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. 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.