CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Division III No. 5-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) water polo team used a 5-0 late-game run to take down Division III No. 8 Johns Hopkins University, 12-8, and claim the program’s 10th Division III Eastern Championship title and first since 2018. With the win, MIT earns a bid to the USA Water Polo Division III National Championship that will be held from December 2-3 in Rock Island, Ill. on the campus of Augustana College.
After the match, senior Colin Weaver (Huntington Beach, Calif.) earned Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors and first-year Rick Lundh (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) was named the Rookie of the Tournament. In addition, Austin Ringheim was named the Coach of the Tournament.
MIT jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a five-meter goal from graduate student Bo Tignol (Antwerp, Belgium) and a strike by sophomore Adam Ivatorov (Rockaway, N.Y.). JHU responded with back-to-back goals before sophomore Luke Apostolides (Greenwich, Conn.) found the back of the net to give the Engineers the lead. First-year Matthew Pryce (Johannesburg, South Africa) tacked on another goal with 22 seconds left to put MIT up two after eight minutes of play.
The Blue Jays pulled ahead 6-5 in the second quarter before an Ivatorov goal with 17 seconds remaining sent the teams into halftime tied at six-all.
Tignol found the back of the net at 6:47 to give MIT the lead, but the Blue Jays responded a few moments later with a score at 5:27 to tie the match. The teams remained tied until 1:13 when Gavin Brooke scored to give Hopkins an 8-7 lead.
Tignol again got MIT even with a score with 36 seconds left in the third quarter and his third goal of the game helped kick-start the Engineers which outscored Hopkins 3-0 in the final quarter to seal the championship with a 12-8 win.
Tignol led MIT with four goals in the match, while Ivatorov finished with a hat trick and three ejections earned. Apostolides added two goals in the match.
Lundh and Pryce led the Engineers with four steals while Pryce also dished out a team-high three assists.
Weaver made 14 saves, including five in the fourth quarter. He also grabbed one steal in the match.
In the history of the Division III Eastern tournament, Hopkins holds 20 Division III crowns (1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023) in 30 title games with losses in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2023. Hopkins did not compete in two Division III Championships as the Blue Jays’ missed the championship game in 2007 and 2016 by not attending the event.
MIT is now a 10-time champion (1991, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2023) as the duo of the Blue Jays and Engineers rate as the only active Division III programs to hold a Division III Eastern crown. Overall, former varsity team Washington & Lee University defeated Johns Hopkins in 1992 and 1993 in the second and third Division III tournaments for the only titles not held by either the Blue Jays or Engineers.
Information courtesy Massachusetts Institute of Technology Athletics Communications
