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CMC Celeb: Annie Perizzolo

Kelsey Brown — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:00:57 +0000

To those of you that follow CMS sports, this week’s Celeb’s recent accomplishments are no secret. Annie Perizzolo, a native of Aurora, CO, is a junior majoring in Management Engineering. She spends some of her time being a physics tutor, a mentor for Uncommon Good, and a Career Consultant for Career Services. Although she played soccer, basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, and ran track while growing up, Annie has now focused her athleticism towards swimming. Specifically, Annie swims the 100 and 200 breast, as well as the 200 and 400 IM. And you could say she has been pretty successful. This past year she took home two individual SCIAC records and titles in the 100 and 200 breast, as well as three SCIAC records and titles in the 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay and the 400 Free Relay (with the help of Elsa Cheng ’13, Katie Bilotti ’12, Emma Jones ’12, and Jenni Rinker ’11). To put this in to perspective, Annie broke not only a CMS record, but a SCIAC record – in two events! In March, she returned from the NCAA Division III Championships as the first Athena to ever bring home two national swimming titles. She’s kind of a big deal.

“The Six”

1. What are the top 5 most played songs on your iTunes?

1. Amazing, Josh Kelley
2. Your Love Is My Drug, Ke$ha
3. Secret Smile, Rascal Flatts
4. Make It Up to You, Steve Means
5. The Man Who Can’t Be Moved, The Script

2. What is your quirkiest quality?

Steamed carrots are my favorite food, hands down, no questions asked. I just love them. And balloons have an unbelievably strong power to make me happy the minute I see them no matter what mood I am in. That was two. Sorry.

3. What do you consider your greatest achievement (outside of your athletic career)?

Surviving a summer in Thailand full of jungle treks, crazy food, and very limited Thai language skills.

4. What is something that you learned from your family?

Every situation can be turned into a positive, you just have to learn how to adjust your mind set.

5. If you could be a character from any book, movie, or TV show, who would you be?

Ron Weasley from Harry Potter

6. What is your favorite unknown tidbit about CMC?

Oh gosh. There are so many. Probably that Alex Mitchell and Kacey Klein make bomb corn dogs. And that Career Services always has yummy holiday candy on the front desk. Sorry, that’s two again. Did I ever say making decisions was a strong point of mine?

Annie and her teammates celebrate their victories at the 2010 NCAA National Championships. (L to R) Emma Jones '12, Annie, Elsa Cheng '13 and Katie Bilotti '12.

How long have you been swimming?

I started swimming on a team when I was seven, and I started taking it seriously when I was 15, or so. It took me a while to decide swimming was going to be the sport I would focus on – and I still can’t stereotype myself as a “swimmer.”

Did you have a favorite swimmer growing up? If so, why were they your favorite?

I have never really followed the swimming world as closely as others, but just based off of looks I was always a fan of Aaron Piersol.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in swimming, other than your two recent national titles?
Honestly, I have always appreciated the team aspect of swimming more than my individual races. I would say that the relays I have been on the last few years have been some of my greatest achievements. The relay swims that stand out are the 400 medley relay last year at SCIACs and the 400 free relay at SCIACs this year.

What has been your greatest setback during your swimming career and how did you overcome it?
It has been hard to shift from a three-sport athlete to just being a swimmer. It’s such a different mentality to train for just one sport for such a long period of time. It’s difficult to keep my focus from September until March on just one swim meet. Luckily for me, the CMS team made it an easier transition, and everyone is super supportive whenever anyone begins to doubt how their season is going and what goals they should be reaching for.

What did you do to train this season for the SCIAC Championships?
As I mentioned, swim season is super long. But it’s long because you need to put in work the whole season in order to perform well in the end. So training for SCIACs starts the day you get back on campus [from summer break] and in Axelrood Pool. The whole team does a mix of water workouts and dry land workouts. We make sure that we keep our goals in mind so that we can continue working hard throughout the season. But more importantly, I make sure that I have fun with every practice – that I have something to laugh and joke about at the end of every practice. It makes getting in the water every day (sometimes at 6:00 a.m.) so much easier.

What was your greatest motivator?
I’d say my greatest motivator was being able to shave my legs at the end of the season? Ha. Just kidding. (Well, sort of.) I love the feeling of being tired after practice, and I love being around people that are all working hard toward a common goal. I don’t really need a motivator day-in and day-out when it comes to swimming.

How does it feel to be a national champion?
It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I have dropped so much time these last three years at CMC. When I hear about people that get the same time as me I still think, “Holy cow, one day I wish I could swim like that!” – slowly to realize that I have. It’s just so surreal. I have definitely done more than I ever thought possible for myself.

What is the best advice you have been given (in regards to your swimming career)?
I think the best advice I have ever received is to just have fun with it – and that applies to everything. If you aren’t having fun, then you shouldn’t be doing it! And the more you enjoy an experience, the more likely it is that you will be successful.

What do you love most about swimming?

I think people always question swimmers about how the sport of swimming can be fun. Swimming is something different for everyone, but for me, the pool is one place where I can think, where I can feel like I am accomplishing something with every practice we do, where I can hang out with friends, where I learn an amazing amount about discipline, motivation, and goal setting, and where I am almost guaranteed to have fun every time. So even though it seems like we just stare at a black line all day while swimming back and forth, the three hours of practice we do every day does so much for me. And although I have been very successful with my end results each season, it’s not always about the end results. Isn’t there some kind of proverb saying the journey is much more important than the destination? It’s so true.

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CMC Celeb is a feature of the Forum that profiles interesting CMC students, finding out everything from what makes them tick to what’s in their iTunes library. Ever wanted to know more about someone on campus? Suggest a name anonymously here…we might just make them a CMC Celeb.

Stags Tennis defeats No. 1 Santa Cruz 8-1

Max Mullen — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:14:12 +0000

On Thursday night, the CMS men’s tennis team hosted the Division III defending champions and No.1 ranked UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs and came out on top in a dominant performance.

The Stags had been looking forward to this matchup since last spring when the Slugs knocked CMS out of the NCAA tournament in the round of 16 on their way to the championship. Although UCSC had lost five of their six senior starters from a year ago, the team rebounded to win the ITA Indoor Nationals tournament in February to retain their No. 1 ranking.

This was the first matchup between archrivals CMS and UCSC at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center, with CMS riding a four match winning streak at home vs. the Slugs.

The Slugs were the first to get on the board, with their No. 5 ranked team defeating the Stags #1 doubles team of Thomas Keiffer CM ’10 and captain Mikey Lim CM ’10 8-4. Robbie Erani CM ’12 and Ron Wu CM ’11 evened the score at 1-all with a convincing 8-1 victory at second doubles, and Eric MacColl CM ’10 and Brandon Wei HM ’12 were close behind with a victory at third doubles, 8-3.

All eyes turned to the singles matches, as the Stags needed three of six to clinch victory. First off was No. 3 ranked Robbie Erani with a crushing 6-2, 6-2 victory over Santa Cruz’s No.1, and the Stags were up 3-1, with first set victories in all six matches, unprecedented against a team of Santa Cruz’s quality. Erani’s partner Ron Wu was next off with a 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 5, and Victor Chien CM ’12 in the six slot, clinched the match for the Stags. Chien was especially impressive: after losing the first two games, he rebounded to win the next 12 and take the match in convincing fashion.

The men continued to pour salt on the Santa Cruz wounds, with MacColl at 3 winning 6-3, 6-3, Lim with a 6-4, 6-2 victory at No. 2, and Russell Brockett CM ’11 with a 6-4, 6-1 victory at No. 4 for an 8-1 victory. The 8 to 1 score was the most lopsided ever for the Stags vs. the Slugs and sends a message to the rest of Division III.

The Stags (13-4, 3-0 SCIAC) host No. 25 ranked Gustavus Adolphus on Tuesday night and face SCIAC rival Cal Lutheran April 10th at 9:30 at the BFTC.

Editor’s Note: I know there’s a joke waiting in there somewhere about salting slugs instead of wounds but I’m just not coming up with it.

Athenas Finish 5th, Stags 41st; Perizzolo Wins Two Titles

Max Mullen — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:13:44 +0000

This past week, as many celebrated Spring Break, the top aquatic Stags and Athenas took to the pool at the at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center for the Division III national championships hosted by Beloit College and the College of Wooster.Annie Perizzolo CMC ’11 won the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, with CMS and SCIAC record times of 1:01.84 and 2:14.83 respectively. Perizzolo is the third Athena to win a national swimming title and the first Athena to win two events. Katie Bilotti CMC ’12 finished second and third in the 1o0 butterfly and 100 backstroke respectively, earning All-American honors, also establishing herself as one of Division III’s best swimmers, according to Coach Griffiths.

Perizzolo said, “Winning two national titles is amazing and I still don’t think it has fully hit me yet, and it will probably take me awhile to fully realize everything that happened last week,” but noted her greatest swimming achievements have been as part of relay teams.

On Perizzolo, Coach Griffiths noted, “When you add the significance of her medley relays splits this year and her body of work over three seasons at the SCIAC and NCAA level, there’s no doubt that Annie is one of the elite student-athletes in CMS history.”

The University of Minnesota Aquatic Center hosted the NCAA Division III Championships. Photo Credit: NCAA

Both medley relay teams earned All-American honors as well, and set CMS and SCIAC records with their times. The 200 medley relay team (Elsa Cheng CMC ’13, Perizzolo, Bilotti and Emma Jones CMC ’12) took second in 1:43.09, while the 400 medley relay team (Tessa Dover CMC ’11, Perizzolo, Bilotti and Jones) swam the relay in 3:44.60, also taking second place. Dover finished sixth in the 200 backstroke earning All-American honors and broke CMS and SCIAC records in the prelims.

Tessa Dover was awarded an NCAA Elite 88 award for having the highest cumulative GPA of all the competitors at the Division III Championships.

The 200 free relay team (Jenni Rinker HMC ’11, Elica Sharifnia CMC ’12, Bilotti and Jones) and Bilotti in the 50 free received honorable mention All-American honors for their finishes in the top 16. The Athenas’ 5th place finish is their highest ever and the fifth straight top 15 national finish.

For the future of the Athenas, Coach Griffiths has a lot of goals, “We’d like to see our All-Americans continue to improve; we’d like to see some more current team members take the next step and qualify for nationals; we want to recruit incoming swimmers who will be great fits at our colleges and are excited about getting faster.”

The Stags netted a 41st place finish at the meet. Blake Weber CMC ’13 earned honorable mention All-American honors with an 11th place finish in the 200 freestyle. The 800 free relay team (Austin Hallett CMC ’12, Jeff McNerney CMC ’12, Andrew Cosentino CMC ’11, Weber) finished 14th, earning honorable mentions as well.

Athenas Beat Whittier for Final Playoff Spot

Max Mullen — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:13:55 +0000

The Women’s basketball team (5-7 SCIAC) headed to Whittier (6-6 SCIAC) last night with a chance to catch the Poets, and, with an impressive 80-61 win, are now only one win away from claiming the fourth and final spot in the SCIAC tournament.

Following a 76-73 OT loss to Occidental on the 6th, the playoff outlook for the Athenas seemed bleak, but the stars aligned with a pair of Poet losses and two rapid-fire wins for CMS. Nevertheless, the Athenas aren’t quite in control of their own destiny. With only a showdown against last place Pomona-Pitzer (1-11 SCIAC) left to play, CMS is depending on yet another Whittier loss to squeak into the tournament.

Aria Krumwiede and the Athenas look to clinch a playoff birth this weekend. Photo Credit: Gary Stephenson

It seems as if the close loss to first place Oxy has given CMS the confidence that they can compete with the elite in SCIAC and it’s shown in their last three games.

Last night the Athenas dominated Whittier statistically even more than the score showed, grabbing 44 rebounds to the Poets 23, shooting 34-42 for free throws and leading in just about every other stat.

In an 81-30 drubbing of Cal Tech, Aria Krumwiede CM ’12 had a game high 22 points, including setting a team record, shooting 6 for 6 from beyond the arc. Taylon Johnson CM ’12 got in on the scoring parade, adding 13 points, and swiping three steals.

On Saturday, the Athenas defeated the University of La Verne 61-50 to move within one game of Whittier. Krumwiede again led the team with 19 points, while Grace Beck CM ’12 grabbed 10 boards to keep the Athenas in the game.

If the Athenas win their final game, they could be looking at a rematch with the Tigers at Occidental in the SCIAC tournament next week.

SCIAC Season for CMS

Max Mullen — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 04:00:20 +0000

It’s that time again, SCIAC season for winter sports…let’s see how they did last week:

Men’s Basketball

Stags basketball has picked up right where they left off after their SCIAC championship season by going 15-3 in division III play, including 8-1 (1st) in SCIAC play. Reigning SCIAC player of the year Chris Blees CM ’11 is averaging 18.5 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game to lead the team in both categories. The team had a huge win at Redlands for first place in the SCIAC last week. After blowing a 6 point lead with 1:09 to play, the Stags rebounded in overtime to outscore the Bulldogs 16-8 and take sole possession of 1st place in the conference. The SCIAC champs have won 11 of their last 12 games, the lone exception being a tough 36-47 loss at Pomona-Pitzer two weeks ago in which the men made only 23% of their shots from the field. The team faces Cal Tech at home on Wednesday, then faces La Verne and Whittier, before a huge showdown at home vs. P-P a week from Saturday.

Women’s Basketball

The Athenas got off to a strong start this year, winning 9 of their first 11 games, but the conference schedule has been tough on the women. Aira Krumwiede CM ’12 was named MVP of the CMS-CalTech classic in late December, and has continued that torrid pace, averaging 14.5 points per game, shooting 36% from beyond the arc, and leading the team in steals. Cameron Hanson CM ’10 has been a dominant inside presence, shooting 57% from the field and grabbing 7 rebounds a game. They currently sit at 12-9, 3-7 in SCIAC (5th) with three games remaining, including a home game against P-P the same Saturday night as the men.

Nick Ostreim and the CMS swim team hope to repeat their success of last year. Photo Credit: Christopher Mitchell / Sport Shot Photo

Men’s Swimming & Diving

The two time defending SCIAC champion aquatic Stags once again have gotten off to a strong start in league play, besting CalTech, Pomona-Pitzer, Whittier, La Verne, Occidental, and Cal Lutheran before falling last Saturday in a tight one to Redlands. In the losing effort, Andrew Fevery CM ’13 and Garrett Smith CM ’11 won the 1m and 3m diving events, respectively, Brant Kersten CM ’12 set a pool record in the men’s mile, Nick Ostreim CM ’11 won the 200 backstroke event, and Vincent Pai HM ’12 set a pool record in the 200 breaststroke. The men will have a chance to avenge their loss at the SCIAC championships starting February 21.

Women’s Swimming & Diving

The seven time defending SCIAC champions have once again clinched an undefeated SCIAC record with their victory over Redlands this past Saturday. This past weekend, the Athenas dominated the 400 m relay, Carmen Lundell CM ’13 took 1st in both the 1m and 3m diving events, Whitney Dawson CM ’12 toasted the Bulldogs in the 1650, and Annie Perizzolo CM ’11 and Emma Jones CM ’12 both posted NCAA B-cut times in the 200 breast and 200 free respectively. Other event winners included Jones in the 100 free and Jenni Rinker HM ’11 in the 200 backstroke. Next for the Athenas are SCIAC diving prelims this Saturday and then SCAIC championships February 21st.

Photo Essay: Swim and Track Meets

Sean McQueen — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:00:33 +0000

Saturday was a big day for CMS Athletics — swimmers and track runners gathered simultaneously (but separately) to compete. Couldn’t come out in the rain to support your teams? Enjoy this slideshow:

Soccer Teams Sweep Slugs, Fall in Round of 32

Max Mullen — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:00:36 +0000

Stags soccer, after an exciting run through the SCIAC tournament, traveled to Santa Cruz to take on the Slugs last Saturday. Downn 1-0 in the 8th minute, prospects did not look good for the Stags, especially playing against Cruz at home. However off a corner in the 23rd minute, Eric Bean (CMC SO) put home a Rodrigo Bravo Beneitez (CMC FR) corner for the equalizer. The game went into halftime knotted at 1. In the 53rd minute, Tony Garcia (CMC SO) scored the eventual game-winning goal, and the Stags held on to advance to the round of 32. The Stags then took on Whitworth on Sunday, and in the second minute, were once again staring at a 1-0 deficit. The game stayed 1-0 until the 51st minute, when Jered Bernstein (CMC FR) scored off a David Taylor (CMC FR) pass, knotting the game at 1-1. The men held strong until the 83rd minute when a Whitworth Pirate snuck through the middle of the defense and slotted a pass to the left, where his teammate tallied the game-winner.

Olivia Sylvester (CMC FR) showed her strength as a multi-faceted midfielder.

After an undefeated SCIAC campaign, the women’s soccer team had high hopes for the NCAA tournament, where they had advanced to the round of 16 last year. The Athenas also faced the Banana Slugs but, as a higher seed than the men, had home-field advantage. Despite an early goal by the Slugs in the 6th minute, the Athenas showed composure as Julia Nishioka (CMC SO) tallied the equalizer off a Laura Hagen (CMC JR) pass just 8 minutes later. Camila Friedman-Gerlicz (CMC SR) was outstanding, stopping 11 shots on goal, and the defense held strong, continuing to give the Athenas chances on offense. Finally in the 63rd minute, SCIAC player of the year Laura Hagen (CMC JR) found the back of the net for the game-winner, as the defense clamped down to put the women into the round of 32 against Hardin-Simmons. Against the Hardin-Simmons Cowgirls, the Athenas again found themselves in a battle. The Athenas warded off the Cowgirl attack, including an 8-0 advantage in corner kicks in the first half, until the 44th minute, when Hardin-Simmons finally snuck one past Friedman-Gerlicz. The Athenas answered quickly in the second half, as Lizzie Van Buskirk (CMC JR) tied the game, but two goals within three minutes by the cowgirls was too much for CMS, and the Athenas’ season ended in a 3-1 defeat.

Interview with a Tennis God: Robbie Erani

Max Mullen — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:00:52 +0000

Robbie Erani CM ’12 placed third at the Division III Nationals, following his triumph at the West Region Championships four weeks ago. Erani agreed to sit down with The Forum and chat about tennis and the greater good.

Robbie Erani CM '12 clinching the ITA West Region title. Photo Credit: Jen Rosenthal

The Forum: What is the secret to winning the West Region?
Robbie Erani: It’s all about the luck of the draw and being mentally prepared.

The Forum: What is the deal with your lucky facial hair?
RE: A few of us on the tennis team decided that the left side of our face did not deserve facial hair, while the right side did and it seemed to treat the players who did it well.

The Forum: Best Stags tennis moment?
RE: Watching captain Larry Wang beat Conrad Olson in a third set tiebreaker to clinch the match vs. then No. 4 Middlebury last season.

The Forum: What are your goals for the spring season?
RE: Win the Division III team national championship.

The Forum: What would you say is your greatest training mechanism?
RE: Dominoes Pizza on Sunday nights.

The Forum: Why is it okay for fans to scream as a batter tries to hit a 100 mph fastball but when tennis players are in the middle of the point, fans have to be quiet?
RE: Tennis is more a mental sport than baseball, in that every shot, every play, every movement, counts toward the end result more than baseball.

The Forum: Favorite non-tennis Stag/Athena team and Athlete to cheer for?
RE: Women’s Rugby and Jason Toney CM ’11.

The Forum: Favorite Male Tennis Player?
RE: Janko Tipsaravic.

The Forum: Favorite Female Tennis Player?
RE: Caroline Wozniaki.

The Forum: Favorite Video Game?
RE: Ken Griffey Baseball ’96 on Nintendo 64.

The Forum: Biggest Fear?
RE: Sharks, I still refuse to swim in the ocean.

The Forum: Who is your Role Model?
Mike Sutton.

The Forum: If you weren’t a tennis player what would you be?
A bum.

Erani advances at ITA Small College Championships

Max Mullen — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:46:13 +0000

Newly crowned West Region champion and All-American Robbie Erani CM ’12 defeated second ranked Michael Greenberg from Kenyon on Thursday 6-4, 6-1, to advance to the semifinals of the ITA Division 3 Fall Nationals in Mobile, Alabama. Erani’s semifinal opponent will be Andrew Peters of Middlebury, who has a career record of 1-2 vs. CMS opponents.

Erani won the Wilson / ITA Division III West Region singles title two weeks ago on the Bizantz Family Tennis Courts, defeating top seeded Andrew Giuffrida of Cal Lutheran 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in the final. Erani became the third Stag in four years to win the West region title, joining Mikey Lim CM ’10 (2007) and Michael Starr HM ’10 (2006).

The winner of the Division 3 event will compete in a playoff against the winners of the Division 2, Junior College, and NAIA tournaments for a wild card into the Division 1 equivalent of this event, the National Intercolligate Indoor Championships at Yale University, November 5-8.

CMS Sports Update

Max Mullen — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:34:56 +0000

CMS teams had huge weekends, led by the soccer teams, which both knocked off perennial soccer power Redlands, and the cross-country team, which competed and did good work against tough division 1 competition.

The Men’s cross country team, ranked 30th in division 3, finished 7th of 30 teams at the UC Riverside invitational last weekend, the best finish of the division 3 teams at the competition. The Stags were able to race against BYU (ranked 12th in division 1), as well as other D1 competition. Kris Brown (JR, CMC) and Brian Sutter (FR, CMC) finished 40th and 47th respectively, leading the Stags. This weekend, the Stags faced off against stiff competition at the Stanford Invitational, featuring harriers from both Stanford and Cal, and finished 12th. Leading the Stags in the 8k were Kramer Straube (JR, HMC) and Brian Sutter.

The Athena harriers, ranked 29th in division 3, finished 14th of 27 teams at the UC Riverside Invitational, also competing against top division 1 competition last weekend. Jenifer Tavé (SO, SCR) finished 44th for the Athenas, with Julia Rigby (SO, SCR) just 5 seconds behind in 49th. This weekend, also facing stiff competition at the Stanford Invitational, the Athena runners finished 16th, led by Tavé and Rigby once more. Both the men and women will head to the West Region preview meet this weekend, which will be a good litmus test for where each team stands versus the best D3 teams in the west.

The Stag Football team came up big in their first home game of the season, beating the Puget Sound Loggers 14-6. QB Scott Yingling (JR, CMC) finished 5 for 14 for 47 yards, but where the Stags did their damage on offense was on the ground. Yingling had 134 rushing yards, including a 24-yard TD run. D.J. Lillard (SR, CMC) had 135 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown in the second quarter. After allowing a second quarter score, the defense clamped down, blocking the Logger PAT attempt, and shutting out UPS from then on. Dan Picciotto (SR, CMC) had a huge defensive game, with 13 tackles, while Landon Patoc (SR, CMC) had the biggest hit of the game, knocking out a Logger wide receiver. The Stags (2-0) had this weekend off, and then will host Occidental this Saturday.

The Stag soccer team (4-3, 3-1 SCIAC) started conference play in strong fashion, going 3-1. In their first conference game, they hosted Cal Lutheran, and two goals from David Taylor (FR, CMC) and Marshall Fisher (JR, CMC), within three minutes of each other in the 26th and 28th minutes got the Stags on the board. After Cal Lu scored in the second half, Harrison Doyle (FR, CMC) answered with his third goal of the season. A Cal Lu goal just before the game ended made the final score 3-2 Stags. Next, the men traveled to La Verne, and were outplayed by the Leopards. La Verne had 14 shots on goal to the Stags 5, and besides an Ian Anderson (JR, CMC) goal, it was all La Verne, which took the game 4-1. Following this performance, the Stags won two 1-0 games in succession at P-P, and then at home vs. Redlands on Saturday to move into a tie with P-P and La Verne for first in the conference. The Stags host Whittier on Wednesday at 4.

The Athena Soccer team has gotten started at an impressive pace. Last Wednesday, goals from Laura Hagen (JR, CMC) and Rachel Bunting (SO, CMC) propelled the team to a 2-0 win at Cal Lutheran. Next up was La Verne, and the Athenas attacked the Leopards with 30 shots and six goals, including two from Bunting. Against Pomona-Pitzer, a 2-1 win, with goals from Giselle Galanto (SR, CMC) and Julie Nishioka (SO, CMC), put the Athenas into a tie with Redlands for first place in the conference, setting up a showdown on Saturday. After being tied 1-1 and heading into overtime, Rachel Bunting’s team-leading fifth goal of the season was the game-winner, giving the team sole possession of first place in the conference. The first place Athenas head to Whittier on Wednesday.

After a 3-5 start, the Athena volleyball team rebounded at home with two dominant 3-0 wins vs. La Sierra and Dickinson, respectively. Their winning ways halted as they dropped their third 2-3 decision of the season to P-P at home, and fell to Redlands 3-1 just three days later. On Saturday at Whittier, the Athenas were firing on all cylinders, picking up their first conference win, led by Jenna Suttmeier (JR, SCR) with 10 kills, and Taylor Jones (FR, CMC) with 38 sets. The Athenas play Chapman at home on Wednesday.

The Men’s Water Polo team sits at an even 6-6 on the season, posting wins in the past two weeks vs. Fresno Pacific, Concordia, and Iona, while dropping two close games to Mt. San Antonio College and Cal Baptist, respectively. The Stags will co-host the Claremont Convergence tournament this weekend, starting Friday with matchups vs. Johns Hopkins and Santa Clara, and then on Saturday vs. Fordham and Fresno Pacific.