the year as the pre-season favorite, we are still a very hungry team. We will need to feed that hunger with hard work at each practice and a strong mental toughness throughout the entire season to maintain that position.”

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