(Walnut, CA) A great deal of excitement surrounds the 2018 Mt. SAC Men's Water Polo Team. First up for the Mounties is perennial South Coast Conference Champion Long Beach City College, on September 5.
The season will be highlighted by the teams annual East Coast Road Trip where they will play six games in Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania. During the three day trip, the Mounties will play Gannon University, McKendree University, Penn State University, Behrend, Washington & Jefferson University and Salem International University.
The team will also participate in two local tournaments, the Citrus College Tournament (first week of the season) and the 45th Annual Mt. SAC Tournament (September 14-15).
"The team has been training very hard since early July," Mt. SAC coach Marc Ruh said. "We are really looking forward to the season.
"After the LBCC game (we) then have eight games over the course of the next two weeks. We will be tested early and often. Nine total games in the first two weeks is a big challenge."
Returners that will make an impact are 6'09" All-American goalie Jake Simmons (started all 30 games, 478 saves), Aidan O'Neill (41 G, 40 A, 51 steals), Matthew Rauch (78 G, 30 A, 56 steals), Christian Martinez (16 G, 16 A, 36 steals), Eli Lew (transfer from Santa Ana College) and Bradley Poma (11 G, 22A, 21 steals).
Incoming freshman expected to make an immediate impact: Goalie - Andres Mercado Madrigal. Field players - Edgar Cueva, Jonathan Herdia, Jake Marsden, Jeremiah Hernandez, Jarrett Barker, Vincent Vizcanino, Noah Brokaw and Justin Swafford.
"I really love the team this year," Ruh added. "They work very hard and are quite talented. The summer brought us together quite a bit, as we had more than a few obstacles to overcome. Adversity brings strength though, and we are having to find that out."
As for the Men's Water Polo staff, Ruh has added former Mountie, Scott McDill. McDill, who played for Mt. SAC in 2016, finished second in the state with 140 goals scored. He was named Community College All-American and was a high school All-American.
"Scott will bring considerable insight to the team," Ruh said.
Ruh's other two assistants are Lani Ruh, who is coordinating the recruiting efforts and Adam Roth, in his second year, who brings a ton of water polo knowledge to the team.
"Our assistants are really doing a wonderful job," Ruh said. "They are doing a great job developing this group and getting them together as a team".
Follow Mt. SAC Men's Water Polo on twitter @mtsacaquatics
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.