CMC75 Moments: 2015 Men's Water Polo Wins Dramatic 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
2015 Men's Water Polo: Stags 12, Whittier 11 (SCIAC Championship)
As the clock was winding down at the end of the first overtime of the 2015 SCIAC Championship against Whittier, Peter Tilton had the ball at mid-pool for the CMS Men's Water Polo team and took one of those "might as well" shots that rarely go in. This one did. Tilton found the upper corner of the net with a laser to put CMS in front 12-11, and the Stags were able to keep that lead during the second overtime session to earn the SCIAC Championship, capping off an 11-0 league season, the first time the Stags had gone unbeaten since 1997.
It was also the 17th win in a row for the Stags since a loss to UCLA in September, which took two other narrow wins over Whittier during the regular season (16-14, 14-13) to earn the program's 26th conference title, knocking off a Poets team that had defeated them in the conference championship each of the previous two years. Tilton, in fact, beat the buzzer against the Poets once before in the 14-13 win, netting the tiebreaking goal with just one second left at Axelrood Pool.
In the SCIAC Championship, CMS was down 9-7 in the fourth quarter, before scoring three straight, as Alex Waggoner gave the Stags a 10-9 lead in the final minute before Whittier answered to force the overtime. Tanner Cullen put CMS in front, before Whittier tied it again, setting up the game-winner from Tilton. Ellison Taylor had four goals and Daniel Cogan had three, while Rye Newman had 10 saves. The win sent CMS through to an NCAA play-in game against USC, with the Trojans ending the Stags season at 21-8.
Tanner Cullen was named the Division III Player of the Year for the Stags, and was joined on the All-SCIAC first team by Waggoner and Newman. Taylor and Daniel Cogan were chosen to the second team.
Peter Tilton:
2015 is definitely a season to remember! That great season was not without its ups and downs, but we had a very tight knit and supportive group that allowed us to persevere through tough times, stay disciplined, and keep a championship mindset that allowed us to achieve so much success.
2015 Men's Water Polo Roster
Head Coach: Greg Lonzo
Assistant Coach: Sean Evans
Nick Bailey (Jr., Attacker, HMC)
Eric Bakar (Jr., Utility, CMC)
Daniel Cogan (Sr., Attacker, CMC)
Tanner Cullen (Sr., Attacker, CMC)
Matt Daruty (Fr., Attacker, CMC)
Noah Deer (So., Center, CMC)
Graham Fullerton (So., Utility, CMC)
Adam Hilborn (Sr., Center, CMC)
Arya Nakhjavani (So., Center, CMC)
Rye Newman (Sr., Goalie, CMC)
Evan Pauletich (Fr., Goalie, CMC)
McClatchy Ruskin (Gr., Attacker, CMC)
Peter Seidner (Fr., Attacker, CMC)
Ryan Sung (So., Attacker, CMC)
Ellison Taylor (Jr., Defender, CMC)
Eric Thvedt (Fr., Attacker, CMC)
Peter Tilton (So., Attacker, CMC)
Alex Waggoner (Jr., Attacker, CMC)
