Thursday, October 20
Los Angeles, CA
4:00 PM
UCLA
vs
UC Santa Barbara
The Bruins host a pair of UC schools this week that they defeated in the opening weekend of the 2022 season.
Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA
No. 1 UCLA Hosts No. 7 UC Davis and No. 11 UC Santa Barbara
October 18, 2022 | Men's Water Polo
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LOS ANGELES โ No. 1 UCLA (17-1, 1-0 MPSF) hosts No. 11 UC Santa Barbaraย (10-10, 0-1 GCC)ย on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 4:00 p.m. PT at Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center. The game will be televised live on Pac-12 Los Angeles with Jim Watsonย calling all of the exciting action. Live stats will also be available on the 6-8 Sports platform. Then the Bruins will host No. 7 UC Davis (11-6, 4-0 WWPA) on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 1:00 p.m. PT. There will not be a live stream of the game, but live stats will be available on the 6-8 Sports platform.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Thursday, Oct. 20 (Non-Conference Gameย - Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center)
4:00 PM PT โ No. 11 UC Santa Barbara at No. 1 UCLAย | LIVE STATSย |ย WATCH
Saturday, Oct. 22 (Non-Conference Gameย - Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center)
1:00 PM PT โ No. 7 UC Davis at No. 1 UCLAย | LIVE STATS
SERIES HISTORY
UCLA is 108-17-1 all-time in the series history against UC Santa Barbara. The Bruins have posted more all-time wins against the Gauchos than any other team in program history. The Bruins have won the last 15 meetings, including a 7-6 win in the opening weekend of the 2022 season at the Triton Invitational (Sept. 3). After a scoreless first quarter, the Bruins jumped out to a 4-0 lead but needed some last-minute heroics to defeat the Gauchos.ย UCLAย had six different players score in the game, paced by freshmanย Noah Rowe'sย game-high two goals. Seniorย Tommy Gruwellย scored the game-winning goal from two metersย with 1:36 remaining. It was the Bruins' only goal of the fourth quarter.ย Seniorย Bernardo Mauriziย got the start in the cage and played the entire game, registering eight saves while allowing six goals (two on power plays and one on a penalty shot). The Gauchos' last win in the series came on Sept. 30, 2012 at home when they beat the visiting Bruins, 11-10.
UCLA is 18-0 all-time in the series history against UC Davis. The Bruins won this year's earlier meeting, 12-8, in the semifinals of the Triton Invitational (Sept. 4). The Bruinsย got off to a slow start, trailing the Aggies 3-1 at the end of the first period. UCLAย had nine different players score in the game, paced by sophomoreย Chase Dodd'sย game-high three goals. Seniorย Andy Rodgersย was the only other multiple goal scorer with two goals.ย Juniorย Garret Griggsย got the start and played the first half, tallying five saves while surrendering six goals. Seniorย Bernardo Mauriziย came on in relief in the second half and registered seven saves while allowing two scores in the fourth quarter.
LAST WEEK IN BRUIN WATER POLO
UCLA went 1-0 last week, postingย a statement win at No. 1 Stanford (17-1, 0-1), dominating the Cardinal in the second half for a 10-6 win on Saturday afternoon (Oct.ย 15) at Averyย Aquatic Center. UCLA improved to 80-90 in the series history against the Cardinal.ย The Bruins outscored Stanford 4-0 in the third quarter and 7-2 in the final 16:01 of the game to win on the road in the MPSF opener for both teams. The Bruins had fiveย players score in the game, led by sophomoreย Chase Dodd'sย season- and career-high-tying four goals. In just his second game back after missing 11 in a row, junior attackerย Makoto Kenneyย scored twice, including the eventual game-winning goal on a power play at the 5:30 mark of the third period.ย Seniorย Bernardo Mauriziย got the start in the cage and went the distance, registering eight saves, two steals, and one assist while holding Stanford to a season-low six goals. The Cardinal averages 17.1 goals per game, but has scored just 14 combined goals in the two meetings against the Bruins.ย Jackson Painter led the Cardinal with a hat trickย while Nolan Krutonogย had fiveย savesย while surrendering nine of the 10 goals to UCLA.
KENNEY RETURNS
Junior attacker Makoto Kenney made a triumphant return to the Bruins' lineup on Oct. 8 after missing 11 games (had been unavailable since Sept. 10 due to an undisclosed illness). Kenney made his presence known, scoring the first goal of the game (1Q - 5:57) in UCLA's 17-6 home win over No. 14 UC San Diego. He also added two steals and one assist against the Tritons. He followed that outing up with two goals in the Bruins' 10-6 takedown of previously undefeated and top-rankedย Stanford on the road (Oct. 15).
DODD, ROWE SWEEP MPSF WEST/DELFINAย WEEKLY AWARDS
UCLA sophomore attackerย Chase Doddย (Long Beach, Calif./Hunting Beach HS) wasย named the MPSFย West/Delfina Player of the Week and Bruin freshman attackerย Noah Roweย (North Tustin, Calif./Foothill HS) has been named the MPSF West/Delfina Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office (Oct. 17).
Dodd scored a season- and career-high-tying four goals (on five shots) to lead the No. 3 Bruins to a 10-6 win at No. 1 Stanford (Oct. 15), which handed the Cardinal its first loss.ย Dodd also tallied two steals, drew two exclusions and one penalty shot against Stanford.ย This was Dodd's fourth career MPSFย weekly award, though first as Player of the Week (three Newcomer of the Week awards last year).
Rowe scored one goal on his only shot in the win at No. 1 Stanford (Oct. 15), but it was a big one, sparking a 6-0 scoring run by the Bruins. Trailing 4-3, Rowe fired a shot from half-tank at the buzzer just before halftime and scored off a deflection from the Stanford keeper.ย He also had two steals in the win.ย This was Rowe's first career MPSF award.
DODD NAMED UCLA STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK, PRESENTED BY READY
Sophomore attackerย Chase Doddย of the UCLA men's water polo team has been selected the UCLA Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by Ready, for Oct. 10-16. Dodd scored a season- and career-high-tying four goals on five shots to lead No. 3 UCLA to a 10-6 win at No. 1 Stanford on Oct. 15. The MPSFย West/Delfina Player of the Week also tallied two steals and drew two exclusions and one penalty shot against the Cardinal, who was beaten for the first time this season. Dodd opened the scoring in the second half with back-to-back goals to turn a 4-4 halftime tie to a 6-4 Bruin advantage they would not relinquish. UCLA improved to 17-1 overall and 1-0 in the MPSF with the win. This is Dodd's first UCLA student-athlete of the week award of the season and of his career.ย Also nominated:ย Nate Crockford, M. Soccer; Anna Dodson, W. Volleyball; Claire Grover, W. Swimming & Diving; Ronan McMahon-Staggs, M. Cross Country; Claire Selleck, W. Cross Country.
MAURIZI NAMED MPSF WEST/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK AGAIN
UCLA senior goalkeeperย Bernardo Mauriziย (Florence, Italy/Salesiani Firenze) was named the MPSFย West/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office (Oct. 3).ย Mauriziย totaled 24 saves and six steals to lead UCLA to wins over No. 4 Pacific (Sept. 30) and at No. 12 Pepperdine (Oct. 2). UCLA trailed 8-3 early in the third quarter before storming back to defeat the Tigers. Maurizi had 11 saves and a season-high three steals in a 12-11 win. His last save came with 10 seconds remaining in the game to preserve the one-goal victory. The Bruins then trailed by three in the first half at Pepperdine before rallying to win, as Maurizi had a season-high 13 saves and tied his career-high of three steals.ย This was Maurizi's second career MPSF Player of the Week award, both this year.
CAVANO NAMED MPSF WEST/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UCLA super senior attacker/utilityย Jake Cavanoย (Huntington Beach, Calif./Hunting Beach HS) was named the MPSFย West/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office (Sept. 19).ย Cavanoย scored seven goals through four wins over Top-20 teams at the UC Davis Aggie Roundup (Sept. 16-17). Cavano put away the game-winning goal in three of the four contests.ย He scored twice in wins over No. 10 San Jose State, No. 16 California Baptist, and No. 11 Princeton, and added one goal in the win over No. 14 Harvard.ย Cavano is the only Bruin to score at least one goal in all 10 games of the 2022 season.ย This was Cavano's second career MPSF Player of the Week award.
MAURIZI NAMED MPSF WEST/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UCLA senior goalkeeperย Bernardo Mauriziย (Florence, Italy/Salesiani Firenze) was named the MPSFย West/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office (Sept. 5).ย Mauriziย registered 26 saves over the two and a half games he played to help the Bruins win the UC San Diego Invitational (Sept. 3-4). He had eight saves and two steals against No. 8 UC Santa Barbara. He played the second half in the win over No. 7 UC Davis and had seven saves, one steal, and one assist, while only allowing two goals. He then had 11 saves and three steals in the win over No. 2 USC. He had an impressive goals against average of 5.6 against three Top 10 teams this past weekend.ย This was Maurizi's first career MPSF weekly award.
UCLA PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN MPSF
Defending NCAA Champion California recorded a perfect 49 points in the 2022 MPSF Men's Water Polo Coaches' poll and was picked to win the MPSF's Western Division title. UCLA placed second with 41 points. USC came in third with 39 points while Stanford was fourth with 31 points. In the MPSF Eastern Division, Austin College was picked to win with 24 points. Washington & Jefferson was projected second with 16 points, followed by Penn State Behrend (13) and Augustana (11).
SUPER SENIORS
Super seniors Evan Rosenfeld (2021 First-Team All-American) and Jake Cavano (2021 Honorable Mention All-American) have both decided to return to Westwood for one final season. Rosenfeld, a three-time All-American and 2021 MPSF Tournament MVP, scored 13 goals as a defender a year ago. Cavano, a four-time All-American, was tied for second on the team in scoring with 31 goals last season. Rosenfeld is working towards a master's degree in the Department of Education's Transformative Coaching and Leadership.ย
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
In addition to the aforementioned Rosenfeld and Cavano, the Bruins also return two more All-Americans in Tommy Gruwell and Bernardo Maurizi. Gruwell, a three-time All-American, returns for his senior season after ranking fifth on the team in scoring with 26 goals last year. He also spent the summer with Team USA where tallied three goals at the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.ย Starting senior goalie Bernardo Maurizi (9-4 last year), a two-time All-American, returns in the cage.
UCLA 2022 OUTLOOK
UCLA returns five of its top seven scorers and all three goalkeepers that saw action a year ago from the 2021 MPSF Championship team. Reserve goalkeepers junior Garret Griggs (10-0 in 2021) and redshirt junior Chase Honaker (1-0 in 2021) also return to bolster the Bruin defense.
Including the firepower from the four All-Americans, the Bruin offense looks to be very strong.ย Sophomore Chase Dodd was tied for second on the team in scoring with 31 goals and returns to UCLA after a busy summer where he tallied 13 goals at the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, for Team USA. He also scored 17 goals at the 2022 FINA Intercontinental Cup in Lima, Peru and was named MVP of the gold medal match.
The Bruins also return capable offensive players in redshirt junior Jack Larsen (23 goals), redshirt sophomore Gianpiero Di Martire (19 goals), junior Makoto Kenney (14 goals), sophomore Eli Liechty (12 goals), senior Gabe Discipulo (11 goals), senior Andy Rodgers (11 goals), and redshirt junior Giorgio Alessandria (11 goals).
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The Bruins will look to replace 2020 NCAA Player of the Year and Cutino Award winner, Nicolas Saveljic (led the team with 33 goals). UCLA also lost the services of seniors Felix Brozyna-Vilim (30 goals) and Chasen Travisano (11 goals), and sophomore Tanner Pulice (17 goals).
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Arriving in Westwood this season and looking to make an immediate impact is freshmen Gray Carson (6-4, UTL, Long Beach, Calif., Woodrow Wilson HS), and Noah Rowe (6-4, ATK, North Tustin, Calif., Foothill HS).
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The Bruins ended the 2021 season with a 20-4 overall record and captured their sixth MPSF Championship in program history.
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A CHAMPIONSHIP PROGRAM
The UCLA Bruins captured their 12th NCAA Championship in men's water polo with a 7-6 win at USCย on Mar. 21, 2021, at USC's Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The win also marked the 119th NCAA Championship for the UCLA Athletic Department. It was a balanced scoring effort by the Bruins, who received goals from six different players. Juniorย Jake Cavano, who was named to the 2020 First-Team All-NCAA Tournament,ย scored two goals, including the eventual difference maker with 6:23 left in the game. Sophomore goalkeeperย Bernardo Maurizi, who also was named First-Team All-NCAA Tournament, held the Trojans scoreless throughout the first half and racked up nine saves. UCLA never trailed in the game, though USC briefly pulled even at 4-4. Nicolas Saveljic was named the NCAA Tournament MVP.
THE WRIGHT STUFF
After guiding the Bruins to the NCAA Championship in 2020 and being named the ACWPC National Coach of the Year, Adam Wright returns for his 14th season as UCLA's head men's water polo coach in 2022 with an overall record of 313-59 (.841) and an MPSF mark of 60-23 (.723). His teams earned perfect APR (Academic Progress Rate) scores of 1,000 in 2014, 2015 and 2016 while winning the school's 112th, 113th and 114th NCAA Championships in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Wright added the fourth NCAA Championship to his resume as a head coach in 2020 (Mar. 21, 2021) and a fourth perfect APR score in 2021. On July 20, 2017, then-UCLA Director of Athletics, Dan Guerrero, announced that Wrightย will guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams. Wright was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame on June 20, 2019, and to the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020. On March 22, 2022, UCLA Director of Athletics, Martin Jarmond, announced that Wright had signed a new six-year contract, starting in July of 2022, as the Head Coach for both of the Bruins' Men's and Women's Water Polo programs.ย
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RECAPPING 2021
Overall Record: 20-4 |ย Final Ranking: 3rd | NCAA Finish: T-3rd |ย MPSFย Tournament Finish: 1st
The UCLA Bruins captured the 2021ย MPSFย Men's Water Polo Championship with an 11-10 win at Stanford at Averyย Aquatic Center (Nov. 21, 2021). The win marked the Bruins' sixth MPSF Championship in history while completing a season sweep of the Cardinal (3-0), extending the series winning streak to four games.
POLLING THE BRUINS
UCLA jumped two spots to No. 1 in this week'sย CWPAย National Men's Varsity Top 20 Poll (97 points), released on Oct. 19.
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LOS ANGELES โ No. 1 UCLA (17-1, 1-0 MPSF) hosts No. 11 UC Santa Barbaraย (10-10, 0-1 GCC)ย on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 4:00 p.m. PT at Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center. The game will be televised live on Pac-12 Los Angeles with Jim Watsonย calling all of the exciting action. Live stats will also be available on the 6-8 Sports platform. Then the Bruins will host No. 7 UC Davis (11-6, 4-0 WWPA) on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 1:00 p.m. PT. There will not be a live stream of the game, but live stats will be available on the 6-8 Sports platform.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Thursday, Oct. 20 (Non-Conference Gameย - Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center)
4:00 PM PT โ No. 11 UC Santa Barbara at No. 1 UCLAย | LIVE STATSย |ย WATCH
Saturday, Oct. 22 (Non-Conference Gameย - Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center)
1:00 PM PT โ No. 7 UC Davis at No. 1 UCLAย | LIVE STATS
SERIES HISTORY
UCLA is 108-17-1 all-time in the series history against UC Santa Barbara. The Bruins have posted more all-time wins against the Gauchos than any other team in program history. The Bruins have won the last 15 meetings, including a 7-6 win in the opening weekend of the 2022 season at the Triton Invitational (Sept. 3). After a scoreless first quarter, the Bruins jumped out to a 4-0 lead but needed some last-minute heroics to defeat the Gauchos.ย UCLAย had six different players score in the game, paced by freshmanย Noah Rowe'sย game-high two goals. Seniorย Tommy Gruwellย scored the game-winning goal from two metersย with 1:36 remaining. It was the Bruins' only goal of the fourth quarter.ย Seniorย Bernardo Mauriziย got the start in the cage and played the entire game, registering eight saves while allowing six goals (two on power plays and one on a penalty shot). The Gauchos' last win in the series came on Sept. 30, 2012 at home when they beat the visiting Bruins, 11-10.
UCLA is 18-0 all-time in the series history against UC Davis. The Bruins won this year's earlier meeting, 12-8, in the semifinals of the Triton Invitational (Sept. 4). The Bruinsย got off to a slow start, trailing the Aggies 3-1 at the end of the first period. UCLAย had nine different players score in the game, paced by sophomoreย Chase Dodd'sย game-high three goals. Seniorย Andy Rodgersย was the only other multiple goal scorer with two goals.ย Juniorย Garret Griggsย got the start and played the first half, tallying five saves while surrendering six goals. Seniorย Bernardo Mauriziย came on in relief in the second half and registered seven saves while allowing two scores in the fourth quarter.
LAST WEEK IN BRUIN WATER POLO
UCLA went 1-0 last week, postingย a statement win at No. 1 Stanford (17-1, 0-1), dominating the Cardinal in the second half for a 10-6 win on Saturday afternoon (Oct.ย 15) at Averyย Aquatic Center. UCLA improved to 80-90 in the series history against the Cardinal.ย The Bruins outscored Stanford 4-0 in the third quarter and 7-2 in the final 16:01 of the game to win on the road in the MPSF opener for both teams. The Bruins had fiveย players score in the game, led by sophomoreย Chase Dodd'sย season- and career-high-tying four goals. In just his second game back after missing 11 in a row, junior attackerย Makoto Kenneyย scored twice, including the eventual game-winning goal on a power play at the 5:30 mark of the third period.ย Seniorย Bernardo Mauriziย got the start in the cage and went the distance, registering eight saves, two steals, and one assist while holding Stanford to a season-low six goals. The Cardinal averages 17.1 goals per game, but has scored just 14 combined goals in the two meetings against the Bruins.ย Jackson Painter led the Cardinal with a hat trickย while Nolan Krutonogย had fiveย savesย while surrendering nine of the 10 goals to UCLA.
KENNEY RETURNS
Junior attacker Makoto Kenney made a triumphant return to the Bruins' lineup on Oct. 8 after missing 11 games (had been unavailable since Sept. 10 due to an undisclosed illness). Kenney made his presence known, scoring the first goal of the game (1Q - 5:57) in UCLA's 17-6 home win over No. 14 UC San Diego. He also added two steals and one assist against the Tritons. He followed that outing up with two goals in the Bruins' 10-6 takedown of previously undefeated and top-rankedย Stanford on the road (Oct. 15).
DODD, ROWE SWEEP MPSF WEST/DELFINAย WEEKLY AWARDS
UCLA sophomore attackerย Chase Doddย (Long Beach, Calif./Hunting Beach HS) wasย named the MPSFย West/Delfina Player of the Week and Bruin freshman attackerย Noah Roweย (North Tustin, Calif./Foothill HS) has been named the MPSF West/Delfina Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office (Oct. 17).
Dodd scored a season- and career-high-tying four goals (on five shots) to lead the No. 3 Bruins to a 10-6 win at No. 1 Stanford (Oct. 15), which handed the Cardinal its first loss.ย Dodd also tallied two steals, drew two exclusions and one penalty shot against Stanford.ย This was Dodd's fourth career MPSFย weekly award, though first as Player of the Week (three Newcomer of the Week awards last year).
Rowe scored one goal on his only shot in the win at No. 1 Stanford (Oct. 15), but it was a big one, sparking a 6-0 scoring run by the Bruins. Trailing 4-3, Rowe fired a shot from half-tank at the buzzer just before halftime and scored off a deflection from the Stanford keeper.ย He also had two steals in the win.ย This was Rowe's first career MPSF award.
DODD NAMED UCLA STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK, PRESENTED BY READY
Sophomore attackerย Chase Doddย of the UCLA men's water polo team has been selected the UCLA Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by Ready, for Oct. 10-16. Dodd scored a season- and career-high-tying four goals on five shots to lead No. 3 UCLA to a 10-6 win at No. 1 Stanford on Oct. 15. The MPSFย West/Delfina Player of the Week also tallied two steals and drew two exclusions and one penalty shot against the Cardinal, who was beaten for the first time this season. Dodd opened the scoring in the second half with back-to-back goals to turn a 4-4 halftime tie to a 6-4 Bruin advantage they would not relinquish. UCLA improved to 17-1 overall and 1-0 in the MPSF with the win. This is Dodd's first UCLA student-athlete of the week award of the season and of his career.ย Also nominated:ย Nate Crockford, M. Soccer; Anna Dodson, W. Volleyball; Claire Grover, W. Swimming & Diving; Ronan McMahon-Staggs, M. Cross Country; Claire Selleck, W. Cross Country.
MAURIZI NAMED MPSF WEST/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK AGAIN
UCLA senior goalkeeperย Bernardo Mauriziย (Florence, Italy/Salesiani Firenze) was named the MPSFย West/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office (Oct. 3).ย Mauriziย totaled 24 saves and six steals to lead UCLA to wins over No. 4 Pacific (Sept. 30) and at No. 12 Pepperdine (Oct. 2). UCLA trailed 8-3 early in the third quarter before storming back to defeat the Tigers. Maurizi had 11 saves and a season-high three steals in a 12-11 win. His last save came with 10 seconds remaining in the game to preserve the one-goal victory. The Bruins then trailed by three in the first half at Pepperdine before rallying to win, as Maurizi had a season-high 13 saves and tied his career-high of three steals.ย This was Maurizi's second career MPSF Player of the Week award, both this year.
CAVANO NAMED MPSF WEST/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UCLA super senior attacker/utilityย Jake Cavanoย (Huntington Beach, Calif./Hunting Beach HS) was named the MPSFย West/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office (Sept. 19).ย Cavanoย scored seven goals through four wins over Top-20 teams at the UC Davis Aggie Roundup (Sept. 16-17). Cavano put away the game-winning goal in three of the four contests.ย He scored twice in wins over No. 10 San Jose State, No. 16 California Baptist, and No. 11 Princeton, and added one goal in the win over No. 14 Harvard.ย Cavano is the only Bruin to score at least one goal in all 10 games of the 2022 season.ย This was Cavano's second career MPSF Player of the Week award.
MAURIZI NAMED MPSF WEST/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UCLA senior goalkeeperย Bernardo Mauriziย (Florence, Italy/Salesiani Firenze) was named the MPSFย West/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office (Sept. 5).ย Mauriziย registered 26 saves over the two and a half games he played to help the Bruins win the UC San Diego Invitational (Sept. 3-4). He had eight saves and two steals against No. 8 UC Santa Barbara. He played the second half in the win over No. 7 UC Davis and had seven saves, one steal, and one assist, while only allowing two goals. He then had 11 saves and three steals in the win over No. 2 USC. He had an impressive goals against average of 5.6 against three Top 10 teams this past weekend.ย This was Maurizi's first career MPSF weekly award.
UCLA PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN MPSF
Defending NCAA Champion California recorded a perfect 49 points in the 2022 MPSF Men's Water Polo Coaches' poll and was picked to win the MPSF's Western Division title. UCLA placed second with 41 points. USC came in third with 39 points while Stanford was fourth with 31 points. In the MPSF Eastern Division, Austin College was picked to win with 24 points. Washington & Jefferson was projected second with 16 points, followed by Penn State Behrend (13) and Augustana (11).
SUPER SENIORS
Super seniors Evan Rosenfeld (2021 First-Team All-American) and Jake Cavano (2021 Honorable Mention All-American) have both decided to return to Westwood for one final season. Rosenfeld, a three-time All-American and 2021 MPSF Tournament MVP, scored 13 goals as a defender a year ago. Cavano, a four-time All-American, was tied for second on the team in scoring with 31 goals last season. Rosenfeld is working towards a master's degree in the Department of Education's Transformative Coaching and Leadership.ย
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
In addition to the aforementioned Rosenfeld and Cavano, the Bruins also return two more All-Americans in Tommy Gruwell and Bernardo Maurizi. Gruwell, a three-time All-American, returns for his senior season after ranking fifth on the team in scoring with 26 goals last year. He also spent the summer with Team USA where tallied three goals at the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.ย Starting senior goalie Bernardo Maurizi (9-4 last year), a two-time All-American, returns in the cage.
UCLA 2022 OUTLOOK
UCLA returns five of its top seven scorers and all three goalkeepers that saw action a year ago from the 2021 MPSF Championship team. Reserve goalkeepers junior Garret Griggs (10-0 in 2021) and redshirt junior Chase Honaker (1-0 in 2021) also return to bolster the Bruin defense.
Including the firepower from the four All-Americans, the Bruin offense looks to be very strong.ย Sophomore Chase Dodd was tied for second on the team in scoring with 31 goals and returns to UCLA after a busy summer where he tallied 13 goals at the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, for Team USA. He also scored 17 goals at the 2022 FINA Intercontinental Cup in Lima, Peru and was named MVP of the gold medal match.
The Bruins also return capable offensive players in redshirt junior Jack Larsen (23 goals), redshirt sophomore Gianpiero Di Martire (19 goals), junior Makoto Kenney (14 goals), sophomore Eli Liechty (12 goals), senior Gabe Discipulo (11 goals), senior Andy Rodgers (11 goals), and redshirt junior Giorgio Alessandria (11 goals).
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The Bruins will look to replace 2020 NCAA Player of the Year and Cutino Award winner, Nicolas Saveljic (led the team with 33 goals). UCLA also lost the services of seniors Felix Brozyna-Vilim (30 goals) and Chasen Travisano (11 goals), and sophomore Tanner Pulice (17 goals).
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Arriving in Westwood this season and looking to make an immediate impact is freshmen Gray Carson (6-4, UTL, Long Beach, Calif., Woodrow Wilson HS), and Noah Rowe (6-4, ATK, North Tustin, Calif., Foothill HS).
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The Bruins ended the 2021 season with a 20-4 overall record and captured their sixth MPSF Championship in program history.
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A CHAMPIONSHIP PROGRAM
The UCLA Bruins captured their 12th NCAA Championship in men's water polo with a 7-6 win at USCย on Mar. 21, 2021, at USC's Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The win also marked the 119th NCAA Championship for the UCLA Athletic Department. It was a balanced scoring effort by the Bruins, who received goals from six different players. Juniorย Jake Cavano, who was named to the 2020 First-Team All-NCAA Tournament,ย scored two goals, including the eventual difference maker with 6:23 left in the game. Sophomore goalkeeperย Bernardo Maurizi, who also was named First-Team All-NCAA Tournament, held the Trojans scoreless throughout the first half and racked up nine saves. UCLA never trailed in the game, though USC briefly pulled even at 4-4. Nicolas Saveljic was named the NCAA Tournament MVP.
THE WRIGHT STUFF
After guiding the Bruins to the NCAA Championship in 2020 and being named the ACWPC National Coach of the Year, Adam Wright returns for his 14th season as UCLA's head men's water polo coach in 2022 with an overall record of 313-59 (.841) and an MPSF mark of 60-23 (.723). His teams earned perfect APR (Academic Progress Rate) scores of 1,000 in 2014, 2015 and 2016 while winning the school's 112th, 113th and 114th NCAA Championships in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Wright added the fourth NCAA Championship to his resume as a head coach in 2020 (Mar. 21, 2021) and a fourth perfect APR score in 2021. On July 20, 2017, then-UCLA Director of Athletics, Dan Guerrero, announced that Wrightย will guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams. Wright was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame on June 20, 2019, and to the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020. On March 22, 2022, UCLA Director of Athletics, Martin Jarmond, announced that Wright had signed a new six-year contract, starting in July of 2022, as the Head Coach for both of the Bruins' Men's and Women's Water Polo programs.ย
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RECAPPING 2021
Overall Record: 20-4 |ย Final Ranking: 3rd | NCAA Finish: T-3rd |ย MPSFย Tournament Finish: 1st
The UCLA Bruins captured the 2021ย MPSFย Men's Water Polo Championship with an 11-10 win at Stanford at Averyย Aquatic Center (Nov. 21, 2021). The win marked the Bruins' sixth MPSF Championship in history while completing a season sweep of the Cardinal (3-0), extending the series winning streak to four games.
POLLING THE BRUINS
UCLA jumped two spots to No. 1 in this week'sย CWPAย National Men's Varsity Top 20 Poll (97 points), released on Oct. 19.
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ย 2022 MEN'S VARSITY TOP 20 (WEEK 7/OCTOBER 19) |
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| ย Rank | ย Team | ย Week 6 Poll | ย Points |
| ย 1 | ย UCLA | ย 3 | ย 97 |
| ย 2 | ย California | ย 2 | ย 95 |
| ย 3 | ย Stanford | ย 1 | ย 94 |
| ย 4 | ย Pacific | ย 4 | ย 85 |
| ย 5 | ย USC | ย 5 | ย 81 |
| ย 6 | ย Long Beach State | ย 6 | ย 75 |
| ย 7 | ย UC Davis | ย 7 | ย 70 |
| ย 8 | ย UC Irvine | ย 9 | ย 60 |
| ย 9 (T) | ย Princeton | ย 12 | ย 53 |
| ย 9 (T) | ย Pepperdine | ย 10 | ย 53 |
| ย 11 | ย UC Santa Barbara | ย 8 | ย 52 |
| ย 12 | ย Loyola Marymount | ย 11 | ย 50 |
| ย 13 | ย UC San Diego | ย 13 | ย 44 |
| ย 14 | ย Harvard | ย 14 | ย 38 |
| ย 15 | ย San Jose State | ย 15 | ย 30 |
| ย 16 | ย California Baptist University | ย 16 | ย 23 |
| ย 17 (T) | ย Santa Clara | ย 17 | ย 19 |
| ย 17 (T) | ย Fordham | ย 18 | ย 19 |
| ย 19 | ย George Washington | ย 19 | ย 9 |
| ย 20 | ย St. Francis College Brooklyn | ย 20 | ย 6 |
| ย RV | ย Navy | ย RV | ย 2 |
| ย RV | ย Brown | ย RV | ย 1 |
| ย RV | ย Air Force | ย RV | ย 1 |
Players Mentioned
UTL
/ Men's Water Polo
UTL
/ Men's Water Polo
UTL
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK/UTL
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK/UTL
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
CTR
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
GK
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
GK
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
CTR
/ Men's Water Polo
GK
/ Men's Water Polo
GK
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
UTL
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water PoloUCLA Men's Water Polo Ring Reveal
Wednesday, August 27
2024 UCLA Men's Water Polo NCAA Champions
Thursday, December 12
Highlights - UCLA M. Water Polo Celebrates NCAA Title
Sunday, December 08
Highlights - UCLA M. Water Polo vs. USC, NCAA Championship (Dec. 8, 2024)
Sunday, December 08