Claremont, Calif. (November 18, 2013) This week in Sagehens Athletics saw significant impacts from Pitzer athletes in all four winter sports, as well as a key win to close out the regular season in Men’s Water Polo.
Xavyr Moss ’13 (CGU ’15) scored 24 points to help the Sagehens defeat nationally ranked St. Thomas 80-77 in their season opener.
Men’s Basketball got the season started on a high note by defeating St. Thomas (Minn.) 80-77 on Friday at Voelkel Gymnasium. St. Thomas was a Division III Final Four team a year ago and entered the new season ranked No. 15 in the nation. The Sagehens built a 14-point lead early in the second half and held off repeated St. Thomas rallies before holding on for the narrow win. Xavyr Moss ’13 (CGU ’15) had a big day with a game-high 24 points, while Nicholas Nordale ’17 also contributed 15 big points in his college debut, including two clutch free throws in the final minute to push the lead to four. The Sagehens will be on the road this week for games at Biola on Tuesday and Westmont on Saturday.
The Women’s Basketball team also opened its season, playing at the Whit Classic in Spokane and falling to both host Whitworth and Whitman. The Sagehens entered the tournament with only freshmen and sophomores on the active roster, as the team has no seniors on the roster and its only two juniors were out of action, including Ruth Shapiro ’15. Basha Brulee-Wills ’17 had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Whitworth in her college debut, and almost did it again with 15 points and nine rebounds against Whitman. Amelia Hummel ’16 also had a strong opening weekend with a combined 20 points in the two games while shooting 8-14 from the floor. The Sagehens will be at Hope International on Saturday before its home opener next Tuesday against Linfield.
Volleyball competed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997 and put up a tough battle against UT Dallas before falling 3-1. Ellen Yamasaki ’15 had 10 kills to tie for second on the Sagehens in her first NCAA Tournament match, while finishing the year with 180 kills, 207 assists, 148 digs and 60 blocks as one of the team’s most versatile performers.
The Men’s Water Polo team wrapped up the regular season with a 14-11 win over La Verne on Saturday, giving it the fourth seed in the SCIAC Tournament and leaving it still in control of its own destiny for the 2013 SCIAC championship. Jarrod Gaut ’14 tallied three goals, and Stephen Vint ’15 added the goal which put the team ahead to stay. Gaut and Vint are now tied for second with 43 goals this season for the Sagehens, who will be at the SCIAC Championships this Friday-Sunday at Chapman.
The Sagehen Swimming teams also had their first dual meet of the season at home against Division II Cal Baptist and had a solid performance as the women’s team lost by just nine points (135-126). The meet ended with the 400-yard freestyle relay team setting a new Haldeman Pool record in 3:35.04, with Cayla Nishizaki ’17, swimming the first leg. Nishizaki also won the 50-yard freestyle, while Eirik Hansen ’15 won the 50-yard freestyle for the men’s team.
Kyle Dalrymple ’17 was the top Sagehen in the breaststroke, finishing third in both the 100-yard and 200-yard events, while William Thorson ’16 led the way in the butterfly, finishing second in the 200 and third in the 100. Allison Queen ’17 was fourth in the 200-yard breaststroke for the women, while Andrew Wright ’16 was the top distance swimmer for the men.
The Sagehens Cross Country team won the NCAA Division III West Region championship on its home course on Saturday morning, defeating neighboring Claremont-Mudd-Scripps by six points.
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Tuesday, Nov. 19
Men’s Basketball at Biola, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 22
Men’s Water Polo at Chapman, 7 p.m. (SCIAC Championships)
Saturday, Nov. 23
Women’s Cross Country at NCAA Championships, 8 a.m. (at Hanover, Ind.)
Men’s Cross Country at NCAA Championships, 9:15 a.m. (at Hanover, Ind.)
Men’s Water Polo at SCIAC Championships, TBA (at Chapman)
Women’s Basketball at Hope International, 5:30 p.m.
Men’s Basketball at Westmont, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 24
Men’s Water Polo at SCIAC Championships, TBA (at Chapman)
Tuesday, Nov. 26
Women’s Basketball (H) vs. Linfield, 6 p.m.
