Head Coach Tom Whittemore surpassed the 400-win mark for career victories in men's water polo at the University of Redlands by guiding the Bulldogs to a 4-0 showing at this weekend's Claremont Convergence. The Bulldogs garnered one-goal wins against Fresno Pacific University, Iona College (NY), and Johns Hopkins University (MD), before nabbing Whittemore's 401st victory with a 12-9 performance against George Washington University (DC).

Whittemore began coaching the Bulldog men's water polo program in 1988, earning Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championships in 1993, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, and most recently in 2009. The 1993 title was the program's first.

He also guided the team to its best Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) showing in 2004, when the Bulldogs finished second at the year-end tournament.

Among his 22 completed seasons so far, Whittemore has averaged nearly 18 victories per season, surpassing the 20-win mark on nine occasions. In 2008, the Bulldogs earned 29 wins, which remains as the most in program history.

Whittemore also coaches the women's water polo team at Redlands, boasting a career record of 325-185 with eight Collegiate III Championships after 16 years at the helm.

On Friday, Redlands opened the Claremont Convergence tournament with an 8-7 win in overtime against Fresno Pacific and then took down Iona by a score of 10-9. The Bulldogs' success continued on Saturday with an exciting 7-6 victory against Division III rival Johns Hopkins and a 12-9 decision against GWU. Statistics were not available at press time.

Redlands (9-11) kicks off SCIAC competition with a home match against the University of La Verne on Saturday at 11 a.m. The Bulldogs also face the Air Force Academy at 3:40 p.m. that day at a site to be determined in Irvine.