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LOS ANGELES – No. 1 UCLA (5-0) is at its third-consecutive invitational to open the 2016 season as it heads to Princeton, N.J., for the Princeton Invitational. After exhibition games against California (Sept. 9) and Brown (Sept. 10), the Bruins will face Johns Hopkins (RV) at 3:00 p.m. PT on Sept. 10 at Denunzio Pool. The Bruins will square off at No. 11 Princeton on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 9:00 a.m. on ESPNU. Tony Luftman (play-by-play) and Greg Mescall (analyst) will call all of the exciting action. UCLA will conclude the trip with an 11:45 a.m. PT bout with St. Francis Brooklyn (RV) on Sunday as well.
Series Records
The Bruins are 16-0 all-time against the three opponents they will face on record at the Princeton Invitational. That record includes an 11-0 slate against Princeton, 3-0 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn and 2-0 vs. Johns Hopkins. UCLA last faced Princeton and St. Francis Brooklyn in back-to-back wins in 2014, defeating the Tigers, 16-3 (Oct. 9) and the Terriers, 15-7 (Oct. 11) in Los Angeles. UCLA won the last meeting with Johns Hopkins at the 2012 Princeton Invitational, 21-4.
Who's Back?
UCLA, back-to-back NCAA Champions, returns five All-MPSF and seven All-Americans for the 2016 season. Headlining that group is first team All-American, National Player of the Year, MPSF Player of the Year and 2016 Cutino Award winner, senior goalkeeper Garrett Danner. Danner led the MPSF in goals against average (6.05) in 2015 and also in 2014. The Bruins also return a pair of first team All-Americans in senior center Gordon Marshall and senior attacker Ryder Roberts. Both players were also named First Team All-MPSF with Marshall scoring 23 goals (eighth on the team) and Roberts leading the Bruins with 57 goals (5th in the MPSF).
The Bruins also return the services of a pair of third team All-Americans in senior attacker Max Irving and junior attacker Patrick Fellner. Irving was second on the team in scoring with 47 goals while Fellner was third with 40 goals.
UCLA also returns a pair of honorable mention All-Americans in senior defender Chancellor Ramirez and junior utility Alex Roelse. Ramirez scored 17 goals while current Olympian Roelse added 25 goals.
Who's Gone?
The Bruins lost a pair of second team All-Americans in Daniel McClintick and Anthony Daboub. Daboub was fourth on the team in scoring (32 goals) while McClintick was sixth (26 goals). The Bruins' fifth-leading scorer, sophomore attacker Spencer Farrar (30 goals) has transferred.
Freshmen Making Immediate Impact
Two UCLA true freshmen have earned caps and are making immediate impacts with the Bruins in 2016. Jake Simpson is currently second on the team in scoring after five games with seven goals. He already has three multiple-goal games and has scored in four of his first five collegiate outings. James Vlachonassios has scored five goals (tied for sixth on the squad) in his first five games, including a hat trick in the win over Redlands (Sept. 4).
Picking Up Where He Left Off
Senior Ryder Roberts is currently leading the Bruins in scoring with eight goals and he has only played in three of five games. UCLA sat out most of its starters in wins over Redlands and Chapman (Sept. 4). He also leads UCLA with seven steals and is tied for third in assists with five. Roberts led UCLA in scoring a year ago with 57 goals.
Bruins Solid in the Cage
In the early going of 2016, the Bruins have used three different goalkeepers, including Cutino Award winner and last year's league (MPSF) and National Player of the Year, Garrett Danner. So far with just 7.44 quarters (1.86 games) played, he is averaging 9.7 saves per game while a 4.30 goals against average. Junior Aleksandar Ruzic has spent the most time in the cage, playing 10.56 quarters (2.64 games) while averaging 7.6 saves per game to go with a 4.92 goals against average. Redshirt freshman Jonathan Van De Velde played the second half of the Bruins' win over Chapman and has a saves average of 10.0 per game to go with his team-best 2.00 goals against average.
UCLA Off to Hot Start
UCLA is 5-0 in 2016, running its winning streak to 38 games, the second-longest in school history. The school record for consecutive wins is 50 (from 1964-68).
Setting the Tone
UCLA has only allowed two goals in the first period over the first five games, outscoring its opposition 17-2 in that span.
Hat Tricks Galore
UCLA has only allowed two goals in the first period over the first five games, outscoring its opposition 17-2 in that span.
Wright on Deck
UCLA Head Coach Adam Wright, the 2014 and 2015 ACWPC Coach of the Year, is in his eighth season in 2016 at the helm of the Bruins' program, sporting an overall record of 186-30 (.861), including a 48-9 (.842) mark in MPSF action. He was won two NCAA titles as a coach (2014 and 2015) and two as a player (1999 & 2000).
Recapping 2015
The Bruins ended the year with a 30-0 record and went a perfect 9-0 in the MPSF for its second-consecutive undefeated league season. UCLA went 4-0 on the year against USC, including a 10-7 victory in the NCAA Championship game to win its second straight NCAA title, the program's 10th overall and the school's 113th. The undefeated season was the first for UCLA since the 1969 team went 19-0, marking the fourth undefeated season all-time in NCAA men's water polo history. The Bruins enter 2016 with a 33-game winning streak (second-longest in school history) and a 24-game winning streak in the MPSF, a school record. The school record for consecutive overall wins is 50 (1964-68).
Picked to Win MPSF
For the second-straight year, UCLA has finished on top of the MPSF Men's Water Polo Preseason Coaches' poll, collecting the maximum possible 16 points and four first-place votes. Taking second in this year's poll is USC with 13 points and one first-place vote. National runners-up the last two years, the Trojans have reached the NCAA Championship game the last 11 seasons, winning seven titles in that span. They return their top seven scorers from last year, including All-Americans Blake Edwards (68 goals; No. 3 MPSF), Grant Stein, Lachlan Edwards, and Matteo Morelli. Olympians Thomas Dunstan (newcomer) and goalkeeper McQuin Baron are also on the roster. Finishing in the middle of the poll was California with 10 points, coming off a third-place finish at the NCAA Championship in 2015. U.S. Olympian Luca Cupido returns for the Bears, named first-team All-American and NCAA All-Tournament last year. Also back is the reigning MPSF Newcomer of the Year Johnny Hooper (74 goals; No. 2 MPSF), as well as all-conference performers Odysseas Masmanidis (66 goals) and goalkeeper Lazar Andric. Stanford placed fourth in the poll with seven points. Back is All-American Goalkeeper Drew Holland. He enters 2016 with 742 career saves, two away from the school record and 12 away from breaking into the MPSF's all-time top-10. While three of its top-four scorers have graduated (including MPSF all-time leading scorer Bret Bonanni), the Cardinal welcome back Reid Chase (38 goals), Cody Smith, and Connor Stapleton, along with U.S. Olympian Ben Hallock as part of a six-member incoming class. Rounding out the poll of the five-team conference is first-year member Penn State Behrend. The Lions will solely compete in the MPSF Championship Tournament, not in the MPSF's regular season conference schedule. They return All-American Grant Garcia along with Troy Valkusky, and bring in top newcomers Andre Sardaryzadeh, Isaak Hatopp, and Greg Levet. Located in Erie, Pa., NCAA Division III Penn State Behrend comes to the MPSF from the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA).
UCLA Hosting 2016 MPSF Championship
UCLA is this year's site of the 2016 MPSF Championship Tournament, November 18-20, where all five teams will compete for entry to the NCAA Tournament. California will host NCAA's December 3-4. Since its inaugural season of 1992, the MPSF has captured all 24 NCAA titles in men's water polo.
Polling UCLA
The UCLA Bruins, which have been ranked at No. 1 for 19 consecutive weeks, dating back to week 12 of the 2014 poll (Nov. 26, 2014), were tabbed as the top-ranked team entering the 2016 season in the Collegiate Water Polo Association's (CWPA) Preseason Poll. The Bruins retained top billing this week (Sept. 7) and have owned that spot in 26 of the last 32 weekly polls.
2016 Men's Varsity Top 20 (Week 1/Sept. 7) |
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| Rank | Team | 2015 Final Poll | Points |
| 1 | UCLA | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | USC | 2 | 94 |
| 3 | California | 3 | 89 |
| 4 | Pacific | 4 | 87 |
| 5 | Stanford | 5 | 81 |
| 6 | UC Santa Barbara | 7 | 75 |
| 7 | Long Beach State | 7 | 69 |
| 8 | UC Irvine | 8 | 60 |
| 9 | Pepperdine | 11 (T) | 55 |
| 10 | UC San Diego | 9 | 53 |
| 11 | Princeton | 11 (T) | 51 |
| 12 | Harvard | 14 | 49 |
| 13 | UC Davis | 10 | 43 |
| 14 | Brown | 13 | 39 |
| 15 | Air Force | 15 | 25 |
| 16 | Bucknell | 18 | 24 |
| 17 | Cal Baptist | 17 | 20 |
| 18 | San Jose State | RV | 10 |
| 19 | Loyola Marymount | RV | 7 |
| 20 | Santa Clara | 19 | 6 |
| RV | Loyola Marymount | RV | 9 |
| RV | St. Francis Brooklyn | 20 | 5 |
| RV | Navy | RV | 4 |
| RV | George Washington | RV | 4 |
| RV | Johns Hopkins | 16 | 4 |
| RV | Whittier | NR | 2 |