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Four Stags earn All-SCIAC honors; Lonzo wins Coach of the Year

Four Stags earn All-SCIAC honors; Lonzo wins Coach of the Year

PASADENA, Calif. – The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's water polo program had four athletes earn All-SCIAC honors, highlighted by Tanner Cullen (CMC) as Athlete of the Year and Greg Lonzo being named the Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year. First Team selections include juniors Alex Waggoner (CMC) and Rye Newman (CMC), while junior Ellison Taylor (CMC) landed on the second team. In addition, senior Adam Hilborn (CMC) was selected to the All-SCIAC Sportsmanship Team.

Senior captain Cullen leads the team in goals with 80 and has found the back of the net in 26 out of 28 games this season. He had a season-high of eight goals against George Washington on Sep. 5 and was previously named to the first team All-American and first team All-SCIAC in 2013 and '14.

Waggoner ranks second on the team in overall goals (46), but first in scoring in SCIAC matches (32). Currently on a 31 goal, eight-match scoring streak, the lefty has been a key offensive weapon for the Stags. He has had multiple five-goal games this season, Oct. 28 against Redlands and Nov. 21 versus Chapman.

In the net as the team's steady goalie, Newman anchored the defense that resulted in an undefeated SCIAC season. The Stags only allowed 91 goals in 11 games for an average of 8.3. In comparison, CMS scored an average of 13 goals per game.

Taylor earned second team honors after consistently producing from the center point. He has 20 goals on the season with 12 against conference opponents, including a clutch four goal performance in the SCIAC Championship against Whittier. Taylor has scored in six out of the last seven matches.

For the second straight year, Coach Lonzo was named the SCIAC's best. His team went 21-7 and a stellar 11-0 in conference play, the best record of any team under his nine year tenure. Lonzo led the Stags to their 26th conference championship and to the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship play-in game for the first time in school history. CMS will play at USC at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3.

SCIAC Release

By Tony Steege
Sports Information Assistant

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