(ERIE, Penn., Nov. 4) – The McKendree University men's water polo team captured the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) West Region title after defeating Salem University 13-12 on Sunday afternoon.
 
In just their second year of being a varsity program, the Bearcats came in as the fourth seed to become the third division II school to win the championship.
 
Junior Joseph Mahan (Corinth, TX/John H Guyer High School) got McKendree on the board first with a goal not even a minute into the opening period. Soon after Salem tied the game, the Bearcats regained the lead of freshman Matthew Haygood (Chino Hills, CA/Chino Hills High School) notched his first goal of the game. The game continued to go back and forth through the first period with junior Izaya Owotor (Portland, OR/David Douglas High School), freshman Ben Brauer (Duisburg, Germany/Steinbart-Gymnasium Duisburg), and sophomores Adrian Maher (Keller, TX/Keller High School) and Abraham Allen (Webster Groves, MO/Webster Groves High School) each netting a goal to even the score at six.
 
Quickly into the second period, Haygood buried his second goal of the game to give McKendree the lead. Owotor would extend the Bearcat lead when he contributed his second of the day. Junior Joseph Mahan (Corinth, TX/John H Guyer High School) got himself into the scoring column giving McKendree a three goal lead midway through the second period. With a minute left in the period, Maher put his second ball in the back of the cage.
 
Salem clawed back to get within one, but with his second goal, Ben Brauer (Duisburg, Germany/Steinbart-Gymnasium Duisburg) added back to the Bearcat lead. Allen closed out the third period scoring with his second goal of the game. The final period saw only one McKendree goal, which proved to be the difference, scored by freshman Nico Rodriguez (Winter Park, FL/Oviedo High School). The final score was 13-12, in the Bearcats favor to win the conference championship.
 
In the cage, sophomore Ori Scanlon (Orlando, FL/Olympia High School) make 15 saves with eight in the opening period to lead the Bearcat defense.
 
"I cannot think of a more deserving team to win this championship. Every player worked tirelessly game after game and practice after practice to earn this win. These guys are tough and fought hard to make the right corrections and improvements throughout the season to get us here today," said McKendree head coach Colleen Lischwe. "I will never tire of coaching this team and I am stoked to add more time to our season."
 
Upon conclusion to the tournament, the conference announced awards in which McKendree would take home numerous hardware. The Bearcats swept the top awards with Scanlon earning Most Valuable Player, Haygood taking home Rookie of the Tournament, and Lischwe earning her second Coach of the Tournament award.
 
Taking home first team all-tournament awards were Scanlon and Mahan while Brauer and Haygood earned second team all-tournament.
 
With the tournament championship, McKendree secured an appearance in the MAWPC Championship against Bucknell University, George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, La Salle University, the United States Naval Academy, Wagner College and the host, Fordham University on the weekend of November 16-18 in Bronx, NY.