Nov. 17, 2007

Colorado Springs, Colorado - Men's water polo coach Keith Wilbur struggled earlier this week when asked who he expected to come up big in the WWPA Championships this weekend. "I don't want to name one person," he said, "because we have so many guys who are capable of stepping up in any given game." That mentality held true for the Broncos Friday as they defeated Pomona Pitzer 8-4 in the first round of the WWPA Championships. Seven different players scored on the eight goals in the game.

Tommy Hendrickson was the only player to score two goals in the game. Josh Early, Liam Farrell, Andrew Fitch, Charlie Moore, Nicholas Poggetti, and Tommy Kelly all scored one goal apiece. Farrell, Moore, and Poggetti each contributed an assist and a steal as well.

Mike Detoy again proved invaluable to the team without scoring. He drew two kickouts and had an assist. "Mike was a great presence for us in the two meter," said Wilbur. "He opened up a lot of outside shots, which we hit, and created great opportunities."

Robert Callahan had the kind of overall performance the team has come to expect from the All-WWPA 2nd team goalie. Callahan blocked seven shots, notched three assists and three steals, all while allowing just one goal per quarter in the game.

"It was a tough game," said Wilbur, "But we just kept building the lead up. We won every quarter, which was great."

Playing in the thin mountain air of Colorado, it took a little while for the team to adjust. "In the altitude we had a hard time swimming like we're supposed to at first," said Wilbur. "But we overcame it and played well."

The Broncos take on Loyola Marymount, who defeated Redlands 16-8 earlier Friday, on Saturday, November 17 at 2 p.m. Santa Clara defeated LMU earlier this year in a thrilling overtime upset of the then-No. 9 ranked team.