Tag: UCLA Bruins Water Polo

UCLA Bruins Men’s Water Polo ranked atop preseason poll

The 2024 preseason poll for Men’s Water Polo was released. The UCLA Bruins are the top ranked team in the country.

It was a busy summer for the UCLA Bruins men’s water polo team. They had some former players and current players playing in the Olympics, and of course, doing great things.

Then, the 2024 schedule was released and jammed-packed full of great matches throughout the season.

Now, the squad was informed this week that they are the top team in the country according to preseason rankings. The UCLA Bruins were voted at the top of the poll, barely holding off a pair of former Pac-12 rivals in California and Stanford. The USC Trojans came in fourth in the poll, followed by Princeton at 5.

https://x.com/UCLAWaterPolo/status/1826414514952126628

The Bruins return seven of their top eight scorers from a season ago.Β  Jack Larsen, who scored 40 goals last season will be one of the top scorers, along with Ben Liechty. Also, starting goaltender Garrett Griggs returns. The Bruins went 26-3 and finished runner-up a season ago.

UCLA will take part in two regular-season tournaments during the year, starting with the season opener against a team to be determined on Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Triton Invitational on the campus of UC San Diego. UCLA will host the eight-team 2024 MPSF Championship on Nov. 22-24 while Stanford will host the 2024 NCAA Championship on Dec. 6-8.

UCLA Bruins men’s water polo releases 2024 schedule

The schedule is out!

The wait is over! The UCLA water polo team has finally released its entire schedule for the 2024 season. The Bruins will open up their season on September 7th and 8th in San Diego. This will be at the Triton Invite.

The Bruins will take a trip to UC Irvine on September 13th, before they get to come back home for their first home match of the season.

USC will take on the Bruins twice during the 2024 season. The first meeting between the Trojans and Bruins will take place October 19th on the road. USC then returns the favor, and will be the final match home of the season for the Bruins.

The NCAA Championships will be held at Stanford from December 6th – 8th. UCLA last won a national title in men’s water polo in 2020. They were 9-7 in the shortened season. Before that, it was the 2017 team. Despite that, the Bruins have had a long line of success in water polo. Men’s and Women’s have been a point of pride on the UCLA campus.

California comes into the season as winners of three straight national titles. Last season they beat the Bruins 13-11 in the title game.

Trio of UCLA Water Polo stars move on in 2024 Summer Olympics

The UCLA Bruins Water Polo team is well represented in the 2024 Summer Olympics. They have a trio of players heading to the semi final round.

It has been an exciting ride for the United States Men’s Water Polo squad, especially for a trio of UCLA Bruins athletes. Max Irving, Ryder Dodd and Chase Dodd are heading to the semifinals for the first time since 2008. They came from behind to win their match on Wednesday, 11-10 over Australia.

Irving is a 29-year-old who was part of the 2023 World Cup team. He plays his club water polo for Brescia, Italy.Β  Ryder Dodd is 18 years old and will be a star with the Bruins once the Olympics are complete.Β  Chase, his older brother had an outstanding season in 2022 for the Bruins. He scored 39 goals and had a career-high four in a single game against Stanford.

The 2024 version of the Bruins will start at the Triton Invitational in La Jolla on September 7th.

The UCLA Men’s Water Polo team has been very strong. They have won 12 national titles, while the women’s program at UCLA has 8 titles.