Bruins Headed Back to Bay Area to Defend NCAA Title

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LOS ANGELES – No. 2 UCLA (24-2, 5-1 MPSF West) has earned an at-large bid into the 2025 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship and was seeded second, placing the Bruins in the third quarterfinal game. UCLA will face No. 12 Princeton (23-9, 9-1 NWPC) on Friday, Dec. 5 at 4:00 p.m. PT. The eight teams vying for the National Collegiate Men's Water Polo Championship will be in competition Dec. 5-7 at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center. UCLA will be seeking its 14th NCAA title in the sport and the school's 125th overall. The top four seeds were placed in the bracket with the MPSF Tournament champions, USC (21-3), grabbing the top seed, and NCAA Championship hosts, Stanford (17-7), getting the nod as the three seed on the Bruins' side of the bracket. Fordham (25-3) was the only other seeded team and the Rams were placed on the Trojans' side in the four spot. Should the Bruins advance, they will play the winner of the Stanford/UC Davis game on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 4:00 p.m. PT. The Championship game is slated for Sunday, Dec. 7 at 3:00 p.m. PT. Stanford will provide live stats for every game on the 6-8 sports platform. The first two days will be streamed live on NCAA.com with the final being televised live on ESPNU. You can also follow along with live scoring updates on the Bruins' official Twitter (X) account (@UCLAWaterPolo).

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Friday, Dec. 5 (Avery Aquatic Center - NCAA Championship - Quarterfinals - Stanford, Calif.)
4:00 PM PT – No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 12 Princeton | WATCH | LIVE STATS

Saturday, Dec. 6 (Avery Aquatic Center - NCAA Championship - Semifinals - Stanford, Calif.)
4:00 PM PT – vs. TBD | WATCH | LIVE STATS

Sunday, Dec. 7 (Avery Aquatic Center - NCAA Championship - Finals - Stanford, Calif.)
3:00 PM PT – vs. TBD | ESPNU | LIVE STATS

SERIES HISTORY
UCLA is 22-0 all-time against Princeton. The Bruins won the last meeting, 23-10, at home on Oct. 11, 2025. Friday's game will be the teams' fourth encounter in the NCAA Championship with the Bruins posting a 7-5 win in 2004 (semifinals), a 12-6 victory in 2021 (quarterfinals), and a 17-13 win in 2023 (semifinals).

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
The Bruins are making their 40th appearance in the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship and have won 13 NCAA titles (1969, 1971, 1972, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2024). UCLA has won five NCAA Championships under the guidance of Head Coach Adam Wright (all five against USC in the finals). UCLA is 70-30 (.700) all-time in the NCAA Tournament with 10 second-place finishes, 10 third-place finishes and three fourth-place finishes. Last year, the top-seeded Bruins won lucky number 13 with a 22-6 win over Salem in the quarterfinals, a 17-14 win at Stanford in the semifinals, and then an 11-8 win over USC in the title game.

RECAPPING THE 2025 MPSF CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
Top-seed and then-top-ranked UCLA fell to second-seeded and then-second-ranked USC, 14-11, in the title game of the 2025 MPSF Championship on Nov. 23 at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center. UCLA had seven different players score, paced by three goals from sophomore Ryder Dodd. He added an assist to finish with a team-high-tying four total points. Redshirt junior Chase Dodd also scored four total points (two goals and two assists), as did junior Ben Liechty (four assists). Redshirt junior Ben Larsen was the only other Bruin to score multiple goals, finishing with two against the Trojans. Redshirt sophomore Nate Tauscher got the starting nod in the cage and went the distance, tallying four saves while surrendering a season-high 14 goals. The Bruins advanced to the finals with an 11-9 win (Nov. 22) over No. 4 California. The Bruins' offense was paced by a quartet of players with two goal apiece that included redshirt junior Frederico Jucá Carsalade, junior Marcell Szécsi, and sophomores Bode Brinkema and Peter Castillo. Brinkema (one assist) and Jucá Carsalade (one assist) as well as Ryder Dodd (one goal, two assists) tied for the team lead in scoring with three points. Tauscher got the starting nod in goal and again went the distance, tallying nine saves (including one on a penalty) and two steals while allowing nine goals. UCLA opened the tournament with a 36-4 win over Penn State Behrend (Nov. 21). The 36 goals were the third-most in program history and the most since a 37-2 win over Washington in 1971. UCLA had 14 different players score (out of the 15 field players that played), paced by a game- and career-high six goals from freshman Jackson Harlan. Redshirt senior Eli Liechty recorded a career-high five goals against the Lions. Redshirt senior Trey Doten (career-high) and Brinkema (career-high-tying) each scored four goals. Three more Bruins had hat tricks, which included Ryder Dodd (added four assists for seven points), junior Wade Sherlock (added a career-high six assists) and Szécsi (one assist). But it was Ben Liechty that actually led the Bruins' high octane offense with 10 total points (career-high eight assists and two goals). Tauscher got the starting nod in the cage and played the first quarter, tallying six saves, two assists, and one steal while allowing two goals. Redshirt freshman Nick Tovani played the final three quarters and registered a career-high 10 saves to go with two assists and a steal while giving up just two goals.

GOALS GALORE
The 2025 UCLA Bruins have set a school record for goals scored in a season, currently at 462 (17.8 goals per game), which surpassed the NCAA Championship squad of 2014 that tallied 459 goals (32 games for an average of 14.34 goals per game). Sophomore Ryder Dodd leads the MPSF and the Bruins with 89 goals on the year. Sophomore Bode Brinkema (46 goals), junior Ben Liechty (41 goals), and redshirt senior Chase Dodd (38 goals) round out the top four scorers on the team. UCLA has six other players that have scored 20 or more goals this season, which includes redshirt junior Frederico Jucá Carsalade (27), junior Marcell Szécsi (25), redshirt senior Eli Liechty (23), junior Wade Sherlock (23), senior Noah Rowe (23), and redshirt junior Ben Larsen (20). Six more Bruins are in the teens, which includes senior Gray Carson (19), sophomore Peter Castillo (19), freshman Jackson Harlan (18), redshirt junior Vinnie Merk (17), redshirt senior Trey Doten (17), and redshirt sophomore Max Matthews (13).

EVERYBODY EATS
In addition to winning its first 18 games, 11 of which were by double digits, UCLA has posted double-digit scorers in 15-of-26 games this season.
The games with double-digit scorers include:

13 vs. Navy (Aug. 29)
10 vs. UC Davis (Aug. 30)
11 at UC San Diego (Aug. 30)
10 vs. California Baptist University (Sept. 5)
11 vs. George Washington (Sept. 5)
10 vs. Fordham (Sept. 6)
15 vs. Bucknell (season-high-tying, Sept. 6)
11 vs. Harvard (Sept. 12)
11 vs. Pepperdine (Sept. 13)
15 vs. Redlands (season-high-tying, Sept. 19)
11 vs. UC Davis (Sept. 20)
10 vs. LMU (Sept. 27)
12 vs. Princeton (Oct. 11)
11 vs. Pacific (Nov. 7)
14 vs. Penn State Behrend (Nov. 21)

The 11 games in which the Bruins did not have double-digit scorers include:

Seven in the 13-7 win over No. 8 UC Irvine (Sept. 12)
Nine in the 13-12 win over No. 4 Stanford (Sept. 20)
Five in the 11-9 win over No. 3 California (season low, Sept. 21)
Nine in the 14-7 win at No. 2 California (Oct. 4)
Eight in the 14-11 win at No. 4 Stanford (Oct. 5)
Eight in a 13-12 home loss to No. 3 USC (Oct. 18)
Eight in a 13-12 sudden death overtime win over No. 3 Stanford (Nov. 1)
Seven in an 18-12 home win over No. 4 California (Nov. 2)
Nine in a 14-13 win at No. 1 USC (Nov. 15)
Seven in the 11-9 win over No. 2 California (Nov. 22)
Seven in the 14-11 loss to No. 2 USC (Nov. 23)

SCORING SURGES
The Bruins have had seven double-digit scoring runs in seven different games in 2025, but none were more impressive than the 15-0 run to open the game in the huge 17-2 win at home over No. 6 Pacific.
Here's a look at this year's biggest and most impressive scoring runs:

15-0 run to open the game in the 17-2 win over No. 6 Pacific (from the start to 5:35 of the fourth quarter on Nov. 7)
14-0 run in the 36-4 win over Penn State Behrend (from 9-2 in the second to 23-2 in the third period on Nov. 21)
12-0 run in the 18-2 win over No. 12 UC San Diego (in the first period when the game was tied 1-1 on Aug. 30)
12-0 run to open the game in the 21-6 win over No. 19 George Washington (Sept. 5)
11-0 run in the 24-10 win over (RV) Bucknell (led 5-3 at the start of the run on Sept. 6)
11-0 run in the 25-6 win over Redlands (after scoring the first five goals and leading 5-1 in the first period on Sept. 19)
10-0 run in the 19-12 win over No. 11 UC Davis (trailed 4-3 at the 2:38 mark of the first and led 13-4 with 5:14 to go in the third on Sept. 20)
8-0 run in the 19-8 win over No. 12 Pepperdine (when leading 10-6 with 5:05 left in the third on Sept. 13 - also scored the first four goals of the game)
8-0 run to in the 20-8 win over No. 20 Navy (in the first period after game was tied at 1-1 on Aug. 29)
7-0 run to open the game in the 36-4 win over Penn State Behrend (from the start to 2:15 of the first quarter on Nov. 21)
6-0 run in the 18-12 home win over No. 4 California (trailed 3-1 at the 3:58 mark of the first then went on a 6-0 run to lead 7-3 with 5:39 left in the second (a span of 6:19) on Nov. 2)
6-0 run to open the game in the 21-10 win over (RV) Harvard (Sept. 12)
6-0 run to open the game in the 21-5 win over No. 14 California Baptist University (Sept. 5)
5-0 run to open the game in a 25-6 win over Redlands (Sept. 19)
4-0 run to open the game in a 19-9 win over No. 12 Pepperdine (Sept. 13)
4-0 run to open the game in a 13-7 win over No. 8 UC Irvine (Sept. 12)
9-2 run to open the game (first quarter) in a 23-10 win over No. 13 Princeton (Oct. 11)
8-2 run in the 16-6 win over No. 14 UC Davis (in the first period when the game was tied 1-1 on Aug. 30)
8-2 run in the 14-11 win over No. 4 Stanford (trailed 9-6 with 5:01 left in the third and ended the game on the 8-2 run on Oct. 5)
6-2 run in the 13-12 win over No. 4 Stanford (trailed 10-7 with 2:41 to go in the third on Sept. 20)
5-2 run to end regulation and 7-3 run (combined with overtime) in a 13-12 sudden death win over No. 3 Stanford (trailed 9-6 with 2:07 left in the third on Nov. 1)
6-3 run in the 11-9 win over No. 3 California (trailed 3-0 with 2:05 to go in the first on Sept. 21, then went on a 3-0 run in the fourth with the game tied at 8-8 to pull away)

DODD REPEATS AS MPSF PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Sophomore attacker Ryder Dodd (Long Beach, Calif.) leads the MPSF with 82 goals and 107 points entering the postseason. He ranks tied for 16th in MPSF single-season history in scoring, 20 goals from his own MPSF record of 102 he set as a freshman. Dodd has scored in all 50 games he has played in his career and has scored multiple goals in 48 of those contests. He was named Delfina MPSF West Player of the Week a conference-high five times this year, including the last three weeks consecutively. In the final game of the regular season, he scored four goals for the 10th time in the last 11 regular season games, including the game-winner just prior to his game-winning field block, in a 14-13 come-from-behind win at No. 1 USC. The win secured the top seed for the Bruins in the MPSF Championship Tournament. Dodd, a two-time Delfina All-MPSF First Team honoree, is UCLA's seventh all-time MPSF Player of the Year recipient and the third-straight for the Bruins (Dodd-2024, Rafael Real Vergara-2023, Garrett Danner-2015-16, Scott Davidson-2009, Sean Kern-2000). Dodd also becomes the sixth player in MPSF history to earn back-to-back player of the year awards and first player to win it in each of his first two seasons.

WRIGHT REPEATS AS MPSF COACH OF THE YEAR
UCLA Head Coach Adam Wright has guided the Bruins to a 22-1 regular season record and 5-1 in MPSF contests, leading to the top seed in the conference championship tournament. As the top-ranked team for the majority of the season, UCLA has posted 19 wins over ranked opponents, 11 wins over the top-10, and eight over the top-five (seven vs. MPSF teams), while the Bruins scored in double digits in every regular season game. UCLA shared a conference-high of seven players on the 2025 Delfina All-MPSF teams, as well as a high of three on the first team. Wright is 392-69 overall (.850) since taking over the program in 2009. This is the fifth MPSF Coach of the Year award for Wright (2023-25, 2017, 2011), including the last three consecutively, and fifth overall for UCLA Men's Water Polo.

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
UCLA had a league-high-tying seven Bruins named to various Delfina All-MPSF teams this week. Joining sophomore attacker Ryder Dodd on the Delfina All-MPSF First Team is redshirt senior attacker Chase Dodd (Long Beach, Calif.), and junior utility Ben Liechty (Newport Beach, Calif.). It marks the third All-Conference honor for both Liechty and Chase Dodd and the second for Ryder Dodd. Two Bruins landed on the Delfina All-MPSF Second Team, which included redshirt junior attacker Frederico Jucá Carsalade (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Nate Tauscher (Sunset Beach, Calif.).It is the third time Jucá Carsalade has earned Second Team All-MPSF honors and the first for Tauscher. Two more Bruins garnered Honorable Mention All-MPSF honors. The duo included sophomore utility Peter Castillo (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and senior utility Gray Carson. It marked the second time that Castillo and the first time that Carson have earned All-MPSF accolades in their careers.

DODD NAMED MPSF WEST/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR THE FIFTH TIME IN 2025
UCLA sophomore attacker Ryder Dodd (Long Beach, Calif./JSerra Catholic HS) was named the MPSF West/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Nov. 17. Dodd led UCLA to a 1-0 record this past week (22-1 overall, 5-1 MPSF West) with a 14-13 come-from-behind win at No. 1 USC (Nov. 15). He scored four goals, all in the second half, in the win over the Trojans, which secured the top seed for the Bruins in the MPSF Championship Tournament. He also won both of his sprints and provided the game-winning goal (4Q-1:09) and game-securing field block on a 7-on-6 play at the buzzer. He has scored in all 50 games he has played in his career and has scored multiple goals in 48 of those contests. This is the ninth career MPSF weekly award for Dodd, and the third consecutively.

DODD NAMED MPSF WEST/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR THE FOURTH TIME IN 2025
UCLA sophomore attacker Ryder Dodd (Long Beach, Calif./JSerra Catholic HS) was named the MPSF West/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Nov. 10. Dodd led UCLA to a 1-0 record this past week (21-1 overall, 4-1 MPSF West) with a 17-2 blowout win at home over No. 6 Pacific (Nov. 7). He scored five goals on six shots in the lopsided win over the Tigers, which was the second-largest margin of victory in the series history against Pacific, trailing only a 17-1 win on Nov. 24, 2006. He also added one steal and won his only sprint against the Tigers. He has scored in all 49 games he has played in his career and has scored multiple goals in 47 of those contests. Additionally, this is the seventh game this season he has scored five or more goals and the 16th time of his career he has accomplished that feat. This is the eighth career MPSF weekly award for Dodd.

DODD NAMED UCLA STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK FOR THE THIRD TIME
Sophomore Ryder Dodd of UCLA Men's Water Polo has been selected the Student-Athlete of the Week presented by La Victoria for athletic competitions held between Oct. 28-Nov. 3. Dodd led UCLA to a 2-0 record this week with nine goals against Top 4 competition. He had two goals (both in the fourth quarter) and added two assists for four total points in the sudden death win over No. 3 Stanford (Nov. 1). He also added three drawn exclusions, won all three of his sprints, tallied one field block and had one steal against the Cardinal. Dodd registered a season-high seven goals in the lopsided win over No. 4 California (Nov. 2). He also won his only sprint against the Golden Bears and added two steals and one field block. He also had the highest +/- rating in both games finishing with +8.0 against Stanford and +9.1 vs. California. He has scored in all 48 games he has played in his career and has scored multiple goals in 46 of those contests. The attacker secures his fifth-career UCLA student-athlete of the week award.

DODD NAMED MPSF WEST/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK AGAIN
UCLA sophomore attacker Ryder Dodd (Long Beach, Calif./JSerra Catholic HS) was named the MPSF West/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Nov. 3. Dodd led UCLA to a 2-0 record (20-1 overall, 4-1 MPSF West) with home wins over No. 3 Stanford (Nov. 1) and No. 4 California (Nov. 2). He accumulated nine goals in the two games, which included a season-high seven goals in the 18-12 win over the Golden Bears, along with two steals and a field block. In the 13-12 sudden death overtime win over the Cardinal, Dodd had two fourth quarter goals, two assists, three drawn exclusions, one field block, one steal, and won all three of his sprints. This is the seventh career MPSF weekly award for Dodd.

HARLAN NAMED MPSF WEST/S&R SPORT NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
UCLA freshman attacker Jackson Harlan (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar HS) was named the MPSF West/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week as announced by the league office on Oct. 13. Harlan helped UCLA to a 1-0 record this past week (18-0 overall) with a 23-10 home win over No. 13 Princeton on Saturday, Oct. 11. He scored the final goal for the Bruins at the 3:09 mark of the fourth quarter on a power play. This is the first career MPSF weekly award for Harlan.

TAUSCHER NAMED MPSF WEST/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UCLA redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Nate Tauscher (Sunset Beach, Calif./Mater Dei HS) was named the MPSF West/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Oct. 6. Tauscher led UCLA to a 2-0 record this past week (17-0 overall) with a pair of road victories to begin MPSF play. The Bruins opened with a 14-7 win at No. 2 California (Oct. 4) and then concluded the weekend with a 14-11 win at No. 4 Stanford (Oct. 5). He accumulated 26 saves while allowing 17 goals for a save percentage of (.605) to help the Bruins stay undefeated while extending UCLA's consecutive victories to 20 (sixth best in UCLA history). He stopped a penalty shot in both games this week and racked up a season-high-tying 12 saves at California to go with two steals while allowing six goals in 29:46 of action. In the Stanford win, Tauscher tallied a career-high 14 saves and added one steal and one assist while surrendering 11 goals. He also registered a huge save in the fourth quarter on a 6-on-4 power play for the Cardinal. This is the second career MPSF weekly award for Tauscher, though first as Delfina Player of the Week.

DODD NAMED UCLA STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK AGAIN
Sophomore Ryder Dodd of UCLA Men's Water Polo was selected the Student-Athlete of the Week presented by La Victoria for competitions held between Sept. 16-22. The Bruin attacker led UCLA to a 4-0 record and a three-peat title at the Overnght MPSF Invitational (Sept. 19-21), co-hosted by UCLA and USC. The Bruins improved to 14-0 overall on the year with Dodd scoring 13 goals, while tallying five assists, five steals, drawing four exclusions, winning three sprints, and making two saves. The Bruins opened with a 25-6 win over Redlands (Sept. 19) with Dodd scoring twice to go with one assist, one sprint won, and making two saves (on failed 7-on-6 plays while wearing the goalie cap). Then in the 19-12 quarterfinal win over No. 11 UC Davis (Sept. 20), he scored four goals on five shots and added three assists, one steal, and drew one exclusion in the win over the Aggies. In the 13-12 come-from-behind win over No. 4 Stanford (Sept. 20) in the semifinals, he scored twice and tallied one assist, had three steals, drew two exclusions, and won a sprint in a battle of undefeated teams. He then scored a season-high-tying five goals (on eight shots) and drew one exclusion and won his only sprint in the 11-9 win over No. 3 California in the championship game in another battle of undefeated teams. He was credited with the eventual game-winning goals against UC Davis and California. Dodd has scored in all 45 games he has played in his career and has scored multiple goals in 43 of those contests. He secures his fourth-career UCLA student-athlete of the week award.

DODD NAMED MPSF WEST/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK AGAIN
UCLA sophomore attacker Ryder Dodd (Long Beach, Calif./JSerra Catholic HS) was named the MPSF West/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Sept. 22. Dodd led UCLA to a 4-0 record this past week (14-0 overall) and a three-peat title of the Overnght MPSF Invitational (Sept. 19-21). He tallied 13 goals, five assists, five steals, four drawn exclusions, three winning sprints, and two saves. In the quarterfinal win over No. 11 UC Davis, Dodd scored four goals and added three assists. In the come-from-behind semifinal win over No. 4 Stanford, he scored twice and tallied one assist, had three steals, drew two exclusions, and won a sprint. He then scored five goals, drew one exclusion and won his only sprint in the win over No. 3 California for the title. This is the sixth career MPSF weekly award for Dodd.

DODD NAMED UCLA STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Ryder Dodd of UCLA Men's Water Polo was selected the Student-Athlete of the Week (on Sept. 17) presented by La Victoria for competitions held between Sept. 9-15. The Bruin attacker led UCLA to a 3-0 record this past weekend (10-0 overall) with 12 goals, scoring three or more goals in all three contests. The Bruins opened their home slate with a 13-7 win over No. 8 UC Irvine in a battle of undefeated teams on Friday, Sept.12. Dodd scored a team-high-tying hat trick and also drew three exclusions and one penalty against the Anteaters. Later that day, UCLA posted a 21-5 win over (RV) Harvard with Dodd scoring a season-high five goals and led all scorers with six points, adding one assist. He also had one steal and drew one exclusion against the Crimson. He led the Bruins in scoring with seven points on a game-high-tying four goals and three assists in the 19-8 win over No. 12 Pepperdine. He also drew one exclusion and had a career-high six steals against the Waves. He has scored in all 41 games he has played in his career and has scored multiple goals in 39 of those contests. Dodd secures his third-career UCLA student-athlete of the week award.

DODD NAMED MPSF WEST/DELFINA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UCLA sophomore attacker Ryder Dodd (Long Beach, Calif./JSerra Catholic HS) was named the MPSF West/Delfina Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Sept. 8. Dodd led UCLA to a 4-0 record this past week (7-0 overall) at the Princeton Invitational (Sept. 5- 6) with 10 goals (14 shots), three steals, three assists, two drawn exclusions, one field block, and one save. He scored a game-high four goals against No. 14 California Baptist University, to go with two steals, one assist, and one save. He had a game-high-tying three goals in a win over No. 19 George Washington, and added two assists and a field block. Dodd then had two goals, drew two exclusions, and had one steal in a win over No. 4 Fordham. He finished with one goal on his only shot in limited action in the win over Bucknell. This is the fifth career MPSF weekly award for Dodd.

BRINKEMA NAMED UCLA STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Bode Brinkema of UCLA Men's Water Polo was selected the Student-Athlete of the Week presented by La Victoria for competitions held between Aug. 26-Sept. 1. Brinkema tied for the team lead in scoring this past week with seven goals, leading top-ranked UCLA to a trio of double-digit wins over nationally-ranked teams to open the season at 3-0. The Bruins began the week with a 20-8 win over No. 20 Navy with Brinkema scoring a career-high four goals, while registering two steals, one assist, and drawing one exclusion. The 12-goal margin of victory was the second-most in the series history behind a 13-goal margin in 1996 and again in 2019. Brinkema then scored two goals and had two steals, one assist, and one field block in a 16-6 win over No. 14 UC Davis. The 10-goal margin of victory was the most against the Aggies since the undefeated season of 2015. He finished the weekend with one goal, three assists, and three steals in an 18-2 win at No. 12 UC San Diego. The 16-goal margin of victory against the Tritons was the third-largest in series history and the most since a 24-1 win in 1976. The sophomore secures his second-career UCLA student-athlete of the week award.

UCLA PICKED TO WIN THE MPSF
Defending NCAA Champion UCLA collected 99 points and nine first-place votes in topping the 2025 MPSF Men's Water Polo Western Division preseason coaches' poll. The Bruins return 21 players from last year, including ACWPC National Player of the Year and MPSF Player and Newcomer of the Year Ryder Dodd, who broke both the conference and UCLA freshman single-season scoring record in 2024 with 102 goals. Also back for UCLA are All-Americans Chase Dodd (26 goals), Peter Castillo (31 goals, 64 earned exclusions), and Frederico Jucá Carsalade (25 goals, 38 assists).

Team	Points (1st Place)	2024 Record	2024 MPSF Finish	2024 NCAA D1 Finish
UCLA	99 (9)	26-2	2nd	1st
USC	90 (2)	23-6	1st	2nd
Stanford	82	22-5	3rd	T-3rd
California	74	12-13	4th	n/a

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
For the second straight year, the Bruins return four of the five All-Americans from the prior season. Sophomore attacker Ryder Dodd is back from his record-shattering season where he set the MPSF and UCLA freshman single-season scoring record with 102 goals. He was a First-Team All-American, as was his brother, redshirt senior attacker Chase Dodd (26 goals, 33 assists). Sophomore utility Peter Castillo was a Third-Team All-American a year ago (31 goals, 64 earned exclusions). The other All-American the Bruins return in 2025 is Honorable Mention selection and redshirt junior attacker, Frederico Jucá Carsalade (25 goals, 38 assists). Junior utility Ben Liechty, the 2024 MPSF Newcomer of the Year, also qualifies as the Bruins' fifth returning All-American as he was an Honorable Mention selection in 2023. UCLA lost the playing services of All-American, Nico Tierney (Honorable Mention, 41 goals), but added him to the Bruins' staff as an assistant coach for the 2025 season.

RETURNING ALL-MPSF PLAYERS
Last year, UCLA had a league-best and school-record-tying nine players earn 2024 Delfina All-MPSF West accolades, but only five of them return, highlighted by MPSF Player and Newcomer of the Year, Ryder Dodd. He also won the Peter J. Cutino Award and was named the ACWPC National Player of the Year in 2025. All five All-League performers returning were also listed in the returning All-American note above. In addition to losing Nico Tierney (Honorable Mention All-MPSF) from a year ago, the Bruins also lost the services of First-Team attacker Makoto Kenney (15 goals, 45 assists), Honorable Mention goalkeeper Garret Griggs (25 starts, 23-2 record, 173 saves, 9.12 goals against average), and Honorable Mention center-defender Aaron Voggenthaler (24 goals). The Bruins return a sixth All-MPSF contributor in junior center Marcell Szécsi (Honorable Mention pick in 2023, 13 goals in 2024).

SUPER SENIORS
The Bruins return five seniors in 2025 that all made huge contributions a year ago. Joining redshirt senior Chase Dodd is fellow redshirt seniors attacker Trey Doten (11 goals), and center Eli Liechty (24 goals, 48 earned exclusions). UCLA also regains the services of senior utility Gray Carson (14 goals) and attacker Noah Rowe (six goals, 21 assists). Together this class has an overall record of 94-14 (.870), which includes going a combined 52-5 (.912) over the last two seasons.

MORE NOTABLE RETURNEES
Flexing its superb depth, there are six more Bruins seeking to have increased roles this season, starting with redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Nate Tauscher. Tauscher was the back-up goalie last year but came up big when his number was called. He only made three starts on the year (3-0), but two of them came at the NCAA Tournament (semifinals and finals). This group also includes junior attacker Wade Sherlock (21 goals, 35 assists), redshirt junior utility Ben Larsen (19 goals), redshirt junior attacker Vinnie Merk (three goals), redshirt sophomore defender Max Matthews (six goals, also scored the game-winning goal at the buzzer for the Gold team in a 15-14 win over the Blue squad in the 2025 preseason), and sophomore utility Bode Brinkema (16 goals, 23 assists, 22 steals).

REDSHIRTS AND FRESH FACES
Looking to make a big splash this season are five redshirt freshmen and five true freshmen that have arrived in Westwood for the 2025 campaign. The redshirt freshmen include attacker Alex Heenan (Harvard-Westlake School), goalkeeper Joey Kent (JSerra Catholic HS), attacker Andrew Spencer (Sacred Heart Prep), goalkeeper Nick Tovani (San Ramon Valley HS), and center defender Harry Tucker (Perth, Australia). The five freshmen looking to make an immediate impact include goalkeeper Harper Gardner (Rio Americano HS), Jackson Harlan (Corona del Mar HS), Zac Miller (Westlake HS), Hayden O'Hare (Campolindo HS), and Santino Rossi (Newport Harbor HS).

A CHAMPIONSHIP PROGRAM
The UCLA Bruins captured their 13th NCAA Championship in men's water polo with an 11-8 win over USC on Dec. 8, 2024, at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center. The win also marked the fifth NCAA Championship for UCLA Head Coach Adam Wright while in charge of the Men's Water Polo team, with all five titles coming against USC. It is Wright's ninth NCAA title overall, as he also won two as a player at UCLA (1999 and 2000), one as the head coach of the women's program (2024), and one more as an assistant coach with the women's team in 2009. UCLA had a total of seven players score in the contest, paced by two goals each from freshman Ryder Dodd, redshirt junior Chase Dodd, and graduate students Nico Tierney and Jack Larsen. Graduate student Makoto Kenney added a game-high three assists. Redshirt freshman Nate Tauscher made just his third start of his young career, going the distance while recording 10 saves, three steals, and one assist while surrendering eight scores.

ALL THE WRIGHT STUFF
After guiding the Bruins to the NCAA Championship in 2024 and being named the MPSF Coach of the Year for the fourth time, Adam Wright returns for his 17th season as UCLA's head men's water polo coach in 2025 with an overall record of 392-68 (.852) and an MPSF mark of 77-25 (.755). 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 the men's 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 Wright would 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.

RECAPPING 2024
Overall Record: 26-2 | Final Ranking: 1st | NCAA Finish: 1st | MPSF Tournament Finish: 2nd

The UCLA Bruins made their 39^th appearance in the NCAA Championship in 2024, winning the program's 13th NCAA title with a nation's best 26-2 (.929) record. The Bruins also posted the best record in MPSF play with a 5-1 mark. The Bruins opened the NCAA Championship with a 22-6 win over No. 20 Salem in the First Round and then posted a 17-14 win at No. 4 Stanford in the NCAA Semifinals. Top-seeded UCLA then defeated No. 2 USC, 11-8, in the title match. UCLA placed an MPSF-high nine players on the All-MPSF teams in 2024, including Ryder Dodd becoming the first player in league history to be named the Player and Newcomer of the Year in the same season. Additionally, Adam Wright was named MPSF Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career (2011, 2017, 2023, 2024).

NOTES FROM THE DEEP END

UCLA served as Team USA at the 2025 FISU World University Games and captured a silver medal.
1. UCLA (minus Ryder Dodd, Chase Dodd, Ben Liechty, Harry Tucker, and Frederico Jucá Carsalade), earned the silver medal, which tied for the USA's highest finish since 1985.
Five Players in U20 World Championship
1. Ryder Dodd, Bode Brinkema, Ben Liechty, and Peter Castillo were on the U20 World Championship roster for Team USA that won a silver medal at the World Aquatics U20 World Championships, the highest finish ever for a USA Men's National Team in World Championship play at any age group.
2. Brinkema, Castillo, Liechty and Dodd combined for over 50% of Team USA's goals (53/104).
3. Ryder Dodd was named tournament MVP.
4. Harry Tucker finished fourth in scoring with 10 goals for Australia.
USAWP National League Champion
1. Undefeated 13-0 season against a dozen teams consisting of multiple Olympic-level athletes.
Pacific Cup Champion
1. Undefeated in three games with eight-goal average margin of victory.
World Aquatics Championship Roster
1. Three active Bruin players were on that roster, which included Ben Liechty, Chase Dodd and Ryder Dodd
2. That trio made up 20% of the Team USA roster that finished eighth.

POLLING THE BRUINS
UCLA slid to No. 2 in the CWPA National Men's Varsity Top 20 Poll (96 points), released on Nov. 26.

2025 Men's Varsity Top 20 (Week 13/November 26)
Rank	Team	Week 12 Poll	Points
1	USC	2	99
2	UCLA	1	96
3	Stanford	3	91
4	California	4	84
5	Fordham	5	81
6	San Jose State	9	74
7	UC Davis	8	71
8	Long Beach State	7	63
9	California Baptist University	15 (T)	58
10	Pepperdine	10	55
11	Pacific	6	51
12	Princeton	14	46
13	LMU	11	41
14	UC Santa Barbara	12	35
15	UC San Diego	13	32
16	UC Irvine	15 (T)	25
17	Santa Clara	17	22
18	Harvard	18	15
19	Brown	19	8
20	George Washington	RV	6
RV	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps	RV	1
RV	Navy	20	1

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Players Mentioned

Bode Brinkema

Gray Carson

Peter Castillo

Chase Dodd

Ryder Dodd

Trey Doten

Harper Gardner

Garret Griggs

Jackson Harlan

Alex Heenan

Frederico Jucá Carsalade

Makoto Kenney

Joey Kent

Ben Larsen

Jack Larsen

Ben Liechty

Ben Liechty

Eli Liechty

Max Matthews

Vinnie Merk

Zac Miller

Hayden O'Hare

Santino Rossi

Noah Rowe

Wade Sherlock

Andrew Spencer

Nate Tauscher

Nico Tierney

Nick Tovani

Harry Tucker

Aaron Voggenthaler

University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics

Bruins Headed Back to Bay Area to Defend NCAA Title

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Players Mentioned

Bode Brinkema

Gray Carson

Peter Castillo

Chase Dodd

Ryder Dodd

Trey Doten

Harper Gardner

Garret Griggs

Jackson Harlan

Alex Heenan

Frederico Jucá Carsalade

Makoto Kenney

Joey Kent

Ben Larsen

Jack Larsen

Ben Liechty

Ben Liechty

Eli Liechty

Max Matthews

Vinnie Merk

Zac Miller

Hayden O'Hare

Santino Rossi

Noah Rowe

Wade Sherlock

Andrew Spencer

Nate Tauscher

Nico Tierney

Nick Tovani

Harry Tucker

Aaron Voggenthaler

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