A History of the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship

The NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship is an annual tournament organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to determine the national champion of men's collegiate water polo among its member programs in the United States. Founded in 1969, the championship has a rich history, showcasing the evolution of the sport and the dominance of certain programs.

Tournament Format

Initially a four-team bracket, the tournament structure has evolved to accommodate growing interest and participation. In 2013, two play-in games were added, involving the bottom four seeds, effectively creating a six-team bracket with a first-round bye for the top two teams. Starting with the 2023 tournament, the field was expanded to eight teams. Seven conferences are granted automatic bids, with the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) declining an automatic invitation in 2023.

Dominant Programs

Historically, the four California-based Pac-12 schools have been the most successful in the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship. The University of California, Berkeley, leads with 17 titles, followed by UCLA (13 titles), Stanford (11 titles), and USC (10 titles).

Key Moments and Championship Games

The NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship has produced many memorable moments and thrilling games. Here's a look at some of the championship games and key events from recent years:

2012 Championship

The 2012 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was held December 1 and 2 at Southern California's McDonald's Swim Stadium. Conferences receiving automatic qualification included the Collegiate Water Polo Association, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, and the Western Water Polo Association. The remaining team was selected at-large without geographical restrictions. Southern California (27-0) defeated UCLA (27-4). The third-place game saw St. Francis College Brooklyn defeat Loyola Marymount.

2013 Championship

The 2013 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was held December 7 and 8 at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center. This season marked the introduction of an expanded format. Six teams were seeded into the tournament, with the bottom four participating in Play-in games to fill the four-team bracket. Four conferences received automatic qualification: the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), and the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). The remaining two teams were selected at-large without geographical restrictions. Southern Cal (26-4) defeated St. Francis College Brooklyn. Pacific (22-4) also competed. In the third-place game, St. Francis College Brooklyn defeated Whittier College.

2014 Championship

The 2014 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was held December 6 and 7 at UC San Diego's Canyonview Aquatic Center, La Jolla, CA. The tournament continued with the new format by adding two more teams to play in the four-team play-in games. Conferences that received automatic qualification were the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), and the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). The remaining teams were selected at-large without geographical restrictions. UCLA (27-3) defeated USC (23-6). Stanford defeated UCLA in the championship game.

2015 Championship

The 2015 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was held December 5 and 6 at UCLA's Spieker Aquatics Center, Los Angeles. The tournament continued with the new format by adding two more teams to play in the four-team play-in games. Conferences receiving automatic qualification were the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), and the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). The remaining teams were selected at-large without geographical restrictions. UCLA (28-0) defeated USC (21-6). Cal defeated UCLA in the championship game.

2017 Championship

The 2017 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was held December 2 and 3 at USC, Los Angeles. The tournament continued with the new format with eight teams playing for the championship. Conferences receiving automatic qualification are the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), Golden Coast Conference (GCC), the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC), Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), and the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA).

2018 Championship

The 2018 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was held December 1 and 2 at Avery Aquatic Center, Stanford, California. The tournament continued with the format in which eight teams competed for the championship. Teams qualifying as champions of their conferences were Long Beach State, from the Golden Coast Conference (GCC); George Washington, from the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC); Stanford, from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF); Princeton, from the Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC); Pomona-Pitzer, from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC); and UC San Diego, from the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). The remaining two teams, Southern California (MPSF) and UCLA (MPSF), were selected at-large without geographical restrictions. USC defeated Stanford in the championship.

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2019 Championship

The 2019 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was held December 7 and 8 at the Chris Kjeldsen Aquatic Center, Stockton, California. Seven teams played for the championship. Teams qualifying as champions of their conferences were Pepperdine, from the Golden Coast Conference (GCC); Bucknell, from the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC); Stanford, from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF); Harvard, from the Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC); and UC Davis, from the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). The remaining two teams, Southern California (MPSF) and Pacific (GCC), were selected at-large without geographical restrictions.

2021 Championship

The tournament was played at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center, on the campus of USC in Los Angeles. California defeated Southern California 13-12 to win the 2021 NCAA water polo national championship. It was California's 15th title.

2022 Championship

The national championship was held on December 3-4, 2022 at the Spieker Aquatics Complex on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, California. Cal defeated USC to win the championship.

2023 Championship

The national championship was held on December 1-3, 2023 at Uytengsu Aquatics Center on the campus of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. Seven conferences were granted automatic bids. The Southern California Athletic Conference (SCIAC) declined an automatic invitation this year. The tournament was reduced to eight teams.

The Collegiate Water Polo Association

The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) plays a significant role in the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship. It is a conference of colleges and universities in the Eastern United States that sponsors men's and women's teams. The winners of the conference tournaments earn spots in the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship and the NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship.

Founded in the early 1970s as the Mid Atlantic Conference by Dick Russell, the swimming and water polo coach at Bucknell University, the conference initially included member schools from New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. The organization was run by the conference's coaches until a commissioner was hired in 1990. In 1993, the Mid Atlantic Conference admitted the full memberships of the New England and Southern Conferences, changing its name to the Mid Atlantic Conference with 39 varsity and club member schools. The following year, the conference went co-ed, raising the number of member teams to 55. As the organization expanded into the Midwest in 1995, the referees from the Eastern Water Polo Referees Association opted to go on strike, so the conference established its own refereeing bureau.

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