Sports Recap: Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens Taste Victory Throughout Spring Season

The Sagehens took flight in NCAA Division III to soar above the competition in an array of sports. Pomona-Pitzer women’s water polo achieved a four-peat of the NCAA DIII Championships, along with SCIAC Regular Season and SCIAC Tournament Championships. Two Pitzer student-athletes in women’s swim & dive and lacrosse received Athlete of the Year honors.

The men’s golf team picked up a SCIAC 2 win, while the women’s swim & dive, golf, lacrosse, and tennis teams earned various SCIAC Championships. The Claremont Colleges Women’s Club Volleyball also won a national championship in Division II.

Women’s Swim & Dive Wins 25th SCIAC Championship & Athlete of the Year

The Pomona-Pitzer women’s swimming and diving team clinched the SCIAC Championship in February after strong performances on day four. The Sagehens finished the meet with 1051.5 points, ahead of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (886) and Chapman (442.5).  

The conference title is the Sagehens’ sixth in the last nine years and their 25th championship in program history. JP Gowdy and his staff were named SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year following the meet.

Pitzer’s Valerie Mello ’25 was named SCIAC Athlete of the Year. Mello won the 100-yard freestyle on day four and 200-yard freestyle (with a SCIAC record time of 1:49.78) on day three of the championship.

Men’s Golf Wins SCIAC 2

The Pomona-Pitzer men’s golf team picked up a crucial victory on April 6 at the SCIAC 2, led by a first-place individual finish from Nilay Naik PO’28. The Sagehens returned to Claremont with a conference-level title, their first team crown in two years. This resounding win came in dominant fashion—with a ten-stroke margin separating the Sagehens and No. 29 CMS. They also took down No. 13 Redlands, No. 30 La Verne, and No. 23 Cal Lutheran along the way.  

5C Women’s Club Volleyball Wins D2AA National Championship  

On April 19, The Claremont Colleges Women’s Club Volleyball won the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation, Inc. (NCVF) Division 2AA National Championship. NCVF promotes health, education, and leadership for male and female collegiate club volleyball student-athletes.

The 5C Women’s Club Volleyball has been an active athletic group for many years. Recently, their level of competition moved the team from Division III to Division II. The club team plays in the Southern California Collegiate Volleyball League, which includes club teams from UCLA, UC Irvine, and UC San Diego.  

The team captains this year included Pitzer’s Zhané Moledina ’25, Angela Zhou SCR’25, Elena Miller HMC’26, and Kate Huefner HMC’26.

Women’s Golf Wins SCIAC Championship

The Pomona-Pitzer women’s golf team won its third SCIAC Championship in four years on April 29. The Sagehens made a 13-stroke victory over rival CMS, providing that extra spark heading into the National Championship. Team leader and captain Emily Chang PO’25 capped her decorated career as a Sagehen by cementing the team title and securing an individual first-place victory.

Women’s Tennis Wins SCIAC Regular and Tournament Championships

The No. 1 Pomona-Pitzer women’s tennis team beat No. 2 CMS Athenas 4–0 to claim the SCIAC Tournament Championship on May 2.

The Sagehens claimed the SCIAC Tournament Championship for the second year in a row with their sixth SCIAC Tournament Championship in program history. The Sagehens went undefeated in SCIAC play in the 2025 season for the first time since 2010 and improved to 13–7 overall.

The Sagehens got out to a strong start, claiming the doubles point to go up 1–0. No. 3 Lauren Rha PO’26 and Leticia Bazua Vazquez PO’27 set the tone, taking a 6–4 win. No. 2 Nyakiriri Kanefu ’27 and Amelia Poor PO’25 put up a tough battle but came up short, losing 6–2. With the doubles point on the line, No. 1 Marissa Markey ’25 and Angie Zhou PO’25 came back from being down 4–1 to take a 7–5 win and claim the point for the team.

The Sagehens also defeated the Athenas in a tight battle 4–3 on April 27 to close out as 2025 SCIAC Regular Season Champions. The Sagehens jumped out to an early lead by sweeping all three doubles matches and then held strong in singles to secure the win.

Women’s Lacrosse Earns Fourth-Straight SCIAC Regular and Tournament Titles

The Pomona-Pitzer women’s lacrosse team earned its fourth-straight SCIAC Tournament Championship with a 15–12 win over CMS on May 3. 

With the win, the Sagehens earned their fourth consecutive SCIAC Championship and earned the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament with an 18–2 overall record.

The Sagehens were led by Hannah Gough PO’25 and Caili Cross ’28, who each netted a hat-trick with three goals. Shoshi Henderson PO’25 and Sydney Landauer ’25 had two goals while Gwynn Sullivan ’26, Fiona Lewis PO’25, Taylor Glanville ’26, Madelyn Katz PO’27, and River Buechner PO’26 had one.

The team also clinched their fourth-straight SCIAC Regular Season Championship with their 21–6 win over Occidental on April 23.

Sarah Queener and the Sagehens bench earned a Coaching Staff of the Year acknowledgment after leading Pomona-Pitzer to their victorious conclusion.

Sydney Landauer ’25 Named Athlete of the Year in Women’s Lacrosse

Sydney Landauer ’25 earned a second career Offensive Athlete of the Year award to headline the 2025 SCIAC Women’s Lacrosse All-Conference Teams. Landauer also received top offensive recognition in 2023. Landauer led the conference by a wide margin with 78 total points (6.50 per game) with both the top goals (41) and assists (37) marks. The senior converted a clinical 68.3 percent of shots for scores while fueling the conference’s top offense to 21.3 goals per game.

Women’s Water Polo Completes Four-Peat as DIII Champions

The Pomona-Pitzer women’s water polo team completed their four-peat of the NCAA Division III National Championships with their 9–8 win over CMS on May 4. The Sagehens ended the season at 25–10 overall and four-peated as the SCIAC Regular Season Champions, SCIAC Tournament Champions, and DIII National Champions.

The team first earned the SCIAC Regular Season Championship with their 17–6 win over Cal Lutheran on April 24. Then the Sagehens earned their fourth consecutive SCIAC Tournament Championship with their 12–7 win over CMS on April 26.

At the National Championships, the Sagehens were led by Kaylee Stigar PO’25, who netted a hat-trick in the win. Mia Amberger PO’26 netted two goals while Ayva Magna PO’26, Lisbon Zeigler PO’27, Brienz Lang PO’26, and Paityn Richardson PO’27 had one. Zosia Amberger PO’25 picked up her fourth win in the DIII National Championship game and was named MVP with 10 saves.