The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- November 9, 1998

National Collegiate Men's Water Polo

Field: The championship features a four-team, single-elimination format. One team each from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, Collegiate Water Polo Association and the Western Water Polo Association automatically qualify. The remaining team is selected at large without geographical restriction.

Dates and site: December 4 and 6 at Newport Beach, California; University of California, Irvine, host.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/563-1133 (pin code 1915); request numbers are 1698 for bracket/schedule, and 5332, 5333 and 5334 for championship semifinals, third-place-game and championship-game results, respectively. Championship results will appear in December 21 issue of The NCAA News.

Championship notes: The 1998 championship marks the 30th anniversary of the event, and the fourth year of the four-team format. Before 1995, the field comprised eight teams .... Only six teams have won the championship: California (11 titles), Stanford (8), UCLA (5), UC Irvine (3), UC Santa Barbara and Pepperdine, the defending champion .... Southern California, seeking its first title, has finished runner-up six times, including four of the last five years .... California and UCLA each have qualified for a record 22 championships, combining for 16 titles and 11 runner-up finishes .... California-based teams have placed first and second at all 29 championships. The highest finish by a non-California-based team was a third-place showing by Queens (New York) in 1997 .... Newport Beach, California, is hosting its first championship.