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What 2 Watch 4
- Round two of the Big West-WCC Challenge and Gary Troyer Tournament headline another week of non-conference action around The Big West. All six Big West squads will be competing this weekend across the two tourneys.
Around the Poll
- UC Santa Barbara (12-5) - The Gauchos enjoyed a 2-1 week finding both of its wins on Saturday against Cal Lutheran and Westcliff. UCSB fell to No. 1 UCLA on Friday to start the week. The duo of Brock Zamanian and Adam Gyenis lead the league in goals with 36 and 34 apiece.
Long Beach State (8-6) - LBSU went an even .500 on the week splitting contests against Air Force (W, 20-6) and No. 4 Pepperdine (L, 12-15). Senior attacker Evan Cain contributed a game-high four tallies in the setback against the Waves. Cain sits in a tie for sixth place in the conference, nearly averaging two goals per game (1.9).
UC San Diego (7-8) - After taking a win in the Battle of the Kings series, UCSD notched another dub against CUI, 16-7. Sophomore attacker Landon Akerstrom paced all scorers after finding the back of the net four times. No. 8 Pacific took down UCSD in the next matchup.
UC Irvine (5-6) - UC Irvine celebrates a decisive victory over defending national champion California, 13-5. The Anteaters never trailed against the sixth-ranked team in the country and secured their first win over the Golden Bears since 2012. Junior attacker Luka Kristic lead all scorers with a game-high five tallies in the triumphant victory.
Cal State Fullerton (6-8) - The Titans took home a pair of wins to begin the Fullerton Mini Tournament. CSUF came out on top against Redlands, 10-9 before winning another contest against Biola, 13-8. Senior attacker Nico D’Angleo dominated in the two matches totaling 12 points and scored what proved to be the game-winner over Biola. No. 15 LMU will visit the Titans today, Wednesday, at 6 p.m.
UC Davis (6-8) - UCD dropped its lone contest last week against T-No. 18 Santa Clara. Graduate attacker Aleix Aznar Beltran found the back of the net five times while making two assists and drew three exclusions.
Poll Position
- The Big West proudly boasts five of its six institutions in the latest edition of the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA).
Following a big win against California, UC now sits at its highest ranking of the year, T-No. 6. Long Beach State sits at No. 10 while UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego and UC Davis sit at the 12, 13 and 17 spots, respectively.
Weekly Highlights
- Triton goalkeeper Logan Estes was lights out for UCSD last week totaling 23 saves. During the Battle of the Kings, Estes turned away nine shots and even picked up an assist in the win. The following matchup against CUI, the senior stopped six shots. When UC San Diego hosted No. 5 Pacific Estes racked up eight saves and another assist in the setback.
We Host Champions!
- The Big West is proud to boast that both UC San Diego and UC Davis will host the NCAA Men's Water Polo National Collegiate Finals in back-to-back season. The Tritons will take hosting responsibilities in the year 2026 while the Aggies will welcome everyone in 2027. For the fourth time in its history, the NCAA conducted a comprehensive site selection process in 2024, putting most of its championships up for bid simultaneously.
The Association chose over 240 host sites for preliminary and final rounds of predetermined championships across Divisions I, II and III, primarily for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons. This cycle marked a shift from a four-year to a two-year site selection process.
The Tritons last hosted the event in 2014 as a Division II team. The 2026 National Collegiate Finals will be the first time they will host as a Division I squad.
For the fourth time in its history, the NCAA conducted a comprehensive site selection process in 2024, putting most of its championships up for bid simultaneously.
For the first time since 2006 at the NCAA National Women's Water Polo Championships and only the third time in history, Schaal Aquatics Center will play host to the NCAA National Men's Water Polo Championships, welcoming the nation's best to Davis in 2027.
Already a hosting venue, playing home to the 2024 Big West Men's Water Polo Tournament, Schaal Aquatics Center made its debut onto campus in 2003 and has already seen high-level action in its history. In the past, Davis hosted the 2005 United States Men's Water Polo Championships and in the 2004-05 seasons, the pool was used for the Western Water Polo Association Championships for both the men's and women's teams.
Big West Weekly Recognition
- Zayd Mahmoud played a pivotal part in UC Irvine’s victory over defending national champion California to earn The Big West Men’s Water Polo Player of the Week accolade. The award counts as the first weekly distinction of the junior's career.
Mahmoud managed to play all 32 minutes against the Golden Bears and held the team to its lowest offensive output of the season, only allowing five goals. The Sunnyvale, Calif. native notched a new career-high in saves with 11 stops in triumph over the No. 6 team in the nation. Against No. 3 Stanford, UCI fell 10-15 but saw a nine-save effort from Mahmoud in the setback during 16 minutes of play.
Overall, Mahmoud logged in 48 minutes, 19 saves, a 0.580 save percentage, and one assist on the week. UC Irvine currently holds a 5-6 overall record with three triumphs over nationally ranked competition.
Preseason Prognostics
-The Beach were appointed the top spot following 22 points and three first-place votes after finishing with a 16-12, 2-3 BW record last season.
Coaches in the league also voted on a seven-person preseason team as Long Beach State saw a duo of student-athletes make the squad with senior attack Evan Cain and senior utility Bruno Chiappini. Cain contributed 60 goals and 21 assists for the Beach while Chiappini collected 47 tallies and 25 assists for the Beach a year ago. The duo also sports All-Big West First Team honors for their efforts in 2023.
Trailing right behind LBSU in the preseason rankings is defending Big West champion UC Irvine (18-10, 4-1 BW) with 21 points and two first-place votes. The Anteaters also placed a pair on the preseason team with junior attack Luka Krstic and graduate goalkeeper Jacob Pyle. Krstic compiled an Anteater high of 69 points last year and tallied two crucial goals in UCI's championship victory a year ago. Pyle is placed on the preseason team after earning Big West Tournament MVP for the goalkeeper's performance in the postseason.
UC San Diego sits in third place with 17 points and a lone first-place vote. Junior utility Bennett Axline represents the Tritons on the preseason team after leading UCSD a year ago in goals (59), shots (116), and drawn exclusions (83).
UC Davis (16-10, 3-2 BW) slides into the fourth spot at 13 votes while watching graduate utility Aleix Aznar Beltran earn preseason recognition. The Barcelona, Spain native led the Aggies in 2023 with 78 points across 48 goals and 30 assists.
Last year's runner-up UC Santa Barbara (17-13, 3-2 BW) sits in fifth place with 12 votes. The Gauchos return redshirt junior Levin Lentin in goal who stopped 188 shots at .449 save percentage to make way on the preseason list.
Cal State Fullerton rounds out the poll with five points. Last year, the Titans held their inaugural season in 2024 and finished the season with a .500 mark overall (16-16, 0-5 BW).
In the preseason addition of the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), UC Irvine (No. 6), UC Davis (No. 8), Long Beach State (No. 10), UC Santa Barbara (No. 11), and UC San Diego (No. 12) all occupy national rankings ahead of 2024.
The first date of Big West men's water polo competition begins on Saturday, Sept. 7 in La Jolla, Calif. during the Triton Invitational on the campus of UC San Diego. A schedule of matchups held during opening week can be found here and on our Big West website.
Schaal Aquatics Center will serve as the host site for the 2024 Big West Men's Water Polo Championship from Nov. 22-24 on the campus of UC Davis. The winner of the championship will receive the league's automatic qualifier into the NCAA Championship.
Select regular-season contests are slated to be telecast on the ESPN family of networks. Please check ESPN listings for upcoming game schedules and additional information.
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