Claremont, CA - December 8 - The USA Water Polo Men's Division III National Championship concluded yesterday at Axelrood Aquatics Center with the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags capturing the National Championship. The Stags defeated Augustana College, 12-7, and Pomona-Pitzer, 9-4, on their way to the title. With the win, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps ends the season at 23-5 overall and with their second national championship in the past three years.
The Championship final on Sunday afternoon was the third time Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer met this season with the two sides splitting the first two meetings. Nick Kennedy beat the goalkeeper on the Stags' opening possession to get the home crowd going early and he followed that up with another goal to put CMS up by two. The defenses took over from there to close the opening quarter as both sides failed to score, sending the game to the second with a 2-0 CMS lead.
The second period picked up where the first quarter left off as there were no goals for nearly five minutes before Max Distaso finally got Pomona-Pitzer on the board. Then, with forty seconds left in the half, Darragh Flanders leveled the score for the Sagehens. The Stags would respond with Stryker Scales who dented the twine to give CMS a 3-2 lead at the half.
Midway through the third quarter, Jaden Winters fired a rocket into the back of the net to tie things back up at three. Kennedy gave CMS the lead once again with his third goal on the day before Jake Lee scored for Pomona-Pitzer to knot the score at 4-4 after three.
The fourth period is where the hosts took control of this contest. Gavin Netherton opened the scoring for CMS early and then Donovan Davidson added another midway through on the power play. From there, Kennedy added two more goals for five on the day and Thomas Walker put the finishing touches on the 9-4 win to claim the 2025 USAWP Men's NCAA Division III National Championship.
"Unbelievable defensive effort. The guys played so well together…Jake [Taylor] was unreal in the cage making saves and our field blocks were fantastic today. Just a great job of protecting our cage and protecting home court," CMS head coach Greg Lonzo said. "That was the big piece when we played [Pomona-Pitzer] in the SCIAC Tournament final - the opportunity to host this tournament in our pool with our fans and it made a big difference in that second half. The energy changed dramatically as we starters getting a flow going, stands helped tremendously, and [Jake Taylor and Nick Kennedy] were just outrageous."
"It feels amazing. We've had a chip on our shoulder since last season didn't go too well and I think this year was the best season that I've been a part of. Pulling off some Division I upsets that were pretty huge and keeping that momentum going," CMS goalkeeper Jake Taylor said. "[We had] a regular season loss to Pomona-Pitzer and didn't let that rattle us, coming back fired up and just really enjoying the moment being the best we can be."
Nick Kennedy was named MVP after scoring five goals in the final. The Stags were also led by goalkeeper Jake Taylor who recorded 12 saves on the afternoon. With the loss, Pomona-Pitzer finishes with a 20-14 record overall. The Sagehen goalkeeper Greg Moore tallied seven saves in net while Distaso, Flanders, Lee, and Winters all scored once.
On Sunday morning, the third place game between Augustana College and MIT went the distance. The Augustana Vikings fought back from three goals down entering the fourth quarter and won the game on a last-second full tank goal from goalkeeper Declan Hutton. Hutton was the man of the match for the Vikings as he scored twice in the final frame and notched 14 saves in the cage. Cole Faux and Ian Palmroos led the scoring for Augustana with three goals each. MIT's offense was led by Adam Ivatorov with five goals while Caspar Lightner chipped in with three goals. Josh Woren made six saves in the cage for the Engineers.
"That was a wild finish. I told the guys after the game that it was a fitting way to end the season because we have had a number of wins where we were trailing in the second half and fought back," Augustana head coach Ryan Pryor said. "We never give up as a team. We got to this tournament with a comeback [win] to get here and so it's fitting to finish the season that way."
"We have been through this multiple times this season so we know how to handle pressure. Everyone on our team understands that whatever opponent we are playing, we can come back," Augustana attacker Mark Addison said. "As long as we play for each other, we can come back from anything and I think today was a testament to that."
"It's the journey, not the destination that counts. It's been one hell of a journey, not too many regrets whatsoever. I just love playing with this team," MIT center David Keller said. "Of course, results are always expected - we're MIT and very analytically driven. But sometimes you have to take a step back and look at the broader picture, the emotions [and] the ups and downs. Life is not all easy-going, it's a challenge, but that's why we're here and part of MIT."
All-Tournament Team
MVP: Nick Kennedy (CMS)
Luke "Bear" Weigle (CMS)
Jake Taylor (CMS)
Declan Hutton (Augustana)
Mark Addison (Augustana)
In the semifinal round on Saturday, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps defeated Augustana College, 12-7. Kennedy scored four and Luke (Bear) Weigle added three for the Stags. Augustana's Stevan Rasic, Mark Addison, and Palmroos each scored twice for the Vikings.
"Being in the position to play in the [National Championship] is the ultimate goal every year and I think this year what separated us from last year when we fell short is the day in, day out effort at practice and mental focus," CMS attacker Nick Kennedy said. "Obviously we have had better results this year and made it to our goal."
On the other side of the bracket, Pomona-Pitzer upended MIT, 11-7, to advance to the championship game. The Sagehens scoring was led by Indigo Lee, Nico Perna, and Zach Whitfield who each scored twice on the day. For the Engineers, Caspar Lightner scored three goals and Rick Lundh added two.
"I really have some sleepless nights against MIT. They are really well-coached and have some great players. I don't overlook anyone at all and they did not disappoint," Pomona-Pitzer head coach Alex Rodriguez said. "I'm glad my players were able to come out and perform. I thought Greg [Moore] was phenomenal in the cage - he is a game changer for us in regards to erasing some of our mistakes. And Nico [Perna] has gone through some adversity this year so I'm glad he was able to come out and put some goals away [while also] being a defensive stopper."
