South Dominates Both Polls in Inaugural CCCWPCA Voting

The inaugural California Community College Water Polo Coaches Association (CCCWPCA) state ranking see the Golden West College Rustlers lead the way on the men's side, while the West Valley College Vikings lead on the women's side after a month of action in the pool.

MEN

The Rustlers (5-2, 1-0) lead the way after a 5-2 start that features an Orange Empire Conference (OEC) win against Riverside in mid-September. They are currently riding a five-game winning streak against two-year competitors and have scored 13 or more goals in each victory. Leading the way on the offensive front is sophomore Eamon Hennessey who has fired home 13 netters. He has scored at least two goals in the last four games highlighted by a pair of 14-goal games in wins over Saddleback and Riverside. Furthermore, he has dished out four assists, swiped four steals and has drawn three ejections.

West Valley (8-1) is a close second after receiving two first-place votes. They are riding a six-game winning streak against two-year schools with undefeated records in the North vs. South Tournament and the Nyquist Tournament to begin the season. It is a grip of talent leading the Vikings highlighted by sophomore Ante Buzov who leads his squad with 24 goals. Sophomore Togan Ozbek follows with 17 netters, while sophomore Lucas Romaguera backs him with 16 scores.

Cuesta (7-0) rounds out the top three after posting the lone undefeated record of the year so far. Their average margin of victory is nearly 14 goals after scoring 17 or more goals in each win. They cruised through the Mt. SAC Tournament with four commanding wins prior to dominating the competition in the North vs. South Tournament. Sophomore Dean Moody leads the charge for the Cougars with 14 goals, six steals, five assists and four drawn ejections. Freshman duo Aidan Valdez and Armin Jusztin split time in goal and have combined for 63 saves. Valdez has the highest record reading 5-0.

A pair of OEC teams fall just outside of the top three with No. 4 Saddleback and No. 5 Orange Coast rounding out the top five. No. 6 Mt. San Antonio and No. 7 Long Beach represent the South Coast Conference (SCC), while No. 9 Cerritos caps the SCC rankings.

Receiving votes: Diablo Valley, Grossmont, Riverside, Las Positas, San Joaquin Delta

WOMEN

West Valley (10-0) is the clear-cut state leader. They are the only team in the state to reach the double-digit win mark and remain undefeated. They have crushed their competition and held their opponents to six goals or less in seven of their wins. They have endured some tight contests against ranked teams, but pulled through with a two-goal win over No. 2 Santa Barbara and No. 5 Long Beach. The Vikings are stacked with weapons featuring the sophomore Johanna Scheer. She ranks second in the state with 44 goals and has scored three or more goals in nine consecutive games. She fired home a season-high seven goals in a win over No. 8 Ventura. Sophomore duo Kianna Melvin and Aaliyah Lax follow with 27 goals and 22 goals, respectively, while Melvin leads her team with 21 assists and 21 steals. Her assist mark ranks second in the state. Sophomore Grace Smith, the CCCWPCA Female Athlete of the Week for week one, is a flawless 6-0 between the pipes and has recorded 65 total saves on the season.

Santa Barbara (6-2, 1-0) comes in at number two as they lead the Western State Conference (WSC) and boast the best overall record. Despite losing to No. 6 Riverside in the final seconds of the Riverside Tournament this past Saturday morning, the Vaqueros have strung together some impressive numbers. They defeated No. 4 Orange Coast by a two goals in mid-September and have won four of their last five games. They have a balanced attack with sophomore Jenna Olson netting a team-high 21 goals on the season. Sophomore Edan Tal follows with 19, backed by freshman Bella Straley's 17 scores. Tal leads the team with 12 drawn ejections on the year accompanied by four assists and nine steals.

Fullerton (3-1) has had minimal time in the pool as seen in four games, but they still manage to crack the top three. Three of their wins come against ranked opponents in no. 4 Orange Coast and no. 6 Riverside. Furthermore, they have score 14 or more goals in all three wins. Sophomore Nikki Salerno and Adrianna Wong have each netted 10 goals, while Salerno has swooped nine steals.

No. 4 Orange Coast and No. 5 Long Beach round out the top five in the state, while No. 6 Riverside narrowly misses the top five by a mere vote. No. 7 Saddleback marks the fourth OEC team to reach the top 10, while No. 8 Ventura rounds out the south's top teams.

No. 9 San Joaquin Delta and No. 10 Merced represent the lone teams in the north.

Receiving votes: Foothill, Mt. San Antonio, Golden West, Palomar, Sierra, San Diego Mesa, Cuesta, Cerritos

Release by Nicho DellaValle, CCCWPCA