Friday, December 1
Los Angeles, CA
12:00 PM
UCLA
vs
Biola
UCLA is making its 38th appearance in the NCAA Championship and has won three of its last four NCAA titles in the city of Los Angeles.
Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA
Top-Seeded UCLA Heads Crosstown for NCAA Championship
November 29, 2023 | Men's Water Polo
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LOS ANGELES โ No. 3ย UCLA (24-2) heads to USCย for the 2023 NCAA Championship as the top seed. UCLA hasย the best record in the country and also sports the best record against the tournament field this season at 9-1 (3-0 vs. No. 2 California, 3-1 vs. No. 3 USC, 1-0 vs. No. 4 Princeton, 2-0 vs. UC Irvine).ย UCLA will open with Biola (21-12) on Friday, Dec. 1 at 12:00 p.m. PT. The winner will advance to the first semifinalย and face the winner of No. 4 Princeton (27-5) and UC Irvine (18-9) on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 2:00 p.m. PT. The Championship game will be televised live on ESPNU at 3:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, Dec. 3. The Trojans will provide live stats on The FOSHย platform and all games but the Final will be streamed live on NCAA.com (links below).
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Friday, Dec. 1 (NCAAย Championship - Quarterfinals - Los Angeles, Calif. -ย Uytengsuย Aquatics Complex)
12:00ย PMย PT โ No. 1 UCLA vs. Biolaย |ย WATCHย |ย LIVE STATS
SERIES HISTORY
UCLA is 1-0 all-time against Biola. The Bruins won the only other meeting in the 2022 season opener, 21-2, on Saturday, Sept. 4.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
UCLA is making its 38th appearance in the NCAA Championship (fourth consecutive). The Bruins have won 12 NCAA Championships, including four under the tutelage of Head Coach Adam Wright (2014, 2015, 2017, and 2020). The Bruins have won the NCAA title in each of the last two times that USC has hosted (2017 and 2020). UCLA is 65-29 (.692) all-time in the NCAA Championship with 12 titles, nine runner-up finishes, 10 third-place finishes, and three fourth-place finishes.
ABOUT LAST WEEK
Then No. 1 UCLA, playing without senior Makoto Kenney, placed fourth at the MPSF Championship after falling to No. 4 Stanford, 11-10, in double overtime on Nov. 19. Then No. 3 USC handed the Bruins their first loss of the season in the semifinals, 13-9, on Nov. 18. UCLA opened with a 25-4 win over Washington & Jefferson on Nov. 17. Grant Loth scored a career-high six goals in the opener against the Presidents. Frederico Jucá Carsaladeย led the Bruins with a career-best four goals against the Trojans. Rafael Real Vergara led the Bruins with four goals against the Cardinal.
ANATOMY OF A WINNING STREAK
The UCLA Bruins opened the 2023 season at 24-0, which tied for the third-longest streak in school history and the longest winning streak since 2016 (opened the season 24-0). The Bruins own the MPSF and NCAA record for most consecutive victories of 57, established Nov. 23, 2014 through Nov. 12, 2016. A total of 18 of the 24 wins were against ranked teams with 16 of the opponents in the Top 10 and nine in the Top Five. Additionally, of the Bruins' last 12 wins, nine of the opponents wereย in the Top 5ย (No. 4 Pepperdine, No. 3 USC, No. 1 California, No. 4 Pepperdine, No. 2 California, No. 5 Stanford, No. 4 USC, No. 2 California, and No. 3 USC).
GETTING OFFENSIVE
The UCLA team record for most goals in a season was set by the NCAA Championship team of 2014 when the Bruins scored 459 goals in 32 games (29-3, 14.34 goals per game). This year the Bruins have scored 388 goals in the first 26 games of the season (14.923 goals per game). So far this season, the Bruins have reached double-digit scoring in all but one contest (the 13-9 MPSF Semifinal loss to No. 3 USC on Nov. 18). The 24 consecutive games in double figures this yearย far surpasses UCLA's school-record of 12 straight games in double digits set back in 2012 (from Sept 21 through Nov. 3). That season UCLA scored 455 goals in 33 contests (13.79 goals per game) and scored in double digits in 28 of the 33 games (84.8 percent of the time). No team has had a better percentage of games in double figures than the 2012 squad (until this year). The 2014 squad had six players score 30 or more goals, led by Cristiano Mirarchi (50), Paul Reynolds (49), Gordon Marshall (46), Danny McClintick (43), and Alex Roelse (40). The 2012 group had seven Bruins score 30 or more goals, paced by Josh Samuels (68), Griffin White (46), Paul Reynolds (44), Danny McClintick (37), and Chris Wendt (34).
A FAMILY AFFAIR
The UCLA Bruins currently have five sets of siblings on its men's and women's water polo rosters. On the men's side, brothers Jack Larsen and Ben Larsen, Ben Liechty, and Eli Liechty, and Chase Honaker, and Brett Honaker are three pairs of brothers on the 2023 roster. There are also two brother/sister duos as Trey Doten and Brooke Doten are joined byย Maximo Rossi and Genoa Rossi on the 2023-24 rosters between the two Bruin programs. Meanwhile, Bruin Gianpiero Di Martire's older brother, Massimo, is on the USC Trojans' roster. Grant Loth also has an older brother, Warren, who is a senior center on California's roster. Next year the Bruins will be adding another set of brothers as Chase Dodd (taking the year off to train for the USMNT for the 2024 Olympic Games) will be joined by his brother, Ryder Dodd (just signed with UCLA in the recent National Signing Day period).
LARSEN LEADING
Redshirt senior attacker Jack Larsen has really stepped up this season, ranking third on the team (13th in the MPSFย West) with 34 goals on the year, a career-high for him in a single season. Seeking to become an All-America selection for the first time in his career, Larsen scored eight goals, one shy of the MPSF record, and tying for the most in theย Adam Wrightย era (Nicolas Saveljic also scored eight goals against Stanford on Feb. 7, 2021) in the 20-12 win at No. 7 Pacific earlier this season (Sept. 16). But its not just his offensive numbers that have improved. He leads the team and sixth in the league in assists with a careerย single-season high of 31 assists while ranking second on the squad and 10th in the league in steals with 27 (also a single-season best as he had 18 entering the season). Additionally, he leads the team and is fourth in the MPSFย in field blocks with 13 (easily a season-best as he had a career total ofย 14 coming into the year).
GRIGGS TRENDING UP
Another Bruin senior looking for All-American accolades for the first time in his career is the three-time MPSF Player of the Week in 2023, goalkeeper Garret Griggs. Griggs has had double-digit save efforts in eight of his last 10 games (vs. No. 4 USC,ย at No. 2 California, at No. 5 Stanford, vs. No. 10 UC Santa Barbara, vs. No. 2 California, at No. 3 USC, vs. No. 3 USC, and vs. No. 4 Stanford) to catapult himself to No. 1 in the MPSF in total saves with 218 on the year (10.28 saves per game). He also leads the team and the MPSF in steals with 35 on the year. His 218 saves currently rank ninth on the UCLA single-season charts and his 416 career saves is five away from cracking the UCLA career Top 10 chart.
BEN LIECHTY SHINING
Freshman utility Ben Liechty, the 2023 MPSF Newcomer of the Year, has made an immediate impact for the Bruins this season. He has played in 24 of 26 games, scoring at least one goal in 18 of those contests, including the first nine of his collegiate career. He is currently second on the team in scoring with 37 goals, which ranks 10th in the MPSF West. Liechty has 14 multiple goal games, including five hat tricks.
KENNEY DROPPING DIMES
Senior attacker Makoto Kenney is second on the team and is seventh in the MPSF in assists with 29 on the year. He had led the Bruins all season in assists until he missed the three games of the MPSF Championship due to an undisclosed injury. He had five assists (and one goal) in the double overtime win at No. 3 USC to end the regular season (Nov. 11). He is tied for sixth on the team with 24 goals on the year and is a perfect 9-0 on sprints in 2023. He is fourth on the team in scoring with 54 total points.
REAL VERGARAย MAKING AN IMPACT
Senior attacker Rafael Real Vergaraย has made an impact early and often during the 2023 season. The three-time All-American transfer from Long Beach State leads the team and the MPSF in scoring with 64 goals. He has scored in 19 of the 21 games he has played (17 of them against ranked teams) and has scored multiple goals in all but two games that he has scored (only had one goal in the 12-10 win over No. 6 Princeton on Oct. 18 and also one goal in limited action in the MPSF Championship-opening win over Washington and Jefferson on Nov. 17). That total includes a season-high seven goals in the 14-10 win at USC in the semifinals of the 2023 Overnght MPSF Invitational. He also has 22 assists on the year to rank first on the team in scoring with 86ย points (ranks fourth in the MPSF). He missed the Bruins' game against UC Irvine (Nov. 3) as he was in Chile for the 2023 Pan American Games playing for the National Team of Brazil.
REAL VERGARA NAMED TO MPSF ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Senior Rafael Real Vergara was the lone Bruin on the MPSF West All-Tournament Team. He paced the Bruins' offense with eight goals, which included four against Stanford, three versus USC and one in limited action against Washington & Jefferson. He also had four assists and two steals across the three games at the 2023 MPSF Championship in Berkeley, Calif.
BRUINS DOMINATE 2023 MPSF AWARDS
The UCLA Bruins had a league-best and school-record nine players earn 2023ย Delfinaย All-MPSFย West accolades as announced by the league office on Nov. 15. The previous high of eight players was establishedย in 2016 and later equaled in 2020 and again in 2022.
The Bruins swept all three individuals honors with seniorย Rafael Real Vergaraย being named the Player of the Year, freshmanย Ben Liechtyย selected as the Newcomer of the Year and Head Coachย Adam Wrightย tabbed as the Coach of the Year.
Real Vergara (Sao Paulo, Brazil) enters the postseason with an MPSF-high 56 goals on the year (3.11 GPG). He has completed 13 regular season hat tricks, 15 multiple-goal games, and tallied in 16 of the 18 games he has competed. Vergara accumulated 15 of his 30 goals against MPSF opponents across three wins over USC. In the Overnght MPSF Invitational, he exploded for 16 goals, five assists and two steals over three outings which led to his first Delfina MPSF Player of the Week honor. In the regular season finale, to cap off the MPSF's first unbeaten regular season since the 2015 Bruins, Vergara delivered five of UCLA's 10 goals along with two steals, leading to his second career Delfina MPSF Player of the Week award. Vergara represents UCLA's fifth all-time MPSF Player of the Year recognition, and the first in seven years (Garrett Danner-2015-16, Scott Davidson-2009, Sean Kern-2000).
Liechty (Newport Beach, Calif.) was named MPSF S & R Sport Newcomer of the Week a conference-high-tying twice this year. Liechty first earned the honor following his collegiate debut, as he helped the Bruins to a 4-0 record at the season-opening Triton Invitational (Sept. 2-3) with a team-high 10 goals. He then scored his fourth career hat trick on four shots in a 13-9 MPSF home win over No. 2 California (Oct. 28), and drew three exclusions in helping the Bruins clinch the MPSF's top seed. Liechty scored 33 regular season goals, second-most on the Bruins, including in his first nine collegiate games. He scored in 16 of the 21 games he played, and recorded 13 multiple-goal outings. Liechty is the third Bruin all-time to earn MPSF Newcomer of the Year recognition (Makoto Kenney-2020, Garrett Danner-2013).
Wright guided the top-ranked Bruins to an unbeaten 23-0 regular season, the first undefeated regular season in the MPSF since UCLA's 2015 team. Eight of UCLA's wins were against MPSFย West teams, including seven against top fiveย competition, and 16 of the 23 overall wins came against top 10 opponents. The Bruins scored in double-digits in all 23 contests, and held opponents to single-digits 16 times. UCLA placed an MPSF-high nine players on the All-MPSF teams this year, including four on the first team. Wright is 341-63 overall (.844) since taking over the UCLA program in 2009. This is the third MPSF Coach of the Year award for Wright (2017, 2011), and the third such recognition overall for UCLA Men's Water Polo.
Joining Real Vergara on the Delfina All-MPSF First-Team was redshirt seniorย Jack Larsenย (Orinda, Calif.), seniorย Makoto Kenneyย (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and seniorย Garret Griggsย (Riverside, Calif.). It marked the second All-Conference honor for Larsen, the third for Kenney, and the first for Griggs.
Joining Liechty on the Delfina All-MPSF Second-Team was redshirt freshman Frederico Jucá Carsalade (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and redshirt seniorย Giorgio Alessandriaย (Lafayette, Calif.). It markedย the first time all three players have earned All-MPSF accolades in their careers.
Two Bruins garnered Honorable Mention All-MPSF honors. The duo consisted of redshirt freshmanย Ben Larsenย (Lafayette, Calif.)ย and freshman Marcell Szécsi (Budapest, Hungary). It marked the first time both players have garnered All-MPSF accolades.
BRUINS SWEEP MPSF WEEKLY AWARDS FOR THE FOURTH TIME
The UCLA Bruins swept the MPSF weekly honors for the fourth time this season as seniorย Rafael Real Vergaraย was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week and redshirt freshmanย Ben Larsenย was named the MPSFย West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Nov. 13.ย UCLA went 1-0 this past week with a 10-8 double overtime win atย No. 3 USC on Saturdayย (Nov. 11)ย to end the 2023 regular season. It marked the Bruins' first undefeated MPSFย (6-0) and regular season (23-0) since 2015.
Real Vergara, an attacker out of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Colegio Modular,ย had another stellar outing against USC with a game-high five goals. He has now scored 15 goals this season in the three wins over the Trojans. In the come-from-behind win (down 4-1 late in the second quarter), Real Vergara scored the game-tying goal with 6.5 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime. Scoring exactly half of the team's goals, he also added two steals and drew one exclusion (in the fourth quarter). His final steal was on the Trojans' last possession of the second overtime with the Bruins leading by two and under a minute remaining.
Larsen, a utility out of Lafayette, Calif.,ย and Campolindoย HS,ย scored the game-winning goal with 0:20 left in the first overtime period to help the Bruins complete the first unbeaten regular season in the MPSF since 2015. He also had a field block in the first OT to help keep the Trojans scoreless in the extra periods.ย Thi was Real Vergara's and Larsen's second career MPSF award.
BRUINS SWEEP MPSF WEEKLY AWARDS FOR THE THIRD TIME
The UCLA Bruins swept the MPSF weekly honors as seniorย Garret Griggsย was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week and freshmanย Ben Liechtyย wereย named the MPSFย West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Oct. 30.ย UCLA went 1-0 this past week with a 13-9 win at home over No. 2 California on Saturday, Oct. 28. The win was the third over the two-time defending NCAA Champions this season and was the third time the Bruins were victorious in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle this season (all against the Golden Bears). The victory helped UCLA remain undefeated on the year at 21-0 and 5-0 in the MPSF West and the 21-game winning streak is tied for the fourth-longest in school history (1971-72). The win also locked down the No. 1 seed for the Bruins at the upcoming MPSF Championship (Nov. 17-19 at California).
Griggs, a goalkeeperย out of Riverside, Calif., and Riverside Poly High School,ย had another double-digit save effort with 13 against the Golden Bears. The Bruins and Griggs were just the second team this season to hold the two-time defending NCAA Champions to single-digit scoring.ย This is Griggs' third (in the last four weeks) career MPSF award.
Liechty, a utility out of Newport Beach, Calif.,ย and Newport Harbor HS,ย scored his fourth hat trick of the season (on four shots) in the win over the Golden Bears. He had been held scoreless in the two previous wins over Cal until Saturday's matchup. He also drew three exclusions against the Golden Bears.ย This is Liechty's second career MPSF award.
LARSEN NAMED MPSF WEST/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
UCLA redshirt freshman utilityย Ben Larsenย (Lafayette, Calif./Campolindo HS) was named the MPSFย West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Oct. 23.ย Larsen helped leadย top-ranked UCLA to a 2-0 record this past week to remain undefeated on the year at 20-0 overall with a pair of non-conference wins over Top 10 teams.ย The Bruins opened with a 12-10 win over No. 6 Princeton on Wednesday, Oct. 18 and concluded the week with a 15-9 victory over No. 10 UC Santa Barbara on Friday, Oct. 20.ย He tied for the team lead in scoring with the first hat trick of his career (on three shots) in the win over the Tigers and added one assist. He then scored once on his only shot against the Gauchos, adding another assist. For the week, he scored four goals on four shots to go with two assists.ย This isย Ben Larsen'sย first career MPSF award.
GRIGGS NAMED UCLA STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Senior goalkeeper Garret Griggs of UCLA Men's Water Polo wasย selected the UCLA Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by Ready, for the week of Oct. 9-15.ย Griggs helped lead top-ranked UCLA to a 1-0 record during the week to remain undefeated on the year at 18-0 overall and 4-0 in the MPSF West with an impressive 11-2 home victory over No. 4 USC on Saturday, Oct. 14. The Bruins and Griggs held the Trojans to two goals, the fewest in the series since a 9-1 win in 1973 (160 games). Additionally, it was UCLA's largest margin of victory in the series since a 19-8 win in 1976 (151 games). Griggs had his third-consecutive double-digit save effort, registering 13 stops while tallying a team-high three steals. He stopped 86.7 percent of USC's shots (including all four Trojan power plays) and the UCLA team defense stopped 92.3 percent of the Trojans' attempts (2-for-26 shooting).ย This is Griggs'ย first-career UCLA student-athlete of the week award.
GRIGGS REPEATS AS MPSF/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UCLAย seniorย Garret Griggsย was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Oct. 16.ย UCLA went 1-0 during theย week to remain undefeated on the year at 18-0 overall and 4-0 in the MPSF West with an impressive 11-2 home victory over No. 4 USC on Saturday, Oct. 14. The Bruins and Griggs held the Trojans to two goals, the fewest in the series since a 9-1 win in 1973 (160 games). Additionally, it was UCLA's largest margin of victory in the series since a 19-8 win in 1976 (151 games).ย Griggs, a goalkeeperย out of Riverside, Calif., and Riverside Poly High School,ย had his third-consecutive double-digit save effort, registering 13 stops while tallying a team-high three steals. He stopped 86.7 percent of USC's shots (including all four Trojan power plays) and the UCLA team defense stopped 92.3 percent of the Trojans' attempts (2-for-26 shooting).ย This is Griggs' second career MPSF award.
BRUINS SWEEP MPSF WEEKLY AWARDS, AGAIN
The UCLA Bruins swept the MPSF weekly honors as senior Garret Griggsย was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week and freshmanย Marcell Szécsiย wasย named the MPSFย West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Oct. 9.ย UCLA went 2-0 during theย week to remain undefeated on the year at 17-0. The Bruins picked up two Top 5 road wins, defeating No. 2 California, 14-11, and No. 5 Stanford, 11-7. It marked the Bruins' second win over both programs this season.
Griggs, a goalkeeperย out of Riverside, Calif., and Riverside Poly High School,ย had double-digit save efforts in both games, registering 11 stops at Cal and just missed tying his career-high (15) with 14 saves on The Farm. He also had one steal against the Golden Bears and one steal and one assist vs. the Cardinal. Additionally, Griggs and the Bruin defense held Stanford to a season-low seven goals. This was Griggs' first career MPSF weekly award.
Szécsi, a center out of Budapest, Hungary, and Kolping Katolikusย Iskola,ย scored once in both games, totaling two goals on three shots. He opened with a goal and drew three exclusions in the win over the Golden Bears. In the win over the Cardinal, he had one goal, drew one exclusion, and had one steal. This wasย Szécsi'sย second career MPSF award.
RAFAEL REAL VERGARA NAMED UCLA STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Senior attackerย Rafael Real Vergaraย of the UCLA men's water polo team was selected the UCLA Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by Ready, for Sept. 18-24.ย Real Vergara helped lead UCLA to a 4-0 record and MPSF Invitational victory to remain undefeated on the year at 13-0. The No. 2 Bruins picked up three top four wins en route to the title, defeating No. 4 Pepperdine, No. 3 USC and No. 1 California. Real Vergara led the tournament field in scoring with 16 goals in just three games while shooting at a .667 clip (16-for-24). He scored five goals and added a steal in the win over Pepperdine and had a season-high seven goals to go with two assists (nine points) and a steal in the win at USC. He finished the tournament with four goals and three assists (seven points) in the upset win of California, snapping the Golden Bears' 15-game winning streak, and snapping a seven-game losing streak to Cal in the process.ย This is Real Vergara's first UCLA student-athlete of the week award of the season and of his career.
RAFAEL REAL VERGARA NAMED MPSFย WEST/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The UCLA senior attackerย Rafael Real Vergaraย (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Modular) wasย named the MPSFย West/Delfina Player of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Sept. 25.ย Real Vergara helped lead UCLA to a 4-0 record, winning the 2023 Overnght MPSF Invitational, to remain undefeated on the year at 13-0. The Bruins picked up three top four wins en route to the title, defeating No. 4 Pepperdine, 15-11, No. 3 USC, 14-10, and No. 1 California, 12-10. The Bruins also opened the tournament with a win over Occidental, 18-9, that Real Vergara did not play in as UCLA rested its starters.ย He led the tournament field in scoring with 16 goals in just three games while shooting at a .667 clip (16-for-24). He scored five goals and added a steal in the win over Pepperdine and had a season-high seven goals to go with two assists (nine points) and a steal in the win at USC. He finished the tournament with four goals and three assists (seven points) in the upset win of California, snapping the Golden Bears' 15-game winning streak, and snapping a seven-game losing streak to Cal in the process.ย This is Real Vergara'sย first career MPSF award.
BRUINS SWEEP MPSF WEEKLY AWARDS, JACK LARSEN NAMED UCLA STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
The UCLA Bruins swept the MPSF weekly honors as redshirt seniorย Jack Larsenย was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week and freshmanย Marcell Szécsiย wasย named the MPSFย West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Sept. 18. The UCLA Athletic Department also named Larsen the UCLA Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by Ready, for Sept. 11-17.ย UCLA went 2-0 during the weekย to remain undefeated on the year at 9-0. The Bruins picked up two more lopsided wins over ranked teams in their first true road games of the season, defeating No. 7 Pacific, 20-12, and No. 11 UC Davis, 16-7. It marked the most goals against Pacific in program history and the largest margin of victory over UC Davis since 2015.
Larsen, an attacker out of Orinda, Calif., and Campolindo High School,ย led the Bruins in scoring with 13 points, which included nine goals on just 11 shots (.818) to go with four assists. He also drew two exclusions, had two steals, and won his only sprint in the two outings. Larsen opened the weekend with a career-high eight goals (on nine shots) against Pacific. The eight goals tied for the most-ever in theย Adam Wrightย era (15 years -- Nicolas Saveljic had eight goals against Stanford in 2021) and was just one shy of tying the MPSF all-time single-game record. He also tied for the team lead in scoring at UC Davis with four points, which included one score (on two shots) and a team-high three assists. He also recorded both of his steals, one drawn exclusion and won his only sprint against the Aggies.
Szécsi, a center out of Budapest, Hungary, and Kolping Katolikusย Iskola,ย scored multiple goals in both games, totaling five goals on five shots. He opened with a pair of scores in the win over the Tigers and drew one exclusion. In the win over the Aggies, he had his second hat trick of the year and drew five exclusions to go with one steal.
FREDERICO JUCÁย CARSALADE NAMED MPSF WEST/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
UCLA redshirt freshman attacker Frederico Jucá Carsaladeย (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Escola Nova) wasย named the MPSFย West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Sept. 11.ย Jucáย Carsalade helped lead UCLA to a 3-0 record toย remain undefeated on the year at 7-0. The Bruins picked up two more wins over ranked teams, including opening MPSF play with an 11-9 win at home over No. 6 Stanford on Sept. 9. UCLA also defeated No. 12 UC San Diego, 14-7, and Cal Lutheran, 21-6, at the Inland Empire Classic on Sept. 10.ย After redshirting last season and missing the first weekend of this year due to injury, he finished tied for the team lead with two others in scoring over the three games with seven goals. He made a huge splash in his collegiate debut against the Cardinal, tallying two goals, two assists, two drawn exclusions, and one steal. Scored back-to-back goals in the third quarter with UCLA trailing by two to tie the game at 5-5. Then with UCLA trailing 8-6 in the fourth, he set up his teammates twice with back-to-back assists to tie the game. On the next possession, he registered a steal that led to a counter goal to give UCLA its first lead of the game at 9-8 with 3:18 remaining.ย He came up big against the Tritons as well when his team needed him. With the Bruins leading just 4-3 at halftime, he scored once, recorded three steals, and had one field block in the third period as UCLA would win the quarter, 7-3, en route to the lopsided victory. He finished with the first hat trick of his career against UCSD. He scored twice and added one steal and drew one exclusion in the win over Cal Lutheran.ย For the weekend, he had a team-high-tying seven goals (on just nine shots, shooting at a 77.8 percent clip), five steals, drew three exclusions, talliedย two assists, and registeredย two field blocks. It markedย Jucáย Carsalade's first career MPSF award..
BEN LIECHTY NAMED MPSF WEST/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
UCLA true freshman utilityย Ben Liechtyย (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) wasย named the MPSFย West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Sept. 5. Liechty helped lead UCLA to a 4-0 record at the Triton Invitational, including two wins over Top 10 teams.ย He led the Bruins in scoring with 10 goals, netting multiple goals in all four contests.ย He had two goals in the win over No. 7 UC Santa Barbara and followed with a team-high three goals in the win over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday. Then on Sunday, he tallied two scores in the win over No. 10 UC Irvine and registered another hat trick against Concordia University Irvine. He also had one assist against the Gauchos, one assist and drew an exclusion against the Titans, one assist against the Anteaters, and one assist, one steal, one field block, and drew one exclusion against the Golden Eagles.ย For the weekend, he had 10 goals (on just 14 shots, shooting at a 71.4 percent clip), four assists, drew two exclusions, had one field block, and one steal. It marked Liechty's first career MPSF award.
UCLA PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN MPSF
The UCLA Bruins will enter the 2023 season as the third-ranked team in the CWPAย Men's Varsity Top 20ย Preseason Poll and has been picked to finish second (tie) in the MPSF.ย Back-to-back defending NCAA Champion California recorded 48 points and six first-place votes in the MPSF Men's Water Polo Coaches' poll, and was picked to win the 2023 MPSF's Western Division title.ย UCLA and USC picked up the remaining first-place votes and tied for second in the west with 39 points. Stanford collected 34 points to finish fourth in the poll. In the MPSF's Eastern Division, Austin College was voted first (22 points), followed by Augustana (20), Washington & Jefferson (13) and Penn State Behrend (nine).
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
The Bruins return just two 2022 All-Americans for the 2023 season in Bernardo Mauriziย (Second Team)ย and Gianpiero Di Martireย (Second Team). Maurizi, a three-time All-American, returns for his fifth season in the cage for the Bruins. Di Martire earned his first All-America honors after ranking second on the team in scoring with 43 goals last year. Both have only played a handful of quarters this season due to undlisclosed injuries.
RETURNING ALL-MPSF PLAYERS
The Bruins return four of a league-high eightย 2022 All-MPSF selections for the 2023 season. In addition toย Bernardo Mauriziย (First Team)ย and Gianpiero Di Martireย (Second Team), the Bruins regain the services of super senior attacker Jack Larsen (Second Team) and senior attacker Makoto Kenney (Honorable Mention).
SUPER SENIORS
Super senior goalkeeper Bernardo Mauriziย and super senior attacker Jack Larsenย have both decided to return to Westwood for a fifth and final season. The duo have been afforded the opportunity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But Maurizi has only been able to play a total of two quarters this season due to an undisclosed injury.
DODD OUT FOR 2023
Junior attacker Chase Dodd has decided to take an Olympic year and will not be in uniform for the Bruins during the 2023 campaign. He will continue to train with the U.S. National Team in hopes of being named to the 2024 Olympic Games roster.
UCLA 2023 OUTLOOK
UCLA returns three of its top six scorers and all three goalkeepers that saw action a year ago for the 2023 season. The Bruins made their 37th appearance in the NCAA Championship in 2022, finishing with a 22-5 record. Four of the five losses on the year were by just one goal.
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UCLA had a league-best eight players earn 2022 Delfina All-MPSF West accolades, highlighted by attacker Jake Cavano (45 goals, graduated), attacker Tommy Gruwell (31 goals, graduated), and senior goalkeeper Bernardo Maurizi (16-5, returning, using COVID year), who were all named first-team All-MPSF. Redshirt junior attacker Gianpiero Di Martire (43 goals, returning), junior attacker Chase Dodd (39 goals, taking an Olympic year), and senior attacker Jack Larsen (20 goals, returning), were all named to the second team. Utility Evan Rosenfeld (12 goals, graduated) and senior attacker Makoto Kenney (21 goals, returning) both garnered honorable mention plaudits. Cavano was the lone Bruin to earn first-team All-America honors while Maurizi, Di Martire, and Gruwell each earned second-team accolades. Dodd earned honorable mention All-America honors for the first time in his career.
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The Bruins also return some capable scorers in sophomore attacker Noah Rowe (17 goals), sophomore utility Gray Carson (16 goals), redshirt sophomore center Grant Loth (12 goals), redshirt sophomore Eli Liechty (12 goals in 2021), senior attacker Hayden Nightingale (10 goals), redshirt senior utility Giorgio Alessandria (10 goals), redshirt junior utility Maximo Rossi (7 goals), redshirt sophomore attacker Anthony Gross (3 goals), and redshirt sophomore attacker Trey Doten (3 goals).
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UCLA also welcomes back redshirt freshmen Vinnie Merk (Huntington Beach, Calif., Mater Dei HS) and Ben Larsen (Lafayette, Calif., Campolindo HS) who both sat out last season and traveled with UCLA as part of Team USA for the World University Games in China in late July and early August of 2023.
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The Bruins will look to replace Cavano, Gruwell, Rosenfeld, and for one season, Dodd, but also lost the services of Andy Rodgers, Cameron Reagan, Gabe Discipulo, Max Berg, and Jack White to graduation.
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Arriving in Westwood this season and looking to make an immediate impact are freshmen Ben Liechty (Newport Beach, Calif., Newport Harbor HS), Max Matthews (Tiburon, Calif., Redwood HS), Wade Sherlock (Long Beach, Calif., Orange Lutheran HS), Nathan Tauscher (Sunset Beach, Calif., Mater Dei HS), and Marcell Szécsi (Budapest, Hungary, Kolping Katolikus Iskola). UCLA also welcomes in one player from the transfer portal, two-time Golden Coast Conference Player of the Year, Rafael Real Vergara (Long Beach State, 192 goals in three seasons).
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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 15th season as UCLA's head men's water polo coach in 2023 with an overall record of 342-65 (.840) and an MPSF mark of 66-24 (.736). 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 2022
Overall Record: 22-5 |ย Final Ranking: 3rd | NCAA Finish: T-3rd |ย MPSFย Tournament Finish: 4th
The UCLA Bruins made their 37th appearance in the NCAA Championship in 2022, finishing with a 22-5 record. Four of the five losses on the year were by just one goal. UCLA had a league-best eight players earn 2022 Delfina All-MPSF West accolades, highlighted by super senior attacker Jake Cavano, senior attacker Tommy Gruwell, and senior goalkeeper Bernardo Maurizi, who were all named first-team All-MPSF. Redshirt sophomore attacker Gianpiero Di Martire, sophomore attacker Chase Dodd, and junior attacker Jack Larsen, were all named to the second team. Super senior utility Evan Rosenfeld and junior attacker Makoto Kenney both garnered honorable mention plaudits. Cavano was the lone Bruin to earn first-team All-America honors while Maurizi, Di Martire, and Gruwell each earned second-team accolades. Dodd earned honorable mention All-America honors for the first time in his career.
POLLING THE BRUINS
UCLA dropped two spots to No. 3ย in this week's CWPAย National Men's Varsity Top 20 Poll (89 points), released on Nov. 22.
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LOS ANGELES โ No. 3ย UCLA (24-2) heads to USCย for the 2023 NCAA Championship as the top seed. UCLA hasย the best record in the country and also sports the best record against the tournament field this season at 9-1 (3-0 vs. No. 2 California, 3-1 vs. No. 3 USC, 1-0 vs. No. 4 Princeton, 2-0 vs. UC Irvine).ย UCLA will open with Biola (21-12) on Friday, Dec. 1 at 12:00 p.m. PT. The winner will advance to the first semifinalย and face the winner of No. 4 Princeton (27-5) and UC Irvine (18-9) on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 2:00 p.m. PT. The Championship game will be televised live on ESPNU at 3:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, Dec. 3. The Trojans will provide live stats on The FOSHย platform and all games but the Final will be streamed live on NCAA.com (links below).
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Friday, Dec. 1 (NCAAย Championship - Quarterfinals - Los Angeles, Calif. -ย Uytengsuย Aquatics Complex)
12:00ย PMย PT โ No. 1 UCLA vs. Biolaย |ย WATCHย |ย LIVE STATS
SERIES HISTORY
UCLA is 1-0 all-time against Biola. The Bruins won the only other meeting in the 2022 season opener, 21-2, on Saturday, Sept. 4.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
UCLA is making its 38th appearance in the NCAA Championship (fourth consecutive). The Bruins have won 12 NCAA Championships, including four under the tutelage of Head Coach Adam Wright (2014, 2015, 2017, and 2020). The Bruins have won the NCAA title in each of the last two times that USC has hosted (2017 and 2020). UCLA is 65-29 (.692) all-time in the NCAA Championship with 12 titles, nine runner-up finishes, 10 third-place finishes, and three fourth-place finishes.
ABOUT LAST WEEK
Then No. 1 UCLA, playing without senior Makoto Kenney, placed fourth at the MPSF Championship after falling to No. 4 Stanford, 11-10, in double overtime on Nov. 19. Then No. 3 USC handed the Bruins their first loss of the season in the semifinals, 13-9, on Nov. 18. UCLA opened with a 25-4 win over Washington & Jefferson on Nov. 17. Grant Loth scored a career-high six goals in the opener against the Presidents. Frederico Jucá Carsaladeย led the Bruins with a career-best four goals against the Trojans. Rafael Real Vergara led the Bruins with four goals against the Cardinal.
ANATOMY OF A WINNING STREAK
The UCLA Bruins opened the 2023 season at 24-0, which tied for the third-longest streak in school history and the longest winning streak since 2016 (opened the season 24-0). The Bruins own the MPSF and NCAA record for most consecutive victories of 57, established Nov. 23, 2014 through Nov. 12, 2016. A total of 18 of the 24 wins were against ranked teams with 16 of the opponents in the Top 10 and nine in the Top Five. Additionally, of the Bruins' last 12 wins, nine of the opponents wereย in the Top 5ย (No. 4 Pepperdine, No. 3 USC, No. 1 California, No. 4 Pepperdine, No. 2 California, No. 5 Stanford, No. 4 USC, No. 2 California, and No. 3 USC).
GETTING OFFENSIVE
The UCLA team record for most goals in a season was set by the NCAA Championship team of 2014 when the Bruins scored 459 goals in 32 games (29-3, 14.34 goals per game). This year the Bruins have scored 388 goals in the first 26 games of the season (14.923 goals per game). So far this season, the Bruins have reached double-digit scoring in all but one contest (the 13-9 MPSF Semifinal loss to No. 3 USC on Nov. 18). The 24 consecutive games in double figures this yearย far surpasses UCLA's school-record of 12 straight games in double digits set back in 2012 (from Sept 21 through Nov. 3). That season UCLA scored 455 goals in 33 contests (13.79 goals per game) and scored in double digits in 28 of the 33 games (84.8 percent of the time). No team has had a better percentage of games in double figures than the 2012 squad (until this year). The 2014 squad had six players score 30 or more goals, led by Cristiano Mirarchi (50), Paul Reynolds (49), Gordon Marshall (46), Danny McClintick (43), and Alex Roelse (40). The 2012 group had seven Bruins score 30 or more goals, paced by Josh Samuels (68), Griffin White (46), Paul Reynolds (44), Danny McClintick (37), and Chris Wendt (34).
A FAMILY AFFAIR
The UCLA Bruins currently have five sets of siblings on its men's and women's water polo rosters. On the men's side, brothers Jack Larsen and Ben Larsen, Ben Liechty, and Eli Liechty, and Chase Honaker, and Brett Honaker are three pairs of brothers on the 2023 roster. There are also two brother/sister duos as Trey Doten and Brooke Doten are joined byย Maximo Rossi and Genoa Rossi on the 2023-24 rosters between the two Bruin programs. Meanwhile, Bruin Gianpiero Di Martire's older brother, Massimo, is on the USC Trojans' roster. Grant Loth also has an older brother, Warren, who is a senior center on California's roster. Next year the Bruins will be adding another set of brothers as Chase Dodd (taking the year off to train for the USMNT for the 2024 Olympic Games) will be joined by his brother, Ryder Dodd (just signed with UCLA in the recent National Signing Day period).
LARSEN LEADING
Redshirt senior attacker Jack Larsen has really stepped up this season, ranking third on the team (13th in the MPSFย West) with 34 goals on the year, a career-high for him in a single season. Seeking to become an All-America selection for the first time in his career, Larsen scored eight goals, one shy of the MPSF record, and tying for the most in theย Adam Wrightย era (Nicolas Saveljic also scored eight goals against Stanford on Feb. 7, 2021) in the 20-12 win at No. 7 Pacific earlier this season (Sept. 16). But its not just his offensive numbers that have improved. He leads the team and sixth in the league in assists with a careerย single-season high of 31 assists while ranking second on the squad and 10th in the league in steals with 27 (also a single-season best as he had 18 entering the season). Additionally, he leads the team and is fourth in the MPSFย in field blocks with 13 (easily a season-best as he had a career total ofย 14 coming into the year).
GRIGGS TRENDING UP
Another Bruin senior looking for All-American accolades for the first time in his career is the three-time MPSF Player of the Week in 2023, goalkeeper Garret Griggs. Griggs has had double-digit save efforts in eight of his last 10 games (vs. No. 4 USC,ย at No. 2 California, at No. 5 Stanford, vs. No. 10 UC Santa Barbara, vs. No. 2 California, at No. 3 USC, vs. No. 3 USC, and vs. No. 4 Stanford) to catapult himself to No. 1 in the MPSF in total saves with 218 on the year (10.28 saves per game). He also leads the team and the MPSF in steals with 35 on the year. His 218 saves currently rank ninth on the UCLA single-season charts and his 416 career saves is five away from cracking the UCLA career Top 10 chart.
BEN LIECHTY SHINING
Freshman utility Ben Liechty, the 2023 MPSF Newcomer of the Year, has made an immediate impact for the Bruins this season. He has played in 24 of 26 games, scoring at least one goal in 18 of those contests, including the first nine of his collegiate career. He is currently second on the team in scoring with 37 goals, which ranks 10th in the MPSF West. Liechty has 14 multiple goal games, including five hat tricks.
KENNEY DROPPING DIMES
Senior attacker Makoto Kenney is second on the team and is seventh in the MPSF in assists with 29 on the year. He had led the Bruins all season in assists until he missed the three games of the MPSF Championship due to an undisclosed injury. He had five assists (and one goal) in the double overtime win at No. 3 USC to end the regular season (Nov. 11). He is tied for sixth on the team with 24 goals on the year and is a perfect 9-0 on sprints in 2023. He is fourth on the team in scoring with 54 total points.
REAL VERGARAย MAKING AN IMPACT
Senior attacker Rafael Real Vergaraย has made an impact early and often during the 2023 season. The three-time All-American transfer from Long Beach State leads the team and the MPSF in scoring with 64 goals. He has scored in 19 of the 21 games he has played (17 of them against ranked teams) and has scored multiple goals in all but two games that he has scored (only had one goal in the 12-10 win over No. 6 Princeton on Oct. 18 and also one goal in limited action in the MPSF Championship-opening win over Washington and Jefferson on Nov. 17). That total includes a season-high seven goals in the 14-10 win at USC in the semifinals of the 2023 Overnght MPSF Invitational. He also has 22 assists on the year to rank first on the team in scoring with 86ย points (ranks fourth in the MPSF). He missed the Bruins' game against UC Irvine (Nov. 3) as he was in Chile for the 2023 Pan American Games playing for the National Team of Brazil.
REAL VERGARA NAMED TO MPSF ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Senior Rafael Real Vergara was the lone Bruin on the MPSF West All-Tournament Team. He paced the Bruins' offense with eight goals, which included four against Stanford, three versus USC and one in limited action against Washington & Jefferson. He also had four assists and two steals across the three games at the 2023 MPSF Championship in Berkeley, Calif.
BRUINS DOMINATE 2023 MPSF AWARDS
The UCLA Bruins had a league-best and school-record nine players earn 2023ย Delfinaย All-MPSFย West accolades as announced by the league office on Nov. 15. The previous high of eight players was establishedย in 2016 and later equaled in 2020 and again in 2022.
The Bruins swept all three individuals honors with seniorย Rafael Real Vergaraย being named the Player of the Year, freshmanย Ben Liechtyย selected as the Newcomer of the Year and Head Coachย Adam Wrightย tabbed as the Coach of the Year.
Real Vergara (Sao Paulo, Brazil) enters the postseason with an MPSF-high 56 goals on the year (3.11 GPG). He has completed 13 regular season hat tricks, 15 multiple-goal games, and tallied in 16 of the 18 games he has competed. Vergara accumulated 15 of his 30 goals against MPSF opponents across three wins over USC. In the Overnght MPSF Invitational, he exploded for 16 goals, five assists and two steals over three outings which led to his first Delfina MPSF Player of the Week honor. In the regular season finale, to cap off the MPSF's first unbeaten regular season since the 2015 Bruins, Vergara delivered five of UCLA's 10 goals along with two steals, leading to his second career Delfina MPSF Player of the Week award. Vergara represents UCLA's fifth all-time MPSF Player of the Year recognition, and the first in seven years (Garrett Danner-2015-16, Scott Davidson-2009, Sean Kern-2000).
Liechty (Newport Beach, Calif.) was named MPSF S & R Sport Newcomer of the Week a conference-high-tying twice this year. Liechty first earned the honor following his collegiate debut, as he helped the Bruins to a 4-0 record at the season-opening Triton Invitational (Sept. 2-3) with a team-high 10 goals. He then scored his fourth career hat trick on four shots in a 13-9 MPSF home win over No. 2 California (Oct. 28), and drew three exclusions in helping the Bruins clinch the MPSF's top seed. Liechty scored 33 regular season goals, second-most on the Bruins, including in his first nine collegiate games. He scored in 16 of the 21 games he played, and recorded 13 multiple-goal outings. Liechty is the third Bruin all-time to earn MPSF Newcomer of the Year recognition (Makoto Kenney-2020, Garrett Danner-2013).
Wright guided the top-ranked Bruins to an unbeaten 23-0 regular season, the first undefeated regular season in the MPSF since UCLA's 2015 team. Eight of UCLA's wins were against MPSFย West teams, including seven against top fiveย competition, and 16 of the 23 overall wins came against top 10 opponents. The Bruins scored in double-digits in all 23 contests, and held opponents to single-digits 16 times. UCLA placed an MPSF-high nine players on the All-MPSF teams this year, including four on the first team. Wright is 341-63 overall (.844) since taking over the UCLA program in 2009. This is the third MPSF Coach of the Year award for Wright (2017, 2011), and the third such recognition overall for UCLA Men's Water Polo.
Joining Real Vergara on the Delfina All-MPSF First-Team was redshirt seniorย Jack Larsenย (Orinda, Calif.), seniorย Makoto Kenneyย (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and seniorย Garret Griggsย (Riverside, Calif.). It marked the second All-Conference honor for Larsen, the third for Kenney, and the first for Griggs.
Joining Liechty on the Delfina All-MPSF Second-Team was redshirt freshman Frederico Jucá Carsalade (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and redshirt seniorย Giorgio Alessandriaย (Lafayette, Calif.). It markedย the first time all three players have earned All-MPSF accolades in their careers.
Two Bruins garnered Honorable Mention All-MPSF honors. The duo consisted of redshirt freshmanย Ben Larsenย (Lafayette, Calif.)ย and freshman Marcell Szécsi (Budapest, Hungary). It marked the first time both players have garnered All-MPSF accolades.
BRUINS SWEEP MPSF WEEKLY AWARDS FOR THE FOURTH TIME
The UCLA Bruins swept the MPSF weekly honors for the fourth time this season as seniorย Rafael Real Vergaraย was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week and redshirt freshmanย Ben Larsenย was named the MPSFย West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Nov. 13.ย UCLA went 1-0 this past week with a 10-8 double overtime win atย No. 3 USC on Saturdayย (Nov. 11)ย to end the 2023 regular season. It marked the Bruins' first undefeated MPSFย (6-0) and regular season (23-0) since 2015.
Real Vergara, an attacker out of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Colegio Modular,ย had another stellar outing against USC with a game-high five goals. He has now scored 15 goals this season in the three wins over the Trojans. In the come-from-behind win (down 4-1 late in the second quarter), Real Vergara scored the game-tying goal with 6.5 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime. Scoring exactly half of the team's goals, he also added two steals and drew one exclusion (in the fourth quarter). His final steal was on the Trojans' last possession of the second overtime with the Bruins leading by two and under a minute remaining.
Larsen, a utility out of Lafayette, Calif.,ย and Campolindoย HS,ย scored the game-winning goal with 0:20 left in the first overtime period to help the Bruins complete the first unbeaten regular season in the MPSF since 2015. He also had a field block in the first OT to help keep the Trojans scoreless in the extra periods.ย Thi was Real Vergara's and Larsen's second career MPSF award.
BRUINS SWEEP MPSF WEEKLY AWARDS FOR THE THIRD TIME
The UCLA Bruins swept the MPSF weekly honors as seniorย Garret Griggsย was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week and freshmanย Ben Liechtyย wereย named the MPSFย West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Oct. 30.ย UCLA went 1-0 this past week with a 13-9 win at home over No. 2 California on Saturday, Oct. 28. The win was the third over the two-time defending NCAA Champions this season and was the third time the Bruins were victorious in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle this season (all against the Golden Bears). The victory helped UCLA remain undefeated on the year at 21-0 and 5-0 in the MPSF West and the 21-game winning streak is tied for the fourth-longest in school history (1971-72). The win also locked down the No. 1 seed for the Bruins at the upcoming MPSF Championship (Nov. 17-19 at California).
Griggs, a goalkeeperย out of Riverside, Calif., and Riverside Poly High School,ย had another double-digit save effort with 13 against the Golden Bears. The Bruins and Griggs were just the second team this season to hold the two-time defending NCAA Champions to single-digit scoring.ย This is Griggs' third (in the last four weeks) career MPSF award.
Liechty, a utility out of Newport Beach, Calif.,ย and Newport Harbor HS,ย scored his fourth hat trick of the season (on four shots) in the win over the Golden Bears. He had been held scoreless in the two previous wins over Cal until Saturday's matchup. He also drew three exclusions against the Golden Bears.ย This is Liechty's second career MPSF award.
LARSEN NAMED MPSF WEST/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
UCLA redshirt freshman utilityย Ben Larsenย (Lafayette, Calif./Campolindo HS) was named the MPSFย West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Oct. 23.ย Larsen helped leadย top-ranked UCLA to a 2-0 record this past week to remain undefeated on the year at 20-0 overall with a pair of non-conference wins over Top 10 teams.ย The Bruins opened with a 12-10 win over No. 6 Princeton on Wednesday, Oct. 18 and concluded the week with a 15-9 victory over No. 10 UC Santa Barbara on Friday, Oct. 20.ย He tied for the team lead in scoring with the first hat trick of his career (on three shots) in the win over the Tigers and added one assist. He then scored once on his only shot against the Gauchos, adding another assist. For the week, he scored four goals on four shots to go with two assists.ย This isย Ben Larsen'sย first career MPSF award.
GRIGGS NAMED UCLA STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Senior goalkeeper Garret Griggs of UCLA Men's Water Polo wasย selected the UCLA Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by Ready, for the week of Oct. 9-15.ย Griggs helped lead top-ranked UCLA to a 1-0 record during the week to remain undefeated on the year at 18-0 overall and 4-0 in the MPSF West with an impressive 11-2 home victory over No. 4 USC on Saturday, Oct. 14. The Bruins and Griggs held the Trojans to two goals, the fewest in the series since a 9-1 win in 1973 (160 games). Additionally, it was UCLA's largest margin of victory in the series since a 19-8 win in 1976 (151 games). Griggs had his third-consecutive double-digit save effort, registering 13 stops while tallying a team-high three steals. He stopped 86.7 percent of USC's shots (including all four Trojan power plays) and the UCLA team defense stopped 92.3 percent of the Trojans' attempts (2-for-26 shooting).ย This is Griggs'ย first-career UCLA student-athlete of the week award.
GRIGGS REPEATS AS MPSF/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UCLAย seniorย Garret Griggsย was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Oct. 16.ย UCLA went 1-0 during theย week to remain undefeated on the year at 18-0 overall and 4-0 in the MPSF West with an impressive 11-2 home victory over No. 4 USC on Saturday, Oct. 14. The Bruins and Griggs held the Trojans to two goals, the fewest in the series since a 9-1 win in 1973 (160 games). Additionally, it was UCLA's largest margin of victory in the series since a 19-8 win in 1976 (151 games).ย Griggs, a goalkeeperย out of Riverside, Calif., and Riverside Poly High School,ย had his third-consecutive double-digit save effort, registering 13 stops while tallying a team-high three steals. He stopped 86.7 percent of USC's shots (including all four Trojan power plays) and the UCLA team defense stopped 92.3 percent of the Trojans' attempts (2-for-26 shooting).ย This is Griggs' second career MPSF award.
BRUINS SWEEP MPSF WEEKLY AWARDS, AGAIN
The UCLA Bruins swept the MPSF weekly honors as senior Garret Griggsย was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week and freshmanย Marcell Szécsiย wasย named the MPSFย West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Oct. 9.ย UCLA went 2-0 during theย week to remain undefeated on the year at 17-0. The Bruins picked up two Top 5 road wins, defeating No. 2 California, 14-11, and No. 5 Stanford, 11-7. It marked the Bruins' second win over both programs this season.
Griggs, a goalkeeperย out of Riverside, Calif., and Riverside Poly High School,ย had double-digit save efforts in both games, registering 11 stops at Cal and just missed tying his career-high (15) with 14 saves on The Farm. He also had one steal against the Golden Bears and one steal and one assist vs. the Cardinal. Additionally, Griggs and the Bruin defense held Stanford to a season-low seven goals. This was Griggs' first career MPSF weekly award.
Szécsi, a center out of Budapest, Hungary, and Kolping Katolikusย Iskola,ย scored once in both games, totaling two goals on three shots. He opened with a goal and drew three exclusions in the win over the Golden Bears. In the win over the Cardinal, he had one goal, drew one exclusion, and had one steal. This wasย Szécsi'sย second career MPSF award.
RAFAEL REAL VERGARA NAMED UCLA STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Senior attackerย Rafael Real Vergaraย of the UCLA men's water polo team was selected the UCLA Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by Ready, for Sept. 18-24.ย Real Vergara helped lead UCLA to a 4-0 record and MPSF Invitational victory to remain undefeated on the year at 13-0. The No. 2 Bruins picked up three top four wins en route to the title, defeating No. 4 Pepperdine, No. 3 USC and No. 1 California. Real Vergara led the tournament field in scoring with 16 goals in just three games while shooting at a .667 clip (16-for-24). He scored five goals and added a steal in the win over Pepperdine and had a season-high seven goals to go with two assists (nine points) and a steal in the win at USC. He finished the tournament with four goals and three assists (seven points) in the upset win of California, snapping the Golden Bears' 15-game winning streak, and snapping a seven-game losing streak to Cal in the process.ย This is Real Vergara's first UCLA student-athlete of the week award of the season and of his career.
RAFAEL REAL VERGARA NAMED MPSFย WEST/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The UCLA senior attackerย Rafael Real Vergaraย (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Modular) wasย named the MPSFย West/Delfina Player of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Sept. 25.ย Real Vergara helped lead UCLA to a 4-0 record, winning the 2023 Overnght MPSF Invitational, to remain undefeated on the year at 13-0. The Bruins picked up three top four wins en route to the title, defeating No. 4 Pepperdine, 15-11, No. 3 USC, 14-10, and No. 1 California, 12-10. The Bruins also opened the tournament with a win over Occidental, 18-9, that Real Vergara did not play in as UCLA rested its starters.ย He led the tournament field in scoring with 16 goals in just three games while shooting at a .667 clip (16-for-24). He scored five goals and added a steal in the win over Pepperdine and had a season-high seven goals to go with two assists (nine points) and a steal in the win at USC. He finished the tournament with four goals and three assists (seven points) in the upset win of California, snapping the Golden Bears' 15-game winning streak, and snapping a seven-game losing streak to Cal in the process.ย This is Real Vergara'sย first career MPSF award.
BRUINS SWEEP MPSF WEEKLY AWARDS, JACK LARSEN NAMED UCLA STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
The UCLA Bruins swept the MPSF weekly honors as redshirt seniorย Jack Larsenย was named the MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week and freshmanย Marcell Szécsiย wasย named the MPSFย West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Sept. 18. The UCLA Athletic Department also named Larsen the UCLA Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by Ready, for Sept. 11-17.ย UCLA went 2-0 during the weekย to remain undefeated on the year at 9-0. The Bruins picked up two more lopsided wins over ranked teams in their first true road games of the season, defeating No. 7 Pacific, 20-12, and No. 11 UC Davis, 16-7. It marked the most goals against Pacific in program history and the largest margin of victory over UC Davis since 2015.
Larsen, an attacker out of Orinda, Calif., and Campolindo High School,ย led the Bruins in scoring with 13 points, which included nine goals on just 11 shots (.818) to go with four assists. He also drew two exclusions, had two steals, and won his only sprint in the two outings. Larsen opened the weekend with a career-high eight goals (on nine shots) against Pacific. The eight goals tied for the most-ever in theย Adam Wrightย era (15 years -- Nicolas Saveljic had eight goals against Stanford in 2021) and was just one shy of tying the MPSF all-time single-game record. He also tied for the team lead in scoring at UC Davis with four points, which included one score (on two shots) and a team-high three assists. He also recorded both of his steals, one drawn exclusion and won his only sprint against the Aggies.
Szécsi, a center out of Budapest, Hungary, and Kolping Katolikusย Iskola,ย scored multiple goals in both games, totaling five goals on five shots. He opened with a pair of scores in the win over the Tigers and drew one exclusion. In the win over the Aggies, he had his second hat trick of the year and drew five exclusions to go with one steal.
FREDERICO JUCÁย CARSALADE NAMED MPSF WEST/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
UCLA redshirt freshman attacker Frederico Jucá Carsaladeย (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Escola Nova) wasย named the MPSFย West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Sept. 11.ย Jucáย Carsalade helped lead UCLA to a 3-0 record toย remain undefeated on the year at 7-0. The Bruins picked up two more wins over ranked teams, including opening MPSF play with an 11-9 win at home over No. 6 Stanford on Sept. 9. UCLA also defeated No. 12 UC San Diego, 14-7, and Cal Lutheran, 21-6, at the Inland Empire Classic on Sept. 10.ย After redshirting last season and missing the first weekend of this year due to injury, he finished tied for the team lead with two others in scoring over the three games with seven goals. He made a huge splash in his collegiate debut against the Cardinal, tallying two goals, two assists, two drawn exclusions, and one steal. Scored back-to-back goals in the third quarter with UCLA trailing by two to tie the game at 5-5. Then with UCLA trailing 8-6 in the fourth, he set up his teammates twice with back-to-back assists to tie the game. On the next possession, he registered a steal that led to a counter goal to give UCLA its first lead of the game at 9-8 with 3:18 remaining.ย He came up big against the Tritons as well when his team needed him. With the Bruins leading just 4-3 at halftime, he scored once, recorded three steals, and had one field block in the third period as UCLA would win the quarter, 7-3, en route to the lopsided victory. He finished with the first hat trick of his career against UCSD. He scored twice and added one steal and drew one exclusion in the win over Cal Lutheran.ย For the weekend, he had a team-high-tying seven goals (on just nine shots, shooting at a 77.8 percent clip), five steals, drew three exclusions, talliedย two assists, and registeredย two field blocks. It markedย Jucáย Carsalade's first career MPSF award..
BEN LIECHTY NAMED MPSF WEST/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
UCLA true freshman utilityย Ben Liechtyย (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) wasย named the MPSFย West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Weekย as announced by the league office on Sept. 5. Liechty helped lead UCLA to a 4-0 record at the Triton Invitational, including two wins over Top 10 teams.ย He led the Bruins in scoring with 10 goals, netting multiple goals in all four contests.ย He had two goals in the win over No. 7 UC Santa Barbara and followed with a team-high three goals in the win over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday. Then on Sunday, he tallied two scores in the win over No. 10 UC Irvine and registered another hat trick against Concordia University Irvine. He also had one assist against the Gauchos, one assist and drew an exclusion against the Titans, one assist against the Anteaters, and one assist, one steal, one field block, and drew one exclusion against the Golden Eagles.ย For the weekend, he had 10 goals (on just 14 shots, shooting at a 71.4 percent clip), four assists, drew two exclusions, had one field block, and one steal. It marked Liechty's first career MPSF award.
UCLA PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN MPSF
The UCLA Bruins will enter the 2023 season as the third-ranked team in the CWPAย Men's Varsity Top 20ย Preseason Poll and has been picked to finish second (tie) in the MPSF.ย Back-to-back defending NCAA Champion California recorded 48 points and six first-place votes in the MPSF Men's Water Polo Coaches' poll, and was picked to win the 2023 MPSF's Western Division title.ย UCLA and USC picked up the remaining first-place votes and tied for second in the west with 39 points. Stanford collected 34 points to finish fourth in the poll. In the MPSF's Eastern Division, Austin College was voted first (22 points), followed by Augustana (20), Washington & Jefferson (13) and Penn State Behrend (nine).
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
The Bruins return just two 2022 All-Americans for the 2023 season in Bernardo Mauriziย (Second Team)ย and Gianpiero Di Martireย (Second Team). Maurizi, a three-time All-American, returns for his fifth season in the cage for the Bruins. Di Martire earned his first All-America honors after ranking second on the team in scoring with 43 goals last year. Both have only played a handful of quarters this season due to undlisclosed injuries.
RETURNING ALL-MPSF PLAYERS
The Bruins return four of a league-high eightย 2022 All-MPSF selections for the 2023 season. In addition toย Bernardo Mauriziย (First Team)ย and Gianpiero Di Martireย (Second Team), the Bruins regain the services of super senior attacker Jack Larsen (Second Team) and senior attacker Makoto Kenney (Honorable Mention).
SUPER SENIORS
Super senior goalkeeper Bernardo Mauriziย and super senior attacker Jack Larsenย have both decided to return to Westwood for a fifth and final season. The duo have been afforded the opportunity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But Maurizi has only been able to play a total of two quarters this season due to an undisclosed injury.
DODD OUT FOR 2023
Junior attacker Chase Dodd has decided to take an Olympic year and will not be in uniform for the Bruins during the 2023 campaign. He will continue to train with the U.S. National Team in hopes of being named to the 2024 Olympic Games roster.
UCLA 2023 OUTLOOK
UCLA returns three of its top six scorers and all three goalkeepers that saw action a year ago for the 2023 season. The Bruins made their 37th appearance in the NCAA Championship in 2022, finishing with a 22-5 record. Four of the five losses on the year were by just one goal.
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UCLA had a league-best eight players earn 2022 Delfina All-MPSF West accolades, highlighted by attacker Jake Cavano (45 goals, graduated), attacker Tommy Gruwell (31 goals, graduated), and senior goalkeeper Bernardo Maurizi (16-5, returning, using COVID year), who were all named first-team All-MPSF. Redshirt junior attacker Gianpiero Di Martire (43 goals, returning), junior attacker Chase Dodd (39 goals, taking an Olympic year), and senior attacker Jack Larsen (20 goals, returning), were all named to the second team. Utility Evan Rosenfeld (12 goals, graduated) and senior attacker Makoto Kenney (21 goals, returning) both garnered honorable mention plaudits. Cavano was the lone Bruin to earn first-team All-America honors while Maurizi, Di Martire, and Gruwell each earned second-team accolades. Dodd earned honorable mention All-America honors for the first time in his career.
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The Bruins also return some capable scorers in sophomore attacker Noah Rowe (17 goals), sophomore utility Gray Carson (16 goals), redshirt sophomore center Grant Loth (12 goals), redshirt sophomore Eli Liechty (12 goals in 2021), senior attacker Hayden Nightingale (10 goals), redshirt senior utility Giorgio Alessandria (10 goals), redshirt junior utility Maximo Rossi (7 goals), redshirt sophomore attacker Anthony Gross (3 goals), and redshirt sophomore attacker Trey Doten (3 goals).
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UCLA also welcomes back redshirt freshmen Vinnie Merk (Huntington Beach, Calif., Mater Dei HS) and Ben Larsen (Lafayette, Calif., Campolindo HS) who both sat out last season and traveled with UCLA as part of Team USA for the World University Games in China in late July and early August of 2023.
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The Bruins will look to replace Cavano, Gruwell, Rosenfeld, and for one season, Dodd, but also lost the services of Andy Rodgers, Cameron Reagan, Gabe Discipulo, Max Berg, and Jack White to graduation.
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Arriving in Westwood this season and looking to make an immediate impact are freshmen Ben Liechty (Newport Beach, Calif., Newport Harbor HS), Max Matthews (Tiburon, Calif., Redwood HS), Wade Sherlock (Long Beach, Calif., Orange Lutheran HS), Nathan Tauscher (Sunset Beach, Calif., Mater Dei HS), and Marcell Szécsi (Budapest, Hungary, Kolping Katolikus Iskola). UCLA also welcomes in one player from the transfer portal, two-time Golden Coast Conference Player of the Year, Rafael Real Vergara (Long Beach State, 192 goals in three seasons).
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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 15th season as UCLA's head men's water polo coach in 2023 with an overall record of 342-65 (.840) and an MPSF mark of 66-24 (.736). 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 2022
Overall Record: 22-5 |ย Final Ranking: 3rd | NCAA Finish: T-3rd |ย MPSFย Tournament Finish: 4th
The UCLA Bruins made their 37th appearance in the NCAA Championship in 2022, finishing with a 22-5 record. Four of the five losses on the year were by just one goal. UCLA had a league-best eight players earn 2022 Delfina All-MPSF West accolades, highlighted by super senior attacker Jake Cavano, senior attacker Tommy Gruwell, and senior goalkeeper Bernardo Maurizi, who were all named first-team All-MPSF. Redshirt sophomore attacker Gianpiero Di Martire, sophomore attacker Chase Dodd, and junior attacker Jack Larsen, were all named to the second team. Super senior utility Evan Rosenfeld and junior attacker Makoto Kenney both garnered honorable mention plaudits. Cavano was the lone Bruin to earn first-team All-America honors while Maurizi, Di Martire, and Gruwell each earned second-team accolades. Dodd earned honorable mention All-America honors for the first time in his career.
POLLING THE BRUINS
UCLA dropped two spots to No. 3ย in this week's CWPAย National Men's Varsity Top 20 Poll (89 points), released on Nov. 22.
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ย 2023 MEN'S VARSITY TOP 20 (WEEK 12 - NOVEMBER 22) |
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| ย Rank | ย Team | ย Week 11 Poll | ย Points |
| ย 1 | ย USC | ย 3 | ย 97 |
| ย 2 | ย California | ย 2 | ย 95 |
| ย 3 (T) | ย UCLA | ย 1 | ย 89 |
| ย 3 (T) | ย Stanford | ย 3 | ย 89 |
| ย 5 | ย Princeton | ย 6 (T) | ย 78 |
| ย 6 | ย UC Irvine | ย 6 | ย 77 |
| ย 7 | ย Pepperdine | ย 5 | ย 67 |
| ย 8 | ย San Joseย State | ย 14 | ย 65 |
| ย 9 | ย UC Santa Barbara | ย 9 | ย 61 |
| ย 10 | ย UC Davis | ย 10 | ย 57 |
| ย 11 | ย Long Beach State | ย 8 | ย 53 |
| ย 12 | ย Fordham | ย 15 | ย 39 |
| ย 13 | ย California Baptist University | ย 16 | ย 38 |
| ย 14 | ย Harvard | ย 11 | ย 35 |
| ย 15 | ย Loyola Marymount | ย 12 | ย 32 |
| ย 16 | ย UC San Diego | ย 13 | ย 30 |
| ย 17 | ย Santa Clara | ย 19 | ย 18 |
| ย 18 | ย Pacific | ย 17 | ย 15 |
| ย 19 | ย Navy | ย 18 | ย 13 |
| ย 20 | ย Brown | ย 20 | ย 7 |
| ย RV | ย Air Force | ย RV | ย 1 |
ย
Players Mentioned
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/ 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