Claremont-Mudd’s Reign Suddenly in Jeopardy

It shouldn’t be this way for Mike Sutton.

Sutton, the Claremont-Mudd water polo coach, won his 300th game a little more than a week ago. But last Wednesday, Sutton spent nearly an hour after the game explaining a defeat, not a victory.

The loss was a 13-5 decision at Redlands in a Southern California Athletic Assn. Conference game that ended the Stags’ 111-game conference winning streak. The streak covered 11 seasons, dating to 1982.

“It was going to come to an end--you knew that,” Sutton said afterward. “Credit (Redlands Coach) Tom Whittemore. They are a better team than we are today. They are a top-20 team.”

But then Saturday, Claremont-Mudd lost its second consecutive SCIAC game, 10-8, to Occidental. Claremont-Mudd is 10-10 overall, 1-2 in the SCIAC and two games behind Redlands (15-6, 2-0), and the Stags face the real possibility that they might not win the conference title for the first time in 11 years.

“I’m sure with all the buildup, the things that went on around the Redlands loss came to bear,” Sutton said. “But the fact is, we still didn’t play with enough intensity, and Occidental played great.”

Redlands had beaten Claremont-Mudd in two nonconference games this season, but the conference game was the savored victory.

“How big was it? When I went to talk to the team after the game, I was speechless,” Whittemore said. “I said something like, ‘Good game, guys.’ But there is more to accomplish. I think it was a good sign that the team didn’t throw me in the pool--we still have to try and win a conference championship.

“I’m really happy for the seniors because they know what it was like to be dominated by Claremont.”

Whittemore was once part of the dynasty he is helping to topple. He swam and played water polo at Claremont-Mudd before graduating in 1986, then helped coach water polo for two years there before being hired at Redlands.

“Personally and professionally, it means a lot because Mike’s my mentor,” Whittemore said.

Sutton is now 303-163.

“Three-hundred means you have been around awhile,” said Sutton, who is in his 15th season. “I do take some pride. It means we averaged 20 wins a year.

“But maybe the loss was the best thing for us, though. I know these guys (the Claremont-Mudd players) are feeling it big-time. Maybe that takes some of the pressure off. Maybe now it’s time to get ticked off and do something about it.”

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Speaking of 300 victories, Claremont-Mudd’s men’s soccer coach, Steve Davis, got his on Oct. 23, a 5-0 thumping of Whittier.

But Davis was happier about the Stags winning their 13th consecutive SCIAC title when they worked overtime to beat Cal Lutheran in the conference championship game Saturday.

The score was 1-1 after regulation, two overtime periods and two sudden-death periods. The Stags won a shootout, 3-1.

Technically, the game is a tie and each team’s record goes to 9-0-2 in conference play. The overtimes were only for the SCIAC to determine a champion.

That helped the Stags advance to the Western Regional of the NCAA tournament as the third-seeded team, and they will play second-seeded Colorado College at UC San Diego at 11 a.m. Saturday. Top-seeded UC San Diego will play host to No. 4 Gustavus-Adolphus of Minnesota at 1 p.m.

Davis’ record is 304-105-47 in 25 years. He also teaches philosophy at the Claremont Colleges.

“I thought this might be more of a rebuilding year,” he said. “We lost six starters from last year, so I was actually kind of pointing toward next season. Of course, I didn’t tell the team that.

“The 300--honestly, I didn’t win them. The players did. The 300 just means I stuck around.”

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Occidental and Claremont-Mudd set an NCAA Division III football record for total yards last Saturday.

In Occidental’s 68-42 victory at Claremont, the schools combined for 1,395 yards. The previous record was 1,360, set by Illinois schools Millikin and Wheaton in 1983. Occidental had 753 yards and Claremont had 642, a school record.

Their point total was one short of the Division III record.

Occidental, 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the SCIAC, runs an option offense and it rolled: Brian Madlangbayan ran for 202 yards and four touchdowns and Davin Lundquist had 200 yards and two touchdowns. Claremont-Mudd is 0-5-1 and 0-4.

College Division Notes

Maril Davis, a senior forward on the Claremont-Mudd women’s soccer team, scored 10 goals in two games last week to finish her career with 105 goals, third-best in the NCAA for all divisions. . . . Cal Lutheran won the SCIAC women’s soccer championship and will play at UC San Diego in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. The winner will advance to the Western Regional. . . . In the NAIA District 3 women’s soccer tournament, Azusa Pacific will play Cal Baptist today and the winner will play at Westmont on Saturday.

Whittier rushed for a school-record 438 yards in a 45-14 victory over Menlo. George Marquecho rushed for 163 yards in 21 carries and scored a touchdown. . . . Azusa Pacific’s defense gave up only a field goal in its game with San Diego last Saturday, but the Tigers still lost, 24-21. San Diego scored touchdowns on a 41-yard fumble return, a 98-yard kickoff return and a 46-yard interception return.

Grand Canyon University, an NCAA Division II school, will leave the Pacific West Conference to join the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. in 1994-95, the school said.