Men’s water polo scores remarkable turnaround

There will be no sparkling trophies or championship banners for the 2012 men’s water polo team, but its members could go down in Jaguar athletic lore for pulling off the greatest comeback since Lazerus.

Casting aside a 1-24 record two years ago, the 2012 Jags won 15 matches and earned a ranking of 15^th in the state. Water polo at SWC has returned from the dead.

“I believe we’re changing the image of the program,” said head coach Jorge Ortega. “My first year not many South Bay players came out to SWC. We’re trying to make it a place where kids want to come out and play. With this momentum, kids are coming to me and saying ‘Hey, I want to come play at Southwestern.’ When you go 1-24 like two years ago, its difficult.”

“Playoff” and “SWC water polo” have not been used in the same sentence since the Clinton Administration, but this year’s team won a match in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Tournament (a 9-8 nail-biter against Mesa College) and is already looking forward to a return engagement next November.

Muhlbach said he was pleased with their commitment and performance.

“Our team performed well,” said scoring star Ian Mulbach. “We played a strong season. Our guys committed to playing most of the time every game as we only had three guys on the bench for subs.”

Goalie Rhett Pitcock said he is proud of this year’s accomplishments and is looking forward to the offseason to continue building a championship team.

“We’re one of the only teams at Southwestern to have a winning season, and we beat Mesa twice in one season, which is a pretty big deal,” he said. “We need to get better at coming out really hot in the beginning of games rather than rely on third and fourth quarter points to get the win.”

Pitcock’s analysis played out in the tournament opener against highly touted Grossmont. The Griffins came into the tournament ranked number one in the conference and 10^th in the state. They started the first half strong holding off Jaguar offensive attacks, recovering missed shots and driving the other way on their way to a 10-3 dunking of SWC.

Pitcock said the Jags were limited in their ability at substitute players, which exhausted them early, but also had benefits.

“We had to work a whole lot harder to be able to compete with the few people we had available,” he said. “But I think it made us a better team. We were more apt to trust our teammates with the ball, rather than passing somewhere else, we had to correct our mistakes.”

The Jags came back to Miramar College on the second day of the PCAC tournament and flexed their collective muscle against a deep Mesa team.

Three goals by sophomore Muhlbach, three by freshman Justin Patasil and two by freshman Stuart Sokil gave the Jags just enough to edge out Mesa by a score of 9-8 and close out the season on a high note. Ortega was ready to walk on water, but one miracle per season is enough.

Muhlbach, the 2012 field player statistical leader in goals, steals, and assists in California, said he is leaving satisfied with his contribution to the team’s improvement.

“It feels good to have been a part of the beginning of a program that is only going to continue to grow in size and talent,” he said. “If SWC continues to get good recruits after a season like this, they will soon become the premiere program for community college water polo in the county.”