The NCAA Men’s Water Polo field is set.
Six conferences have been granted automatic qualification into the bracket and two teams were selected at large. The championship will take place Dec. 6-8 at the Avery Aquatic Center, hosted by Stanford University.
First-round games and the semifinals will be streamed live on ncaa.com, and the national championship final will air live on ESPNU.
The 2024 championship will be an eight-team, single-elimination tournament. The first-round games will be contested Friday, Dec. 6, where UCLA will play Salem (West Virginia) in Game 1. Rounding out the bracket will be Stanford taking on Princeton in Game 2, Southern California competing against California Baptist in Game 3, and Fordham facing Long Beach State in Game 4.
Last week, the 2024 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Men’s Water Polo Championship Tournament took place at UCLA, setting up the NCAA tournament.
The tournament culminated in a thrilling championship match on Sunday, where the No. 1 seed UCLA Bruins faced off against the No. 5 seed USC Trojans. In a high-stakes encounter, the Trojans upset the Bruins with a 15-13 victory, marking the third consecutive year USC has dashed UCLA’s MPSF West title aspirations. The Bruins’ offense was led by freshman attacker Ryder Dodd, who contributed significantly with multiple goals, while goalkeeper Garret Griggs recorded four saves. Despite a valiant effort, UCLA couldn’t overcome USC’s early lead, resulting in a 9-5 deficit at halftime.
On Friday, November 22, UCLA commenced their campaign with a commanding win over eighth-seeded Washington & Jefferson, setting the stage for their progression to the semifinals.
How many schools have programs
According to the NCAA’s official statistics, as of the 2023–24 academic year, there are 43 men’s water polo teams across all three NCAA divisions. This includes 22 teams in Division I, 9 in Division II, and 12 in Division III. These teams compete in various conferences, with the majority located in California, reflecting the sport’s regional popularity. For the most current and detailed information, you can refer to the NCAA’s official statistics page.
Go Rams. Let’s get more East Coast schools playing water polo. Colleges and high schools!