At the Challenger Cup 2015 in Hamilton over Labour weekend, Mount Maunganui College junior water polo teams competed in the boys' and girls' divisions. Both teams remained undefeated going into the gold medal finals after some convincing wins and some very close games in the lead up.
After six games and 57 goals, the MMC girls coached by Karl Josephson came away with a well-deserved gold medal. Individual awards were also presented to Shinae Carrington for Tournament Most Valuable Player (Girls' division) and Grace Elisara for Outstanding Player. The girls played against four Auckland teams from Kristen, Carmel, Diocesan, Epsom colleges and Hamilton's Sacred Heart, securing five wins and one draw. The final was an exciting match up against Carmel College who MMC drew with in pool play. MMC girls were determined and played a great defensive game to win 5-4.
After some challenging pool games against Kristen, St Peter's, St John's and Hamilton Boys', MMC boys came up against Rosmini College, who were also undefeated after pool play. The final was a nail biter. Rosmini had the edge until the fourth quarter when our boys cranked it up a notch but it was just a little too late to take the win, and Rosmini prevailed with a 7-5 final score to win the gold. Congratulations to Bae Fountain who received an Outstanding Player award for the tournament.
Thank you to Justin Pickering, for his leadership and coaching of the boys throughout the tournament, and to managers Wayne Hunter (boys) and Kelly Spee (girls) and all the parents who helped and supporters for the weekend. This is great lead-in to North Island Junior Secondary School Championship November 26-29.
