GENEVA, Ohio — Despite falling to Concordia University Irvine the day prior, the Fresno Pacific men's water polo still had a chance for the third place spot in the conference tournament. The 'Birds battled the No. 1 east region seed Gannon on Sunday morning, scoring six goals in the fourth quarter but could not overcome the deficit, ending their season with a fourth place in the WWPA.

Fresno Pacific began the match with an early goal from Christiano Sandino in the first quarter. Gannon quickly responded, as Rajmund Farsang scored, sparking a 4-0 run, giving Gannon a 4-1 lead. The Sunbirds narrowed the gap with a late goal by Forrest Gray just before the first quarter ended.

In the second quarter, Gannon extended their lead with two more goals, bringing the score to 7-3. The third quarter saw the Sunbirds attempting a comeback, with Sandino and Luke Young scoring to reduce the deficit to 10-6.

However, Gannon maintained their advantage throughout the final quarter, despite Fresno Pacific's late effort with a goal from Gray, securing a 17-12 victory. Gannon outshot Fresno Pacific, with both teams registering 35 shots each, but Gannon's efficiency proved decisive.

Offensively, Young led the way for the Sunbirds, scoring his second hat trick of the season. Gray and Blake Johnson also contributed with two goals each, whereas Gray tallied four steals. Tristin Fox and Sandino joined the scoring trio, netting two goals on four shots. In goal, WWPA Defensive Player of the Week Chase Hammes made an impact with 12 saves and an assist.

Fresno Pacific men's water polo, led by first-year head coach Jonathan Miller, finished the season 5-20 overall and 2-4 in conference play. The Sunbirds had an incredible start to WWPA conference play, defeating UC Merced in the conference opener and upset No. 2 west seed Biola to shake things up. The 'Birds defeated McKendree in the WWPA quarterfinals match to make it to semifinals for the first time ever, but ultimately closed out the season against Gannon on Sunday morning. The Sunbird men placed fourth at the WWPA Championships.

The Sunbirds have had multiple incredible players step up this season. Forrest Gray, Chase Hammes and Tristin Fox were tabbed as All-WWPA selections, with Gray making Second Team All-WWPA. Hammes captured the WWPA Defensive Player of the Week not once, but twice this year. Chris Sandino and Samuel Ramos were crucial for the Sunbirds' offense as they contributed 27 and 32 assists, respectively. Other key contributions came from senior Christian Clark and sophomore Luke Young over the course of the year.

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