HOME OF BULLDOG MEN'S WATER POLO - 1993, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009 SCIAC Champions

The University of Redlands men’s water polo team enjoyed remarkable success throughout the 2008 season, compiling an overall record of 29-9. The Bulldogs also ended this year’s campaign with a 9-1 mark in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) and finished at No. 19 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Varsity Top 20 poll. With 29 wins, the Bulldogs gained the most victories in Redlands program history, surpassing the 2001 record by four.

The Maroon and Gray started its season by going 3-2 at the UC San Diego Triton Invitational. After losses to UC San Diego and Long Beach State, the team rebounded with a solid 12-7 win over familiar foe Cal Lutheran University. Senior utility player Buddy Olds (Murrieta, CA) and senior driver Andrew Becskehazy (Miami, FL) each scored three goals, while senior goalkeeper Teddy Trowbridge (Mercer Island, WA) stopped eight shots to ensure the first victory of the year for the Bulldogs.

In the fourth game of the two-day invitational, the team took down the U.S. Air Force Academy (CO) by a score of 13-7 to earn its first win against a Division I opponent during the 2008 campaign. Becskehazy put away four goals to lead Redlands’ offensive charge. Finally, the squad wrapped up the UCSD Triton Invitational with a 13-9 upset of No. 17 Cal Baptist University. These wins helped the Maroon and Gray break into the CWPA Varsity Top 20 at No. 16.

Following a narrow defeat to the No. 14 Tigers of the University of Pacific, Redlands rattled off four straight wins as the hosts of the Inland Empire Classic. The Bulldogs crushed Whittier College as the team relied on a myriad of different goal-scorers in the 17-8 win. In a largely defensive battle against Occidental College that included 12 saves by Bulldog keeper Trowbridge, Redlands emerged victorious by a score of 10-5. In addition, sophomore defender Andrew Smith-Jones (Annapolis, MD) gave the Maroon and Gray an offensive boost with three goals. Becskehazy and Olds each netted three against Chapman University, leading the team to a 12-8 triumph over the Panthers. Finally, the team eked out a one-point thriller against Concordia University – Irvine, as junior center Brendan Meaney (Palm Desert, CA) played the role of the offensive hero with four goals. As a result of the team’s 4-1 performance on the weekend, the Bulldogs moved up one spot in the Varsity Top 20 to No. 15.

Traveling north to Santa Cruz, the Bulldogs entered the UC Santa Cruz Slugfest with a 7-3 record. Despite an opening 7-12 loss to UC Davis, Redlands battled back to win its three final games of the weekend. The Maroon and Gray demolished the host team as Meaney’s four goals helped down the Banana Slugs by a score of 14-7. Against No. 13 Santa Clara, the squad faced a tough test and fought hard for a gritty 9-8 victory. Junior goalkeeper Jack Amaral (Porterville, CA) split time with Trowbridge in goal and saved a team-high 10 shots. Finally, Redlands edged the Air Force Academy for the second time this season, winning by a score of 10-8. On the offensive end, Meaney led the way with three goals, while Amaral gained nine saves between the pipes.

During the Claremont Convergence, the team ran the table by notching wins over Division I Fordham University (NY), Concordia, and Iona College (NY). The Bulldogs capped off a strong tournament with an exciting 11-8 victory over Johns Hopkins University (MD). In this important win over the team’s top Division III out-of-conference rival, Redlands gained three goals each from Meaney, Becskehazy, and Olds, while Trowbridge made seven stops.

The toughest tournament slate of the year came at the SoCal Water Polo Tournament, hosted by Loyola Marymount University and Pepperdine University. After losing a lopsided decision to No. 4 Pepperdine, the Bulldogs rallied back with an 11-8 victory over No. 14 St. Francis College (NY). During the second day, No. 8 UC Irvine handed Redlands a tough loss, while No. 15 Princeton University (NJ) took the Maroon and Gray to sudden-death overtime where the Bulldogs eventually lost by one goal.

After their non-conference run of tournaments, the Bulldogs opened the SCIAC season with a road trip to Cal Lutheran University. After handling the Kingsmen, Redlands returned home for its tightest conference match of the season as it faced off against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges. Despite jumping out to a 5-0 lead, the Maroon and Gray gave up five goals, which left the game tied in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Becskehazy fired in a game-winning score in the waning seconds, which gave Redlands a 6-5 victory.

As a result of the Pomona-Pitzer win and an 11-5 victory over Occidental, the team reached its highest national ranking of the season at No. 13.

The Bulldogs rattled off eight more wins, defeating all of their conference foes in the round-robin and cruising by Chapman University and UC Santa Cruz in non-SCIAC action. Through this stretch, Redlands out-scored its opponents, 147-55. The Stags of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges put up a tough fight on November 8, but the Bulldogs prevailed by a score of 15-12. Smith-Jones and Becskehazy teamed up on offense in this hard-fought battle, scoring four goals apiece.

With an undefeated mark, Redlands entered the 2008 SCIAC Championships as the No. 1 seed, and headed to Cal Lutheran University for an exciting finale to the conference season.

In the first round, Redlands blasted Caltech by a score of 23-2 as 10 different Bulldogs found the back of the net. Unfortunately, the run stopped there as the squad lost a heartbreaker to Cal Lutheran in the semi-final match by a score of 11-13. Despite the disappointment, Redlands quickly rebounded with a solid 11-5 victory over Whittier to finish third at the tournament. Combining these results with their undefeated showing in the round-robin, the Bulldogs took second in the SCIAC standings with 13 points, sitting just one point off of champion Pomona-Pitzer.

Due to the team’s rampant success in conference play, Redlands placed four on the All-SCIAC teams. Becskehazy took home the 2008 SCIAC Player of the Year honors while Smith-Jones and Meaney captured First Team All-Conference accolades. Senior utility player Jim Kehrig (Danville, CA) picked up his first-ever All-Conference recognition with a berth on the Second Team.

Following a difficult showing at the SCIAC Championships, the team turned to the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championships for redemption. As the fourth seed, Redlands dropped a first-round decision to fifth-seeded Santa Clara by a narrow 9-10 margin. Following the loss, the Bulldogs strung together three wins to ensure a fifth-place finish at the WWPA. After crushing Santa Cruz and rolling over SCIAC Champion Pomona-Pitzer, Redlands faced a talented Air Force team for the third time. At the end of regulation, the score remained tied, bringing the Falcons and the Bulldogs to overtime. Redlands compiled three goals in the first overtime period and came out with an exciting 13-11 win to finish off the 2008 campaign.

The WWPA bestowed First Team honors upon Becskehazy, as the senior driver scored 71 goals during the season. He also provided a team-high 48 assists, 42 steals and 22 ejections drawn. Meaney received a spot on the Second Team, following a season where he netted 72 goals and offered 24 assists, 41 steals and 42 ejections drawn. Freshman driver Tyler Harp (San Bernardino, CA) nabbed WWPA All-Freshman Team honors with four goals, eight assists, six steals and one ejection drawn.

Although the team must work to fill the voids left by its talented seniors, the Bulldogs boast great experience in the returning class, which will help guide them back to the top of the SCIAC standings. In addition, Redlands promises to compete as one of the best among Division III institutions as Coach Whittemore embarks upon his 22nd season at the helm of the men’s water polo program.