Familiar juggernauts claim CCCWPCA men's and women's polls

ORANGE - To no surprise, a pair of defending 3C2A water polo champion Santa Barbara City College and Golden West College Rustlers claim the top spot in the 2023 season’s first California Community College Water Polo Coaches Association (CCCWPCA) rankings.

MEN
Golden West received almost 90 percent of the first-place votes after starting the season on a 7-1 mark. Their only loss came to powerhouse, Division I USC, but they have cruised to seven consecutive 3C2A victories. The Rustlers’ slimmest margin of victory came in a 10-7 triumph over Cerritos at their host tournament.  Leading the way is freshman attacker Tomas De Luca who has netted 18 goals while pocketing 12 steals in eight starts. Sophomore Italy Roth follows with 15 goals and 12 assists, while freshman Emiliano Taylor mans the middle with 14 goals.

The perennial Northern beast in West Valley comes in as the number two team in the state after an 8-2 start. Much like Golden West, the Vikings have yet to drop a 3C2A contest as their two losses came against UC Davis and San Jose State. However, they defeated Division I Merced, 17-11, earlier this month. The Vikings have defeated No. 5 Long Beach, No. 6 Orange Coast and No. 4 Mt. San Antonio, respectively, to continue to make their case for the top spot in the state.

No. 3 Saddleback joins Orange Empire Conference (OEC) foe No. 1 Golden West in the rankings after an impressive 7-2 start. Their schedule is tattered with NCAA competition as they have yet to drop a 3C2A showdown as well. They worked sizable victories over No. 6 Orange Coast and No. 7 Cerritos earlier this month.

No. 4 Mt. San Antonio was the first to 10 wins after a 10-4 start to highlight the South Coast Conference (SCC), while fellow conference member No. 5 Long Beach follows with a 3-4 record. Long Beach and No. 9 Sierra (2-6) are the lone pair of schools with losing records to break the top-10.

No. 6 Orange Coast, No. 7 Cerritos, No. 8 LA Valley and No. 10 Cuesta round out the top-10 with Riverside, San Diego Mesa and American River knocking on the door after receiving votes.

WOMEN
No. 1 Santa Barbara swept the first-place votes as they sit sizably atop the podium after an 8-0 start.  They were tested early in the season after getting four, key wins in the 2023 Central Coast Invitational. They defeated No. 3 West Valley and No. 9 Golden West in their first two games of the season.

It is a two-headed beast at the helm of the offense as sophomore Claire Daland and Addie Lane have each netted 17 goals and pocketed 14 steals. Lane has five assists, while Daland has dished out a pair. Freshman Lily Carrick follows with 13 goals as the third and final double-digit scorer on the roster. Freshman Kate Densmore has manned the posts for a flawless 8-0 record as she has hauled in 63 saves.

No. 2 Riverside comes in at their highest ranking in two years after starting the season 8-1. Their one loss came at their host tournament to No.1 SBCC by the final score of 11-10. The Tigers outscored the Vaqueros, 6-4, in the second half, but a powerful second quarter that saw SBCC outscore them 3-1 was the difference. Riverside has taken down top-ranked opponents featuring No. 3 Saddleback, No. 7 Long Beach and No. 9 Golden West.

No. 3 West Valley rounds out the top-three as they are still holding it down in the North. They have began the season on a 6-1 mark with wins over No. 6 Sierra and No. 7 Long Beach. They fell to No. 1 SBCC, 15-11, as their lone defeat.

No. 4 Saddleback, No. 5 Orange Coast and No. 9 Golden West make up the other OEC ranked teams as their conference boasts the majority of the ranking’s stakeholders. No. 6 Sierra is the only other Northern team to crack the top-10.

No. 7 Long Beach, and No. 10 San Diego Miramar round out the top-10 teams with San Diego Mesa, Citrus, Cabrillo, Cypress, San Joaquin Delta and Merced receiving votes. 

(Nicho DellaValle, CCCWPCA SID)