Tigers Win CCCAA Championship, Myers (MVP), Martin & Olmos (GK) Named to All-State Tournament Team
LIVERMORE -- After three consecutive runner-up finishes over the past three seasons, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers women's water polo team has attained the ultimate achievement and has won the state championship, its fifth crown in its 20-year history, with a 9-8, double-overtime win over the No. 1-seeded Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Vaqueros Saturday (Nov. 19).
The 21st annual California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Women's Water Polo Championships Tournament was held this weekend (Nov. 18-19) at Las Positas College in Livermore.
Reaching the state championship game for the fourth consecutive year and sixth time this decade (all except 2012), the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers women's water polo team also has reached the ultimate game for the eleventh time in its 20-year history since it began competition with the 1997 season.
Riverside (30-3), the No. 2 seed from the south, led, 2-0, at the end of the first quarter, 4-2 at halftime and 8-5 heading into the final quarter before the juggernaut SBCC Vaqueros -- in only their third season of existence -- scored three goals in the final period to tie the game at 8-8 and send the game into a pair of three-minute extra sessions.
In the first overtime, sophomore attacker Mary Myers (Riverside / M.L. King HS '15) scored with only ten seconds left to give Riverside the 9-8 lead. Myers finished with a game-high four goals and five steals and was named tournament most valuable player (MVP).
RCC sophomore two-meter offense player Emily Martin (Yucaipa / Yucaipa HS '15) powered home two goals and frosh attacker Anay Ramirez (Riverside / M.L. KingHS'16) also added two goals. Sophomore attacker Sarina Briseno (Riverside / Riverside Poly HS '15) accounted for seven,counjt 'em, seven steals and four exclusions drawn. Sophomore goalkeeper Ariana Olmos (Redlands / Redlands East Valley HS '15) had ten saves, three of which came in the second overtime, and also had two steals.
For their efforts this weekend, Myers (MVP). Martin and Olmos were named to the CCCAA All-State Tournament team from RCC.
For Santa Barbara City (33-2 overall), which had both losses come against Riverside, the Vaqueros were led by sophomores Kendra Carr and Addison Seale, who each scored twice with Seale adding six steals.
Two of RCC's three losses came against SBCC. Thus the two teams were 2-2 against each other, but RCC won the game that mattered most.
RCC opened state tournament action with a 9-5 state semifinal win over North No. 1-seeded San Joaquin Delta College (SJDC) Mustangs (25-6 overall) last Friday (Nov. 18).
Earlier in the day, South No. 1-seeded Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Vaqueros (33-1 overall) defeated the North No. 2-seeded Sierra College Wolverines (22-7 overall), 17-7, to reach the state championship game in its first appearance in the tournament.
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Fourth-year RCC head women's water polo coach Doug Finfrock (UC Irvine '03) was a goaltender for RCC men's water polo in 1999 & 2000. He was a first team all-Orange Empire Conference (OEC) selection and second team all-America honoree in 1999. In 2000, he was a first team all-OEC pick, first team all-Southern California selection, and garnered first team all-America kudos.
Finfrock has an overall record of 111-18 after this week's CCCAA Championships. He has three CCCAA runner-up finishes: in 2013 (28-5 overall), 2014 (27-6 overall) and 2015 (26-4 overall), and now he can add the 2016 state championship to his resume.
In Saturday's third-place game (played at 9:30 a.m.) North No. 1 seed San Joaquin Delta (25-7 overall) edged North No. 2 seed Sierra (24-8 overall), 13-12.
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All-Tournament Team
Mary Myers (SO) UTIL - Riverside City College - MVP
Emily Martin (SO) 2M - Riverside City College
Ariana Olmos (SO) G - Riverside City College
Mackenzie Richards (SO) G - Santa Barbara City College
Ivanna Bilaver (FR) C - Santa Barbara City College
Michaela Smith (FR) ATT - San Joaquin Delta College
Elise Welch (SO) UTIL - Sierra College
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This weekend's appearance in the CCCAA Championships was Riverside's fourth consecutive, 12th in the last 13 seasons (except for 2012) and 18th in the 20 years that the RCC women's water polo program has existed (since 1997). Riverside has now won the state championship five times (2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, and 2016), has been runner-up six times (1999, 2001, 2006, 2013, 2014 and 2015) and has placed third on four occasions (2000, tie in 2004, 2008, 2009) since the women's water polo state championships were initiated with the 1996 campaign.
Among the other three semifinalists, none has won a state championship. San Joaquin Delta was making its third appearance (finished eighth in 2002 and third in 2015), Sierra was making its 14th appearances and has finished as high as third three times. No. 1-seeded Santa Barbara City was making its first appearance at the CCCAA Women's Water Polo Championships.
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