Spring afternoons at Pomona College offer numerous options for Sagehens fans.
The athletic calendar ramps up as the school year winds down, with new seasons for baseball and softball, men’s and women’s golf, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, and women’s water polo.
Three student-athletes reflect on why Pomona stood out during the recruiting process, how they’ve grown as young adults while at the College, and what they plan to do with their time left on campus.
Zosia Amberger ’25, women’s water polo
In the lab and in water polo, Zosia Amberger ’25 must have a short memory.
As certain as failure is in both settings, “It’s about getting over setbacks and getting the next one,” the chemistry major and four-year starting goalie says. “I’m good at not letting things get to me and addressing the task at hand. That’s helped my success.”
Never mind her dexterity between the pipes, Amberger is at her best when she’s moving her teammates around the pool like pieces on a chess board. Possessions are puzzles, she says, and the Sagehens’ success largely hinges on how well—and quickly—she solves them.
Ideally, Amberger says she would never have to block a shot on goal. “That would mean I did my job so well—and my teammates did their job so well—that the ball didn’t get to me.”
Now a senior, the Santa Barbara, California native has demonstrated her mettle on the biggest stages, helping the Sagehens capture three consecutive USA Water Polo Division III National Championships.
“While our goal is to get to the national championship again this season, it’s not our only goal,” she says. “That’ll be the product of trying to fulfill our other goals and playing the best water polo we can play.”
Amberger was encouraged to be inquisitive while in high school, and Pomona offered her the sandbox to explore her curiosities. She ventured into physics, biology and chemistry, as well as oceanography, cellular biology and ecology.
Chemistry provided the space for her to flex her problem-solving skills, and certain courses in the major had the pick-your-own-adventure style of learning she’s always coveted.
Ahead of her senior year, Amberger completed a Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) in Assistant Professor of Chemistry Rebecca DiPucchio’s lab.
“At Pomona,” she says, “I’ve enjoyed being able to work on something for a long period of time. What I started working on last fall I’m working on now as my thesis.”
With commencement approaching, Amberger remains undecided on where she goes next.
Her coaches want to see her play water polo in Spain, but she’s considering attending graduate school. For as long as she’s played water polo, Amberger doesn’t want to give it up entirely, but she really enjoys chemistry and is eager to begin her career path.
“I have a lot of options on the table,” she says.
Ethan Lee ’25, men’s tennis
After being offered a spot on the Sagehens’ men’s tennis team out of high school, Ethan Lee ’25 took a beat before committing.
Having spent most of his childhood in New Orleans, and his prep years in Arizona, Lee had several small colleges on his radar. But Pomona Coach Steve Bickham made him a promise he couldn’t ignore.
“He said he would look out for me—academically and socially, as well as athletically,” Lee recalls. “He said he would build me into someone who could go out and make a difference in the world.”
As he reflects on his time at Pomona, Lee says Bickham absolutely delivered on that promise. “I couldn’t imagine sticking with tennis this long without having a coach who values us as people, as well as tennis players,” he adds.
A molecular biology major on the pre-med track, Lee finds valuable the relationships he’s developed with professors. What makes Pomona special, he says, is how accessible and human professors are.
“They’re not all defined by research,” he adds. “You get to explore what makes these people so successful in their fields to teach at an institution like Pomona.”
Lee has grown close with Biology Professors EJ Crane and Jon Moore, his major and thesis advisor. He founded the athletes Bible study with Claremont Christian Fellowship, leads the Claremont chapter of ACEing Autism and has volunteered with Heartford Hospice in Irvine every week the past two years.
Between academics, athletics and extracurriculars, Lee tests his time management skills daily. Planning ahead is key, he says. “How can I prepare now so I don’t have to worry about an assignment or presentation due next week? You have to value preparation and know what it takes to succeed.”
As the only senior on the Sagehens’ men’s tennis team, Lee hopes to leave the program in as good a place as it was when he took Bickham up on his promise four years ago.
“Tennis has its ups and downs,” he says. “You’re not going to always play your best, but you can always control the controllables—energy, intensity, preparation. At the end of the day, the ball’s going to go where it goes. You often don’t have any control over that.”
“All you can do is bring a good attitude every day.”
Greg Pierantoni ’27, baseball
Momentum started building as early as the first series of the 2024 baseball season, when Greg Pierantoni ’27 and the Sagehens traveled to Texas for a three-game set against highly ranked East Texas Baptist University.
After splitting a Friday doubleheader, the Sagehens took the series in the rubber game Saturday and set off on the greatest season in program history.
“That first series gave us confidence going into the rest of the year,” Pierantoni says. “We knew if we put everything together, we could beat anyone.”
In his first year at Pomona, Pierantoni started 50 games and hit .370 for a Sagehens team that tied the program mark for wins in a single season (37), captured the program’s first conference tournament championship, first Super Regional Championship and secured its first trip to the NCAA Division III College World Series.
“It was special to make a run like that,” says Pierantoni, whose 80 hits were the most by a freshman in a single season in Sagehens history. “There was a belief among the team we could do it, and that’s part of what made us a special group of players.”
When deciding where to attend college, Pierantoni was equally impressed by Pomona’s liberal arts education and commitment to fielding competitive athletic teams. Raised in Sherman Oaks, California, Pierantoni says he couldn’t justify leaving the area to play college ball when he could do so at Pomona and challenge himself academically.
“This environment forces you out of your comfort zone,” he says. “There’s also no set path for anyone. You get to make your own way and decide where you want to go.”
Pierantoni was Pomona’s starting shortstop last season and hit in the heart of the batting order. As a newcomer to the College, he says he committed to having fun, keeping the game simple and prioritizing team success over individual success.
“That mindset made the game easier,” he says. “Baseball is a complicated game as it is. There’s no reason to be thinking too much.”
Off the diamond, Pierantoni says his classes with Visiting Instructor of Economics Augusto Gonzalez-Bonorino have been delightful, and he found fascinating a course on Latin American environmental history with Visiting Assistant Professor of History Scott Doebler.
Pierantoni plans to major in economics and minor in history, disciplines that provide a good understanding of how the world works, he says.
As for how the Sagehens’ sensational sophomore shortstop plans to follow the best baseball season in program history, Pierantoni says the team is staying in every moment.
“If we focus on the team and everyone around us,” he says, “every moment will add up in the long run.”