Sports Recap: A Victorious Spring for the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens

Claremont, Calif. (May 8, 2023)—Pomona-Pitzer student-athletes have always distinguished themselves for demonstrating a robust passion for sports and academics in NCAA Division III. This spring, they have continued that passion through their endurance, enthusiasm, and teamwork.

Pomona-Pitzer Women’s Water Polo Team Repeats National Championship

The Pomona-Pitzer women’s water polo team repeated as the USA Water Polo Division III National Champions with their 14-13 overtime win over CMS on May 7.

With the win, the Sagehens repeated the treble winning the SCIAC Regular Season Championship, the SCIAC Tournament Championship, and the Division III National Championship.

The Sagehens were led by Tournament MVP Abigail Wiesenthal PO’24, who netted six goals in the championship game for the Sagehens. Alexandra Szczerba PO’25, Namlhun Jachung ’24, and Lulu Gaither ’25 had two while Kaylee Stigar PO’25 and Madison Lewis PO’23 had one each. Zosia Amberger PO’25 got the win for the Sagehens in the cage and stopped 11 shots with two steals.

Adapted from the Pomona-Pitzer Athletics press release “Sagehens Repeat As National Champions With Overtime Win Over CMS.”

Pomona-Pitzer Women’s Water Polo Team Repeats SCIAC Tournament Championship 

The Pomona-Pitzer Women’s Water Polo team repeated as SCIAC Tournament Champions with their 9-5 win over SCIAC rival CMS on April 30. With the win, the Sagehens earned their second-straight SCIAC Championship and have now won four of the past five SCIAC Tournaments. 

The Sagehens were led by the Championship MVP Brienz Lang PO’26, who netted four goals in the win. Mia Amberger PO’26 made one goal while Alexandra Szczerba PO’25 and Pitzer’s Namlhun Jachung ’24 had two goals. Zosia Amberger PO’25 got the win for the Sagehens in goal and played fantastically for all four quarters with 12 saves and a steal.  

Adapted from the Pomona-Pitzer Athletics press release “Sagehens Win SCIAC Tournament Championship Over CMS.” 

Namlhun Jachung ’24 Named Player of the Year in Water Polo 

Pitzer’s Namlhun Jachung ’24 and Head Coach Alex Rodriguez highlight the 2023 Women’s Water Polo Awards with Player of the Year and Coach of the Year honors. Additionally, the Sagehens had four First Team All-SCIAC honorees with Jachung, Zosia Amberger PO’25, Alexandra Szczerba PO’25, and Abigail Wiesenthal PO’24. 

Jachung earned SCIAC Player of the Year honors in her second year as a collegiate water polo player after earning SCIAC Newcomer of the Year in 2022. Last year, Jachung also received the ACWPC National Player of the Year award and was named tournament MVP when the water polo team won the USA Water Polo Division III National Championship. Jachung finished this season just under the 50-goal mark for the season while leading the team in assists and points. 

Alex Rodriguez led the Sagehen coaching staff to another SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year Award. Rodriguez earned his third Coach of the Year Award and second-straight award after also earning the distinction in 2022.

Adapted from the Pomona-Pitzer Athletics press release “Jachung and Rodriguez Highlight Water Polo Postseason Awards.”

Pomona-Pitzer Women’s Lacrosse Team Earns Second-Straight SCIAC Tournament Championship

After winning the SCIAC Regular Season Championship on April 29, the Pomona-Pitzer women’s lacrosse team claimed their second-straight SCIAC Tournament Championship title with a 13-12 victory over the CMS Athenas on May 6. The title is the Sagehens’ fourth Tournament Championship in program history having won in 2015, 2016, and 2022.

Pitzer’s Carly Sullivan ’23 was awarded the Tournament Most Valuable Player award for her stellar defensive prowess on the back line for Pomona-Pitzer. Offensively, the Sagehens were led by Fiona Lewis PO’25, who ended the night with five goals and one assist with Grace Warner ’23 recording three goals and two assists. With the victory, the Sagehens earned the automatic qualifier into the 2023 NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Tournament for the second year in a row.

Adapted from the Pomona-Pitzer Athletics press releases “Sagehens Finish Unbeaten in SCIAC Play With 24-2 Win Over Cal Lutheran” and “Sagehens Earn Second-Straight SCIAC Title with 13-12 Victory Over CMS.”

Sydney Landauer ’25 Named Offensive Player of the Year in Lacrosse 

The Pomona-Pitzer women’s lacrosse team had nine players earn All-SCIAC honors highlighted by Offensive Player of the Year, Pitzer’s Sydney Landauer ’25, and Defensive Player of the Year, Claire LeBlanc PO’23.  

Landauer took home Player of the Year honors after leading the most potent offense in the SCIAC this season. Landauer led the conference in points with 74 on 42 goals and 32 assists for what was by a wide margin the top offense in the SCIAC. Pomona-Pitzer ran the table for a second consecutive year, scoring more than 20 goals per game. 

LeBlanc earned Defensive Player of the Year honors for the Sagehens after leading the best defense in the SCIAC this season in all major categories. The defense gave up an average of 4.1 goals per game. LeBlanc ended the year with 24 caused turnovers and 48 ground balls. 

Outside of Landauer and LeBlanc, the Sagehens earned five other First Team All-SCIAC selections with Shoshi Henderson PO’25, Fiona Lewis PO’25, Maggie Sweeney PO’23, Caroline Donegan PO’26, and Pitzer’s Carly Sullivan ’23. The Sagehens added two more Second Team selections with Caroline Worthington PO’23 and Eloise Cherian PO’23.

Adapted from the Pomona-Pitzer Athletics press release “LeBlanc and Landauer Highlight SCIAC Postseason Awards.”

Pomona-Pitzer Women’s Golf Team Earns Second SCIAC Championship 

On April 25, Pomona-Pitzer women’s golf team came back from 10 strokes down in the final day of the SCIAC Championships to claim their second title in as many years at the Olivas Golf Course in Ventura. 

The Sagehens defended their SCIAC title against the newly No. 1 ranked Redlands with a come-from-behind win in the final day of the championships to earn the trophy by a stroke. Pomona-Pitzer shot a new program low 283 for their last round and had two golfers finish inside the top 5 with Katelyn Vo PO’24 taking second place and Jessica Mason PO’26 earning third. The Sagehens have now earned their second SCIAC Championship in program history.  

With the win, the Sagehens earned the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. 

Adapted from the Pomona-Pitzer Athletics press release “Sagehens Repeat for Their Second SCIAC Championship.”

Madison Quan ’22 Makes History in Women’s Basketball 

Madison Quan ’22 is the SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year as announced by the SCIAC on February 23. A recent Pitzer alum and a current Claremont Graduate University student, Quan played this season as a Sagehen after missing one year to Covid as an undergraduate.  

Quan became the first SCIAC Player of the Year in program history after she left her mark all over the Pomona-Pitzer women’s basketball record books. Quan ended her career sixth in all-time points with 1,313, the all-time leader in three-pointers with 164, fifth in career assists with 359, and third in career steals with 285. She also broke the single-game points record with 41 in the Sagehens’ win against No. 23 La Verne and set the single-game steals record with 10 against Cal Lutheran. 

Quan was also named to the D3Hoops.com First Team All-West Region team on March 14. 

Adapted from the Pomona-Pitzer Athletics press release “Madison Quan Tabbed SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year.” 

Pomona-Pitzer Men’s Basketball Team Clinches SCIAC Regular Season Title 

On February 21, the No. 24 Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens earned their fourth-straight SCIAC Regular Season Title with a 75–68 win over No. 19 CMS at Voelkel Gymnasium. With the win, the Sagehens clinched the SCIAC Regular Season Title and earned their fifth 20-win season in program history to improve to 20–5 overall and 15–1 in SCIAC play. 

The Sagehens were led by Brendan Mora PO’23 and Joe Cookson PO’25, who both went for 20-point games against their conference rival. Mora notched a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds while Cookson scored a team-high 21 points. 

Adapted from the Pomona-Pitzer Athletics press release “Sagehens Clinch SCIAC Regular Season Title With 75–68 Win Over CMS.” 

Ben Willett ’23 Sets Program Records in Men’s Swim and Dive 

The Pomona-Pitzer men’s swim and dive team closed out their regular season home meets with a 202–92 victory over the Caltech Beavers on January 31. Pitzer’s Ben Willett ’23 highlighted the Sagehens’ efforts with program records in both the 1m and 3m dives. 

Willett highlighted the Sagehens’ performance in the 1m dive, setting a new program record in the 6-dive competition with 385.15 points to take first place on the day. Willett also shone in the 3m dive, setting another program record with 383.85 points to take first. These triumphs earned Willett a SCIAC Athlete of the Week. 

Adapted from the Pomona-Pitzer Athletics press release “Willett Shines on Senior Day as Sagehens Top Beavers in Last Home Duel.” 

To learn more, please visit Sagehen Athletics.