Championship Central | Interactive Bracket | Championship Tickets
The matchups and seedings are officially set for the 2025 Big West Men's Water Polo Championship, hosted by UC Irvine at the Anteater Aquatics Complex from Nov. 21–23. Six programs will compete over three days for the conference crown and the league's automatic berth into the 2025 National Collegiate Men's Water Polo Championship. Tickets for the Championship event can be purchased here.
The Championship commences Friday, Nov. 21, with games at Noon and 2 p.m., followed by semifinal action on Saturday, Nov. 22, at the same times. The Championship Final is slated for noon on Sunday, Nov. 23.
Long Beach State earns the top seed after an unbeaten 5-0 run through Big West play to claim the regular-season title. The Beach, aiming for back-to-back postseason championships, is led by reigning Big West Player and Freshman of the Year Gabi Acosta, who has scored 61 goals in 2025. LBSU will face the winner of Friday's opening match in Saturday's first semifinal.
UC Santa Barbara claims the No. 2 seed and returns to the semifinal round for the second time in three seasons after also earning a bye in 2023. The Gauchos feature one of the league's most potent duos in Danilo Dragovic and Brock Zamanian, who rank third and fourth in The Big West with 61 and 59 goals, respectively.
UC Davis enters as the No. 3 seed and will play in Friday's second match. UC San Diego takes the No. 4 seed and leads off the tournament at Noon, while host UC Irvine holds the No. 5 seed and seeks to capitalize on home-pool advantage. Cal State Fullerton rounds out the field as the No. 6 seed.
UC San Diego edged UC Irvine 9-8 in a tight regular-season matchup in La Jolla. This time, the Tritons and Anteaters meet again, this time in Irvine, with a postseason atmosphere on deck.
UC Davis and Cal State Fullerton also meet in the opening round for the second straight year. The Titans are powered by Andrew Barnuevo, The Big West's leading scorer with 65 tallies, while Tommy Kiesling of the Aggies has added 59.
Winners of the UCSD–UCI and UCD–CSF matchups will advance to Saturday's semifinals at Noon and 2 p.m., where No. 1 LBSU and No. 2 UCSB await. Those winners will move on to the coveted Championship Final at Noon on Sunday, Nov. 23.
The Big West champion secures the league's automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Water Polo Championship, held Dec. 5–7 at Avery Aquatic Center in Stanford, Calif. The six-team NCAA field will be announced on NCAA.com on Monday, Nov. 24, at a time to be determined.
Below is the full championship schedule:
THE 2025 BIG WEST MEN'S WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIP
Hosted by UC Irvine at Anteaters Aquatics Center | Championship Homepage
Friday, Nov. 21 | First Round
Noon | No. 4 seed UC San Diego vs. No. 5 seed UC Irvine
2 p.m. | No. 3 seed UC Davis vs. No. 6 seed Cal State Fullerton
Saturday, Nov. 23 | Semifinals
Noon | Winner of Game 1 vs. No. 1 Long Beach State
2 p.m. | Winner of Game 2 vs. No. 2 UC Santa Barbara
Sunday, Nov. 24 | Final
Noon | Championship Final