Top-Ranked CMS Men's Water Polo Rolls Past Whittier 21-10

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's water polo team, ranked No. 1 in Division III, remained perfect in SCIAC with a 21-10 win over Whittier on Wednesday evening at Axelrood Pool.

With the win, CMS improves to 15-6 overall and 6-0 in SCIAC as the league schedule hits its midway point. Whittier falls to 1-5 in conference with the loss. 

Hassen Hove and Jeffrey Koretz each had hat tricks for CMS, while Donovan Davidson had a team-high five points on two goals and three assists. A total of 12 different Stags found the net, with Auggie Aliaga, Len Korol, Stryker Scales and Nick Kennedy each adding two as well. 

CMS never trailed as Kennedy put the Stags ahead 1-0 and 2-1 in the early going. Cristian Pang and Davidson scored consecutive goals to make it a a 4-1 lead, and after Whittier got one back, Davidson, Koretz and William Thomas finished out the first quarter with goals to give CMS a 7-2 lead after the first stanza. 

Kyle Ballack made it 8-2 to start the second quarter before the Poets managed to pull within 8-4, but the Stags closed out the half on a 4-0 run, with Ivey Gehring and Hove netting goals before Koretz scored two in a row to make it 12-4. 

Scales, Korol, Aliaga and Hove each had two goals in the second half, while Ashwin Rhodes chipped in with one. 

CMS will be back in action on Saturday for an 11 a.m. contest with Caltech. The Stags will also celebrate Senior Day at 10:45 a.m., as part of the final regular season weekend home contest.