Dates and site: Loyola Marymount will host the championship December 7-8 at the Burns Recreation Center.

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

Selection date: December 1.

2001 champion: Stanford.

Top team contenders: Stanford, UCLA, Southern California, Navy; UC Irvine.

Players to watch: Tony Azevedo (Stanford); Jaraj Zatovic (Southern California); Brandon Brooks (UCLA); Jeff Powers (UC Irvine); Joe Donahue (Navy).