CMC75 Moments: 1997 Women's Water Polo Wins First SCIAC Title
As part of the buildup to the 75th Anniversary celebration for Claremont McKenna College (visit CMC's 75th Anniversary Countdown Page to learn more), we are reliving many of the great moments from CMS athletic department history over the 75-day countdown from April 17 to July 1. If you were a part of this great moment and would like to add to the memories, or if you would like to submit your memories of your own favorite CMS Athletics moments, fill out the form on our main 75th Anniversary page.
Great Moments from 75 Years of Athletics
1997 Women's Water Polo: Athenas Edge Redlands in Final Seconds for SCIAC Title
The 1997 CMS women's water polo team was in its fourth year as a varsity program and had a chance at securing its first SCIAC title after back-to-back second-place finishes. The Athenas went 4-0 against the other four SCIAC schools at the time (Whittier, Pomona-Pitzer, Redlands, Occidental) during the regular season to gain the upper hand, but fell 8-6 to Occidental on the first day of the two-day tournament which closed out the schedule.
That left CMS with some pressure on it for day two against Pomona-Pitzer and Redlands, but the Athenas came through with a 9-4 win over the Sagehens and then capped off a 7-1 conference record with a dramatic 9-8 win over Redlands on a goal with six seconds left, their third-straight one-goal win over the Bulldogs, to bring home the program's first conference championship.
The match involved some heavy drama, as the score was tied 8-8 in the final minute, and there was some confusion as the Athenas had two players ejected with 35 seconds left, but only one left the pool. After the Athenas killed a 6-on-5 (which should have been a 6-on-4), the referees reset the clock back to 35 seconds and gave Redlands the chance to re-do the power play as a 6-on-4. However, Anna Hewitson came up with a big steal two players down, and the Athenas were given a penalty shot with just six seconds left with a chance to win the title. Sarah Woodman took the shot under the intense pressure to give the Athenas the win and their first SCIAC trophy. CMS went on to compete at the Division III Nationals and came in third place with another one-goal win, this time 5-4 over UC Santa Cruz, to end the year with a 21-12 record.
Anna Hewitson was named the SCIAC MVP and was a first-team Division III All-American, along with goalie Cara Vas Dias. Darcy Burton (a second-team All-American) joined Hewitson and Vas Dias on the All-SCIAC first-team, while Kari Heidel and Jane Mi (a third-team All-American) were on the second team. n 2011, Hewitson became the first women's water polo player inducted into the CMS Hall of Fame.
Anna (Hewitson) Phelps:
Oh my goodness, did this ever bring a smile to my face!
One of the hilarious things I remember from that game is how many suits I had torn. If I can find the winning team picture somewhere what you'll notice is everyone is wearing their Athena suits in red and mine is a black suit I think I had borrowed from someone. It was such an aggressive game and really it took every last effort to walk away with the win. Definitely a team effort in every aspect of the word. Cara will have to verify this as well but I believe this was also the tournament where her hand was broken and we had bubble wrapped it. What a champion she is!
Redlands had an incredibly talented player named Joanne Bell. I had played against her since I was 9 years old as she was from Eugene, and our teams in high school always competed against each other for the State Championship. I remember thinking, when we won, what a wild world it was that women's athletics (specifically water polo at the time) was really more like a family. We all knew each other and even though we were competing it also felt like we were building for future generations of women.
I remember being so grateful for such an incredible sport and friends to play it with. And for two women as coaches, which was a total rarity at the time! Super progressive for sure!
Darcy (Burton) Harlan:
What an honor it is to be recognized with my teammates for this special winning game! I do remember experiencing all those torn suits. But geez, I must be getting way too old! I have to admit my memory of that specific game is a little fuzzy!
I do, however, look back at my four years at CMC so incredibly fondly. I remember being so new to the sport, having never played in high school, and learning so much under the leadership of Pam, Suzanne and my teammates. I was so proud to be an Athena! The camaraderie with the women, the time in and out of the pool, the laughs in the locker room, the friendships, our trip each year to the Stanford Tournament and the NCAA Championship in Chicago! Those four years participating in the water polo and basketball programs at CMS shaped who I am today, I'm forever grateful!
Additionally, I've been able to share my love of water polo with my two sons! Over the last 15 years, we've brought our sons back to CMC to watch football, basketball and water polo games. My boys participated in last four Junior Olympics, also playing the 2M position and have competed in the pools at CMC, Pomona and Stanford which always brings back so many awesome memories (although apparently those memories are more 'vague' than I'd like to admit...).
Cara Vas Dias:
I literally dream of playing these games, they were such adrenaline boosters and some of my favorite moments of my entire college and athletic career.
Anna clearly has a memory like an elephant! But she is likely right about my broken finger that was casted and bubble wrapped since I literally refused to miss this Championship game, after breaking my finger in practice days before. But the bubble wrapped "claw" that the entire Redlands team and coaches tried to protest in their attempt to disqualify me, I believe, after countless checks, was finally approved by all the refs, and I was allowed to play, thank god.
We had a kick-ass team, there was no way I was going to let us lose this game, claw and all. And Redlands was our nemesis, we were ready to fight HARD. Jane, so smart and scrappy, but somehow managed to always sneak a goal in, with me just hoping and cringing on the other end of the pool that she wouldn't get called for a foul. Marisa, whose cap was always falling off, but yet, she always managed to come up with the ball and get it either into the goal or into the hole. Darcy, the unstoppable hole set AND hole D, her superb strength always dominating both offense and defense - and her wonderful mother always in the stands, our biggest fan. And Anna, my roommate, our fearless leader, her senior year, we would play our hearts out so that we could win one last time with her as our captain. She and I had an unspoken connection (though yes, I was the mouth at the back of this team), and if I could get the ball in front of her, on her countless fast breaks, she would slam it into the goal no matter what. I treasure those fist-pumping, water-splashing celebrations. She had an arm like a cannon, and some of the smoothest moves I ever saw in the water.
Lastly, our coaches. Pam and Suzanne were a force to be reckoned with. No strangers to wins and championships, they believed in us and knew what it would take to get that win. Personally, the fact that our assistant coach was a former goalie, was always such a huge bonus for me. Not only did she excuse me daily from Pam's swimming workouts, but she had the most brilliant and effective coaching style, that forever shaped me as a goalie, defender and leader. I am grateful to this day to have been a collegiate athlete under Suzanne and Pam's dynasty.
Marisa (Pearlman) Walter:
Similar to Darcy, the memories of this specific game are a bit hazy. I do remember the rivalry and the intensity of that game. I also remember our team's tenacity and ability to push past the exhaustion and the pressure defense to put the ball in the goal by all means necessary.
Reflecting back, playing on this CMS team was a highlight of my collegiate experience. As a transfer to CMC, the team offered an instant connection to the school and the larger 5-C community. Early morning workouts, treks to Collins after practice before it closed, 1-piece parties... In addition, over the years, it has been wonderful staying connected to many of our teammates - Shauna's visits with us in Portland every summer, Jane's cute pics of her little one sent via text, a random meet up with Anna in the PDX airport, a visit with Suzanne at her amazing family coffee plantation on the Big Island in 2011, attending alumni events with the lovely Darcy in Claremont and of course, Mike Sutton, the CMC thread that continues to keep tabs on all.
I am also reminded that we really were playing in the infancy of the sport, often matched up in the pre-season against huge schools with national and soon to be Olympic-level players. It is amazing to see how women's water polo has evolved throughout the decades with more D1 programs, scholarships and more importantly equally funded girls' high school programs (I played on a "boys" team) providing opportunity to learn and play. I am so proud to have played this sport with you all.
Pam Tanase (Head Coach):
We had a talented team led by strong veterans, first-years making their mark and gifted Athena athletes from other land sports. NCAA women's water polo was still in its early stages meaning that winning a SCIAC title was essentially the same as being the Div III champion.
While we cruised to a 4-0 record leading up to the SCIAC championship tournament, our opponents adjusted their game plans. There are times a team just doesn't match up well against another team and that was our experience with Oxy. They had a really good goalie that got into our heads a bit. And, I'm sure the officiating was lopsided and they called too many offensive fouls against us when we were just better than the defense, not enough drawn ejections when we were being hacked and too many ejections against us when we were playing super clean defense!
While Pomona-Pitzer was always an intense Sixth Street rival, Redlands was the team to beat. Tom Whittemore, former CMS great, led a Bulldog team filled with dedicated and experienced players. And while I can't recall the exact specifics of that game, I know we did everything to be ready to take them on. It took a total team effort, staying with our defensive matchups, having patience on 6/5's, sinking 4M penalty shots, funneling shots to Cara's good hand and digging deep to find a way to win. And we did!
1997 Women's Water Polo Roster
Head Coach: Pam Tanase
Assistant Coach: Suzanne "Swish" Shriner
Chela Altman (Fr., CMC)
Darcy Burton (So., CMC)
Inger Crickenberger (So., Scripps)
Jenny Gannan (So., Scripps)
Andrea Grover (Fr., Scripps)
Kari Heidel (Sr., Scripps)
Anna Hewitson (Sr., Scripps)
Lisa Hill (So., CMC)
Taryn Kelly (Jr., Scripps)
Shauna Lane (So., Scripps)
Jane Mi (Fr., CMC)
Katy Norris (Fr., Scripps)
Marisa Pearlman (Jr., CMC)
Ellyce Shulman (So., Scripps)
Kate Stone (Fr., Scripps)
Michelle Takayama (Fr., CMC)
Cara Vas Dias (Jr., CMC)
Sarah Woodman (So., Scripps)