FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno Pacific men's water polo swept the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) weekly awards, with
Tristin Fox earning Offensive Player of the Week honors and
Chase Hammes being named Defensive Player of the Week.
The pair delivered standout performances throughout the weekend, helping the Sunbirds compete through four matches at the Salem Invitational and secure their first two wins of the season. Fresno Pacific defeated tournament host, Salem University, 18-17 on Friday, then outscored (RV) Gannon in a close 13-12 match on Sunday.
Fox, a junior center from Troutdale, Ore., was an offensive force throughout the tournament, scoring 20 goals across four matches. The junior found the back of the net at least four times in every contest while adding five steals defensively. Fox opened the weekend with five goals against Salem before matching that total against Johns Hopkins. He saved his biggest performance for the tournament finale, scoring a season-high six goals against Gannon. The junior finished the week shooting an impressive .571 from the field while drawing a team-high 11 exclusions. He currently leads the conference in total goals (34) and goals-per-game (3.8).
The returning senior goalkeeper from Sanger, Calif., was equally impressive on the defensive end, recording 49 saves and 14 steals over the four-match stretch. Hammes opened the tournament with 13 saves and four steals against Salem, helping anchor the defense in Fresno Pacific's first win of the season. The Sunbird recorded double-digit saves in three of the four matches before posting a season-best 17 saves against Gannon to close out the tournament. Hammes' consistency between the bars has him leading the WWPA with 28 steals while ranking second in the conference with 97 total saves.
CLICK HERE to view the WWPA FOSH standings and leaderboard.
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