Four Stags All-SCIAC after valiant playoff run
LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. – After Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's water polo team came up just short in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, four athletes earned All-Conference recognition from the SCIAC. Senior Ellison Taylor (CMC) and junior Noah Deer (CMC) were honored with First Team while seniors Rye Newman (CMC) and Alex Waggoner (CMC) captured Second Team nods.
Throughout the season, the Stags were led by upperclassmen. Their experience and leadership was cited as the main reason for CMS' strong finish in the final weekend beating Occidental in the first round, Whittier in the second and then going head-to-head with the conference leader and rival, Pomona-Pitzer, in the final.
Taylor earns his second All-SCIAC honor and first on the First Team. The Stags' offense often ran through Taylor but he was also a successful goal scorer, recording 39 goals overall, 17 in SCIAC play. Defensively, Taylor led the team in steals and was a constant threat to breaking up opponents' plays. For his play in the Stags' two-win week over Loyola Marymount and La Verne in mid-October, Taylor was named SCIAC Athlete of the Week on Oct. 17.
Deer earns his first All-SCIAC award as the Stags' leading scorer this season. He recorded 62 goals overall and 26 in conference competition. In the SCIAC Championships, Deer put in eight goals in three games and boasted a .500 shot percentage. During the season, Deer scored four or more goals on seven occasions. Two of those games came in the week CMS beat Chapman and Redlands and Deer was named the SCIAC Athlete of the Week on Nov. 7.
Newman also earns his second All-Conference award. He was the Stags' anchor in the cage playing 928 minutes during the season. Newman recorded 258 saves overall and 110 in SCIAC. In each of the final three games of the season, Newman recorded double-digit saves and ultimately made 43 saves in the tournament with just 23 goals against. After the SCIAC Championships weekend, he was named CMS' Athlete of the Week on Nov. 21.
Waggoner was the Stags' second highest goal scorer this season at 49 overall. In conference play, the lefty was well-defended but still managed 14. Waggoner also provided precise passes that resulted in goals. Most notably, he made six assists in the 15-11 win over Iona in the Gary Troyer Tournament and three in the tight 10-9 victory vs. Whittier in the Championships.
Finally, senior Nick Bailey (HMC) was the CMS representative on the SCIAC's Sportsmanship team.
By Emily Nordhoff
Sports Information Director
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