BRIDGEPORT, Penn. ? The UC San Diego men's water polo team will begin the 2008 year ranked at No. 14, according to the Men's Varsity Preseason Poll. California, which downed the University of Southern California 8-6 in the NCAA Championship Game to capture the 2007 National Championship, will look to defend its title as the Bears enter the new season as the #1 team in the nation according to the pollsters. The Tritons return 11 letterwinners in addition to senior redshirt ACWP All-Americans Adnan Jerkovic and A.J. Kotanjian for the upcoming year. UCSD opens the 2008 year hosting the Triton Invitational on September 6-7 at Canyonview Pool.
Cal, which garnered 98 points to edge out second-ranked the University of Southern California, will seek to finish the season at #1 for the third straight year as the Bears captured the 2006 National Title as well after ranking #1 in the preseason.
Stanford University, which finished the 2007 ranked fourth, moves up one place to third entering the 2008 campaign, while the University of California-Los Angeles and the University of California-Irvine round out the Top Five in fourth and fifth, respectively.
The University of California-Santa Barbara, Pepperdine University, Loyola Marymount University and Long Beach State University complete a West Coast domination of the Top Nine places in the poll by ranking sixth through ninth.
Defending CWPA champion The United States Naval Academy, is the only non-West Coast team in the Top 10 as the Midshipmen, who finished third at the NCAA Championship and placed seventh in the final 2007 poll, placed 10th in the preseason balloting.
The University of California-Davis, Saint Francis College (N.Y.) and University of the Pacific retained their positions at #11-13 from the final 2007 poll, while the University of California-San Diego and Santa Clara University moved up to #14-15.
The United States Air Force Academy, California Baptist University, George Washington University, Brown University and Princeton University round out the Top 20.
