The University of Redlands men's water polo team made great improvements during the 2015 campaign while nearly doubling the total number of wins from the prior season en route to a 17-14 record against a challenging slate of foes from all NCAA Divisions. In addition, the Bulldogs moved up to third place among the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings by attaining an 8-3 mark in a solid showing.
Redlands set the tone for a successful campaign by garnering an early-season win over then-14th-ranked Loyola Marymount University by a score of 10-8. The Bulldogs piggybacked off of a three-goal outburst from senior driver John Koning (Poway, CA). Sophomore center-defender Danny Hartwig (Vista, CA) and sophomore driver Kevin Chapa (Carlsbad, CA) also were instrumental in the upset.
After gaining experience against high-quality opponents during a difficult span of the schedule, the Bulldogs capped off September with two-consecutive wins in the Kap7 NorCal Invitational. First, Redlands prevailed over Santa Clara University in a 7-6 thriller, before declawing the Panthers of Chapman University in a 13-7 non-conference bout with the familiar foe. Against Santa Clara, the Bulldogs rode a four-goal outburst in the third quarter, which kept them ahead through the final whistle. Junior driver Kyle Murata (Brea, CA) netted two goals in the game, while senior center-defender Jake Funk (Fremont, CA) and Koning each found the back of the net once en route to the win. Later that afternoon, Redlands broke a second-quarter tie against the Panthers by simply going off offensively for an impressive run through the end of the third stanza. Junior center-defender Mark Zikov (La Qunita, CA) played a huge role in this outburst, as he tallied four of his five goals for the Bulldogs.
Redlands stretched its winning streak into the first week of October by notching three more victories to make it five in a row. This run was highlighted by two big wins during the Gary Troyer Memorial Tournament. Against rival Johns Hopkins University (MD), the Bulldogs used a four-goal outburst in the second frame to create a sizeable lead for the eventual win. In addition, this offensive spurt came off of a quartet of scorers, with sophomore center Matt Shippen (Santa Maria, CA), senior center-defender Nelson Glendinning (Philadelphia, PA), junior center Eugene Lee (La Puente, CA), and Zikov each finding the back of the net.
The second exciting win of the Gary Troyer Tournament came in sudden-victory overtime against Fordham University (NY) by a score of 8-7. Redlands struggled at the offensive end of the pool for the first three quarters, but a late three-goal rally that included two goals from Chapa and one from Shippen earned Redlands a 5-5 tie at the end of regulation. After trading goals in the first two extra periods, the teams entered into sudden-victory overtime. Fordham won the sprint to earn the first possession, but a great perimeter steal by Hartwig led to a clean breakaway by Glendinning, who fired off the game-winning goal with a great finish in front of the cage.
Redlands went on to reel in four more wins to push its October record to 8-4, capping the month off with a defensively-influenced victory over Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in SCIAC competition on Senior Day. Junior goalkeeper Chris Sekula (LaGrange, IL) was instrumental in the 5-2 victory by manning the cage for 13 saves. Koning led the way with two goals.
The Maroon and Gray cruised by Cal Lutheran University in a 12-5 triumph in the first game of November. Chapa fired off three netters to lead the offense. He was backed by Koning with two goals.
The Bulldogs wrapped up dual-match action with a 10-8 victory over the University of La Verne and a commanding 17-8 win over Occidental College. In the win over the Leopards, the Bulldogs led the entire game. Freshman center Billy Clifford (Redlands, CA) and Shippen each provided a score in the opening frame, while Glendinning sent home the eventual game-winner in the fourth period. In the victory over the Tigers, Chapa, Zikov, and Funk each netted three scores, while freshman driver Ty Williams (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) added two goals. After a fine Sekula performance, sophomore goalkeeper Teddy Best (Vista, CA) stepped in to cage, suppling six saves in the fourth period alone.
After a successful run through the dual-match portion of the conference season, the Bulldogs entered the SCIAC Championship Tournament as the No. 3 seed, setting them up against sixth-seeded Pomona-Pitzer in the teams' third meeting of the season. Highlighted by a whopping 19 saves from Sekula, the Bulldogs utilized a strong defensive effort for a 6-3 victory. Shippen, Koning, and junior driver Zac Polmanteer (Long Beach, Ca) provided the first three scores to put the Bulldogs up, 3-1. Zikov, Polmanteer and Koning added scores in the final two periods en route to the hard-fought victory.
After falling in a close game to Whittier College in the semifinal match of the tournament, Redlands squared off against Chapman for the fifth and final time of the season to determine the third-place victor. While never trailing in the important showdown, Redlands gained the edge with tough defense throughout and a three-goal outburst during the second half of the game. The contest between familiar foes began in back-and-forth fashion, until Redlands rallied to break a six-all tally with three-straight goals. Glendinning got things started with 2:08 left in the third frame, before Zikov and Clifford completed the Bulldogs' five-minute hat trick. Leading 9-6 with 5:49 left in the game, Redlands still had work to do, as Sekula made four of his 11 saves during the final quarter. Although Chapman managed three goals in the final stanza, Redlands gained the game-winner from Shippen with 3:04 remaining and then held on for the win.
Redlands completed the 2015 season with a 17-14 overall record and an 8-3 mark in SCIAC to place third in the standings.
Upon conclusion of the season, the Bulldogs gained four All-SCIAC honorees, as determined by the head coaches at their end-of-season meeting. Sekula and Koning earned First-Team recognition, while Zikov landed on the Second team. Funk was named to the SCIAC All-Sportsmanship squad.
In addition, Redlands gained a trio of competitors on the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) Division III All-America teams. Sekula and Koning received First-Team nods, while Chapa garnered Honorable Mention All-America status.
Although the loss of the senior contributors is clearly significant, the Bulldog men's water polo team looks to the consistent leadership and experience of Head Coach Tom Whittemore to maneuver the waters of change in another successful campaign. After making great strides amidst a challenging schedule, Redlands holds high expectations for the returning crew to continue this season's momentum into the future, as it contends for a spot at the top of the conference and beyond.