HOME OF BULLDOG WOMEN'S WATER POLO - Nine SCIAC Titles, Eight Collegiate III Championships

With Head Coach Tom Whittemore on sabbatical, the University of Redlands women’s water polo team took on various unknowns during the 2008 season, including the development of a young roster and a first-year coach at the helm. Despite the familiar and friendly face of Interim Head Coach Casey Finfrock, the Bulldogs experienced a constant state of transition while competing against some of the nation’s toughest opponents from every division. While losing eight matches by two goals or less, the women’s water polo team mustered a 7-21 record to go along with a 3-6 mark against an amazingly even Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC).

Led by junior 2m-offensive player Sam Greenawalt (Riverside, CA) and senior driver Alana Martinez (Riverside, CA), Redlands opened the season with eight games against non-Division III opponents, including UC Davis, the University of Maryland, and Cal Baptist University. The Bulldogs fought through the daunting task but suffered six losses before gaining their first win of the season. Redlands broke through with an impressive 10-2 victory over Division II opponent Gannon University (PA). Greenawalt boasted one of her many multi-goal performances by putting away six scores. Martinez tallied two goals while junior driver Claire Quinn (Fresno, CA) and senior 2m-defender Molly Todd (Sacramento, CA) offered one apiece. Between the pipes, junior Laura Ellsworth (Napa, CA) made 15 stops in the victory.

From this point forward, the Bulldog women’s water polo team experienced an up-and-down season, including many tight losses, four overtime matches, and one of the closest battles ever seen within the conference. Midway through the season, the Bulldogs halted a four-game losing streak with their second win as they overcame Division I opponent Siena College by a score of 11-10 in overtime. Once again, Redlands relied on the offensive output of Greenawalt, who tallied five goals. Todd also came through in the exciting game with four scores while junior 2m-defender Jen Caron (San Dimas, CA) added two goals.

Redlands finished up its non-conference schedule with two more wins by defeating Division I competitor George Washington University and NAIA opponent Concordia University-Irvine.

Entering SCIAC play, the Bulldogs faced one of the most competitive battles in conference history as several members sat among the upper echelon of Division III women’s water polo. After cruising to a 15-9 opening victory over Whittier College, Redlands squared off against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, Occidental College, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, and Cal Lutheran University. Despite coming up short in these contests, the Bulldogs gave it their all by pushing three of them to overtime to reveal the amazing parity among the SCIAC. Redlands bounced back with an 8-4 victory over the University of La Verne in the final home game of the season to finish up round-robin play.

Seeded fifth in the SCIAC Championships, the Bulldogs faced the fourth seed in Occidental. Once again, Redlands forced an intensely competitive match but suffered a tough 7-9 loss in the opening round. This pitted the Bulldogs against La Verne, resulting in a resounding 13-5 victory for Redlands. In the final match, the women’s water polo took on Whittier, which looked to avenge an earlier season loss to the Bulldogs. Despite scoring four goals in the fourth period, Redlands came up short by one goal, 8-9, ending the 2008 season on a difficult loss.

Due to their consistent contributions, Greenawalt and Martinez earned All-SCIAC honors. As a member of the First Team, Greenawalt boasted 30 goals in nine conference games including eight assists, six steals, 12 ejections drawn, and one field block. Overall, she supplied 87 goals to rank third all-time at Redlands for a single season. She also tallied 10 assists, 17 steals, 42 ejections drawn and four field blocks. In being selected to the Second Team, Martinez received her inaugural All-SCIAC award. She posted 17 goals, 27 ejections drawn, 10 steals, three field blocks and two assists during the nine conference games of her final season with the Bulldogs. Overall, she led the team with 85 ejections drawn while adding 54 goals, 19 steals, and nine assists. Her ejections drawn mark broke the school record for a single season and moved her into third all-time on the career list at Redlands with 156.

Despite the tough losses and the difficult finish in conference, the Bulldogs put their best effort forward at every opportunity, remaining focused on becoming a better team for the future. Under the guidance of Interim Head Coach Casey Finfrock, the team made great strives in developing its overall game. Although the team must fill voids left by its talented seniors, the Bulldogs boast a solid group of returnees who bring desire and experience to the next year’s program.