IRVINE, Calif. — The seedings are now set for the inaugural 2023 Big West Men's Water Polo Championship, hosted by UC San Diego at Canyonview Aquatic Center, Fri.-Sun., Nov. 17-19.
With Cal State Fullerton's addition of a men's water polo program, The Big West met the criteria to create a men's water polo conference with its six participating institutions. Previously, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara endorsed men's water polo as a varsity sport.
The inaugural Big West Championship contains all six Big West institutions with the top two seeds earning a first-round bye. Quarterfinal action will commence on Friday, Nov. 17, semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 18, and title game on Nov. 19. The winner will earn The Big West's automatic bid into the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship taking place Dec. 1-3.
UC Irvine is the No. 1 seed after going 4-1 in conference play and 15-8 overall. The No. 6 nationally ranked Anteaters clinched the first-ever regular season title.
The second seed was secured by UC Santa Barbara (16-12, 3-2 BW).
The Gauchos, Tritons, and Aggies were all knotted at 3-2 in league play when tiebreaking procedures determined seeding for the championship.
UC San Deigo (14-12, 3-2 BW) claims the third spot and will take on six-seeded Cal State Fullerton at 4:30 p.m. to kick off the quarterfinal round. The Titans (16-14, 0-5 BW) are in their inaugural season of competition in the pool. When these two teams met in the regular season, the Tritons bested the Titans, 16-9.
The final quarterfinal matchup at 6 p.m. sees No. 4 seed UC Davis (15-9, 3-2 BW) against No. 5 seed Long Beach State (15-11, 2-3 BW). UC Davis edged the Beach 9-8 when these two sides clashed earlier this year.
The advancing team of the No. 4 UC Davis seed and No. 5 Long Beach State seed matchup will take on top-seeded UC Irvine in the opening semifinal round on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 11:30 a.m. Whoever emerges victorious between No. 3 UC San Diego and No. 6 Cal State Fullerton plays No. 2 UC Santa Barbara at 1:30 p.m. to conclude semifinal play.
The championship game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. PT start on Sunday, Nov. 19.
All games from Canyonview Aquatic Center will be broadcast on ESPN+ . Fans can also follow the games through live stats on The Fosh.net
THE 2023 BIG WEST MEN'S WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIP
Hosted by UC San Diego at Canyonview Aquatic Center
CHAMPIONSHIP HOMEPAGE
Quarterfinals - Friday, Nov. 17
4:30 p.m. PT | No. 4 seed UC Davis vs. No. 5 seed Long Beach State
6 p.m. PT | No. 3 seed UC San Deigo vs. No. 6 seed Cal State Fullerton
Semifinals - Saturday, Nov. 18
11:30 a.m PT | No. 1 seed UC Irvine vs. No. 4/5 winner
1 p.m. PT | No. 2 seed UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 3/6 winner
Final - Sunday, Nov. 19
1 p.m. PT | Championship