Falcons Open Season At Triton Invitational
8/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Aug. 28, 2007
The 17th-ranked Air Force water polo team gets the 2007 season off to a start this weekend as it travels to La Jolla, Calif., to take part in the annual Triton Invitational, hosted by UC San Diego, Sept. 1-2. The Falcons, competing in Group B, begin the weekend with a contest versus UC Santa Barbara Saturday at 10:30 a.m., followed by a meeting with the host Tritons at 4:45 p.m. Air Force will take on Pomona at 9:15 on Sunday morning, with the final contest to be determined based on the results of the weekend.
Head Coach Jeff Ehrlich...
Head coach Jeff Ehrlich is in his ninth season at the helm of the Air Force water polo program. He came to the Academy in 1999 after a 25-year stint at Villa Park High School in Orange County, Calif.
Since his arrival at Air Force, Ehrlich has led the team to a combined 115-114 overall record. Additionally, the Falcons have been nationally ranked in the top 20 at the end of seven of Ehrlich's eight seasons, with a best final ranking of 13th in 1999.
Air Force Picked Fifth in WWPA Preseason Coaches Poll...
The Falcons were selected to finish fifth in the Western Water Polo Association, as chosen by the conference's head coaches in the 2007 preseason poll. UC San Diego, ranked eighth in the national preseason poll, was picked to secure its second-straight league title, garnering 125 points, including six first-place votes.
No. 10 Loyola Marymount, which has met UCSD in the WWPA title game in six of the last seven seasons, came in second in the voting, earning 121 points and three first-place votes. Meanwhile No. 11 UC Davis received the final two first-place votes, coming in third with 113 points. Sixteenth-ranked Santa Clara was chosen to finish fourth in the conference, while Air Force took the fifth-place spot.
Redlands, receiving votes in the national preseason poll, was selected to finish sixth in the WWPA, while No. 19 Pomona-Pitzer and No. 20 UC Santa Cruz came in seventh and eighth, respectively. Rounding out the conference rankings were newcomer Cal Lutheran, Claremont, La Verne, Whittier, Occidental and Chapman.
Scouting the Falcons...
The Air Force Falcons, ranked 17th in the preseason poll, are coming off a 14-17 season and seventh-place finish at the WWPA Championships. Among the leaders of this year's team include senior captains Clark Condict and Justin Berry, the team's offensive MVPs from last season, juniors Tyler Hewko and Joey Brewer, and sophomores Alex Churnside and Jack Hines, co-rookies of the year in 2006.
Joining the aforementioned players on this weekend's trip to the Triton Invitational will be seniors Damon Jones and Chris Pace, juniors Eric Gobrecht, Kevin McDonald, Miles McMullan and Kevin Williams, sophomores Jason Fung and David Ostrom and freshmen Bobby Geiger, Kurt Lemmen and Matt Versage.
Scouting the Gauchos...
The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, ranked seventh in the 2007 preseason poll, put together a 21-14 overall record last season, including a 3-5 mark in the MPSF. The team took fifth place in the conference tournament with a pair of wins over UC Irvine and Pacific.
UCSB is coached by Wolf Wigo, now in his third season at the helm of the program. Leading the Gauchos' top returners is senior Ross Sinclair, who earned third-team All-America honors in 20056 after leading his team with 64 goals and 48 assists.
Scouting the Tritons...
The host UC San Diego Tritons, ranked eighth in this year's preseason poll, finished the 2006 season ranked fifth after defeating Navy in the consolation final at the NCAA Championships. The WWPA champion ended the season with a 26-6 overall mark and 12-1 record in the WWPA.
UCSD is coached by Denny Harper, who enters his 28th season at the helm of the program. Among the Tritons' top returners are Steven Donohoe and Daniel Garcia.
Scouting the Sagehens...
The Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens, currently ranked 19th in the 2007 preseason coaches poll, wrapped up last season with an 18-19 overall ranking and 8-2 mark in the SCIAC. The Sagehens also captured sixth place at the WWPA Championships last season.
Pomona is coached by Alex Rodriguez, who enters his third season at the helm of the program.
The Rest of the Field...
In addition to Air Force, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego and Pomona-Pitzer, the Triton Invitational features four additional teams--No. 6 Pepperdine, No. 10 Loyola Marymount, No. 11 UC Davis and Cal Baptist--matched up in Group A.
Series Records...
Air Force and UC Santa Barbara meet for the 31st time this weekend, with the Gauchos holding an 26-4 advantage in the all-time series. UCSB picked up a 10-6 win last season at the SoCal Tournament, hosted by USC.
This weekend will mark the 62nd meeting between the Falcons and Tritons, with UCSD holding a 49-12 edge in the series. The Tritons won both contests versus the Falcons last season.
Air Force is 12-0 all-time against Pomona-Pitzer, escaping with a 12-11 overtime victory at last season's Triton Invitational.
Up Next...
Air Force returns to the Academy next weekend, Sept. 7-8, for three games against Johns Hopkins. The Falcons and the Blue Jays will meet at 6:00 on Friday evening and wrap up the weekend with a pair of games on Saturday (10:00 a.m./5:00 p.m.). Admission is free for all games, which will be held in the Cadet Natatorium.
