Box Score CLAREMONT, Calif. - Grace Clark had four goals and two assists for the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's water polo team, but Pomona-Pitzer was able to close out the first half on a 4-0 run and hold off the Athenas the rest of the way for a 15-10 win in the finals of the USA Water Polo Division III Women's Collegiate Championship on Sunday at Axelrood Pool. 

CMS finishes the year with a 17-12 record, which included its first SCIAC Championship since 2006, when it defeated Pomona-Pitzer 14-10 last weekend, as well as its fourth straight runner-up finish in the USA Water Polo Division III Championships. The Sagehens end the year 21-16, with their fourth straight USA Water Polo Division III Championship.

Clark scored on a 6-on-5 early in the second quarter to cut the Pomona-Pitzer lead to 3-2, and then tallied another one with 5:41 left in the half to make the score 4-3. The Sagehens, though, rattled off four goals in a row, the last coming with six seconds left in the half, to get separation and take an 8-3 lead into the break. 

CMS opened the second half with two straight goals to close to within 8-5, with Clark completing her hat trick, and Isabel Del Villar following with her first, as the Athenas started to get some momentum. CMS had a pair of stops to try to draw even closer, but Pomona-Pitzer  was able to keep it an 8-5 game and then answer back with two straight goals of its own. 

Grace Rich found the net with 2:28 left in third to close the gap to 10-6, her second of the game, but the Sagehens scored the final goal of the third and the first of the fourth and were able to hold on from there. 

Valerie Wriath had a goal and three assists for the Athenas, and Fiona Murphy added a goal and an assist. Caitlin Munoz, Natalie Stearns and Clark each had three steals for CMS defensively.