Tigers’ fall sports teams wrap up thrilling seasons

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mens soccer
Occidental men's soccer team practices in Jack Kemp Stadium at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Sept. 22, 2022. Angela Guglielmino/The Occidental

The fall sports teams at Occidental are wrapping up their seasons and looking to achieve postseason success. Here is a recap of the exciting season and a look ahead into what’s to come in this last month of athletics.

The men’s soccer team finished a strong run — coming just short of winning the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) title. The team was one of four to reach the SCIAC playoffs; they advanced to the championship game with an electric win over Pomona-Pitzer that included two overtime goals from sophomore defender Christian Corcoran. In an intense championship game against Chapman University, which included 46 fouls across both teams, the Tigers fought valiantly but no goals were scored until the final minute of the second overtime period, where Chapman managed to find the back of the net and secure a victory. The Tigers’ strong performance was recognized as five players were named to All-SCIAC teams: seniors Joey Schwartz and Jake Foster and juniors Lukas Howlett and Evan Karp were named to the first team, and first-year Tyler Na-Nakornpanom made the second team.

Christian Corocan AOTW
Christian Corocan (sophomore) at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Nov. 10, 2022. Eddie Dong/The Occidental

Women’s soccer finished seventh in the SCIAC and featured strong defensive plays throughout the season — only allowing 10 goals in 12 conference games. The defense was anchored by senior Caroline Kearney, a three-time, first team All-SCIAC recipient who was once again named.

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Caroline Kearney (senior) on the Occidental College campus in Los Angeles, CA. Sep. 28, 2022. Ethan Dulaney/The Occidental

Men’s cross-country placed sixth in the SCIAC conference championships. The team sent eight runners to NCAA regionals in Spokane, WA, where they finished 16th out of 22 teams. Sophomore Amir Barkan led the team in both races finishing with times of 25:13 and 24:51 respectively. Barkan’s standout performances earned him a first team All-SCIAC award and a trip to Lansing, MI, to represent the Tigers at the NCAA DIII National Championship Nov. 19.

Amir Barkan (sophomore), a member of the Occidental men’s cross country and track and field team, smiles on a bench in the Academic Quad at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Nov. 1, 2022. Angela Guglielmino/The Occidental

Women’s cross-country finished fifth in the SCIAC conference championships — led by first-year Jenna LeNay who placed 20th with a time of 23:13. Lenay’s time earned her a spot on the All-SCIAC second team. At NCAA regionals, the team placed 12th out of 23 teams, with strong performances from first-years Emma Patton and Lauren Riddle who finished 49th and 51st respectively.

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Jenna LeNay (first year), a member of the women’s cross-country team at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. Oct. 9, 2022. Alexia Lara/The Occidental

Men’s water polo just secured the second seed in the SCIAC tournament — wrapping up conference play with a sterling 8-3 record. They ended regular season play on a high note by winning three of their final four games including a 12-11 win against the University of La Verne to cap the season. The Tigers will be playing at home Friday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. for the SCIAC postseason semi-finals.

Women’s volleyball

Show up to support and cheer on Occidental’s athletes as the semester comes to a close and be on the lookout for more sports updates next semester. To stay updated on this semester’s sports events and stats, follow along on the Occidental athletics website or follow @oxyathletics on Instagram.

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