Mesa to hosts 44th Annual South of the Border Tournament

Mesa to hosts 44th Annual South of the Border Tournament

With a successful 6-1 start into the season, the men’s water polo team looks to continue their solid play by hosting the 44th Annual South of the Border Water Polo Tournament. The two-day tournament which begins today will feature high powered programs which includes the San Diego State Water Polo Club and UCSD Water Polo Club. The tournament will be held at both Mesa College and Miramar College. 

Teams scheduled to compete this year are Cerritos College, Citrus College, Chaffey College, El Camino College, Fullerton College, Grossmont College, Las Positas College, Miramar College, Palomar College, Rio Hondo College, Southwestern College, Santa Monica College, San Diego State University, and University California San Diego. 

“Our depth has been a huge asset,” states head coach Nathan Resch. “Everyone on the team brings something positive and I am comfortable with letting everyone play. Having this type of depth on our team is a good problem to have and at this point, it’s really a matter of who’s hot and who’s ready to play.” 

The Olympians begin play on Friday, September 27 at 11:00 a.m. against Cerritos College. Following Cerritos, the squad will take on SDSU Water Polo Club at 7:00 p.m.  Cerritos College, ranked #4 in the state, has been a traditional powerhouse and is known for their water polo IQ. 

The team will return in the pool on Saturday to square off against Citrus College at 10:40 a.m. Citrus College was a playoff team in 2018 and although they’ve had mixed results in 2019, is always a tough battle. 

“You cannot look past any teams in Southern California,” states Resch. “We expect a tough match against both Cerritos and Citrus. We hope to get student and local support against these very good teams.”

“We like playing against non-conference opponents because it gives us additional experience in the pool,” explains Resch. “We get an opportunity to play against UCSD Club and SDSU, these are two of the top club college programs in the San Diego area and we always get great game experience that carries over into our conference play.”