LA JOLLA, Calif. — One team is coming out of the weekend no longer undefeated in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA).
No. 13 UC San Diego (11-10 overall, 6-0 WWPA) travels to Los Angeles for a Saturday afternoon (3 p.m.) battle with Loyola Marymount (14-5 overall, 6-0 WWPA).
This will be the third meeting of the season between the conference foes, but the first (and only) that will count in the league standings. To make the match-up even better, the Tritons and Lions are 1-1 against each other in 2022.
On Sept. 21, LMU took a 10-9 win in sudden victory overtime in La Jolla. UC San Diego earned redemption just three days later, earning a convincing 14-8 win at the MPSF Invitational at Stanford.
UC Davis is also undefeated in the WWPA at 6-0.
There are just two conference games left in the season for UC San Diego - LMU this week and UC Davis at Canyonview Aquatic Center on Nov. 5.
Same for the other two unbeatens - UC Davis plays at LMU on Nov. 3 before coming to La Jolla.
All three squads are fighting for the top seed in the upcoming WWPA Tournament, which is slated for Nov. 18-20 at LMU. The winner gains an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship.
THIS WEEK'S ACTION
*** Game 22 - WWPA ***
#13 UC San Diego (11-10, 6-0) at. #12
Loyola Marymount (14-5, 6-0)
Saturday, October 29 | 3:00 p.m.
Burns Aquatics Center | Los Angeles (
map)
Live Stats |
Live Video
Twitter |
Instagram
All-Time Series: UC San Diego leads 56-27
Last Meeting: 9/24/22 at Stanford (UC San Diego wins 14-8)
ABOUT THE UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS
Roster |
Schedule & Results |
Statistics
• Overall: 11-10
• WWPA: 6-0
• Home: 4-5
• Away: 3-3
• Neutral: 4-2
• Streak: W2
• vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams: 4-10
• CWPA National Ranking: #13
• WWPA Preseason Poll: 2nd of 9
ABOUT THE LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS
Roster |
Schedule & Results
• Overall: 14-5
• WWPA: 6-0
• Home: 3-2
• Away: 8-2
• Neutral: 3-1
• Streak: W1
• vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams: 4-5
• CWPA National ranking: #12
• WWPA Preseason Poll: 4th of 9
PLEASE WELCOME THE REIGNING WWPA PLAYER OF THE WEEK, VEDRAN LATKOVIC
Vedran Latkovic was named the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Player of the Week Thursday. In last week's lone game for UC San Diego, Latkovic netted three goals to lead the team to a 12-7 WWPA victory over Air Force at home. The win kept the Tritons undefeated in conference action as they moved to 6-0. It was the 16
th time this season that Latkovic has tallied multiple goals with at least a hat trick in 11 of those games. It is the second league player of the week accolade of his career as he also garnered the title on Sept. 29, 2021, en route to being selected to the All-WWPA Second Team. Latkovic is the second Triton to be tabbed the WWPA Player of the Week in 2022 as sophomore
Rhys Bugelli earned the honor on Sept. 28.
LATKOVIC THE LEADER
Senior
Vedran Latkovic currently leads the Tritons in points with 76 and goals with 58. The Montenegrin has scored in 19 of 21 games. He is currently riding a 14-game scoring streak with multiple goals in 11 of those. Latkovic ranks fourth in goals, third in goals per game, fourth in points per game, and seventh in points among all WWPA players. His six goals against UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 4 equaled his single-game career-high (also done 9/26/21 at San Jose State).
BUGELLI ROLL
Sophomore
Rhys Bugelli has been on quite the roll. He is the lone Triton to have scored a goal in all 21 of the team's games this season. Bugelli has netted multiple goals 13 times. His 46 goals rank 10th in the WWPA.
NUGENT NUGGET
Brendan Nugent turned in an impressive performance in a win against Santa Clara at home on Oct. 14. He finished with four points, scoring three goals while adding an assist. His goal and point totals equaled his single-game career-highs. He launched four shots on the night, which also equaled his career-high.
AROUND THE BLOCK
Max Abravanel and
Manuel Augusto are tied for second in the WWPA in field blocks with 11 apiece. In addition,
Brendon Fezzey is tied for eighth with eight.
ON THE NET
Triton goalkeeper
Alexander Nemeth has been in net for the majority of this season's minutes. He has totaled nine victories and 169 saves. That save total is the fourth-most by any WWPA player. He has been called upon to make 10 or more saves seven times, most recently turning aside 13 shots by Santa Clara.
BUGELLI NAMED THE WWPA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore
Rhys Bugelli was named the WWPA Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Sept. 28. He totaled 11 points with nine goals and a pair of assists over four matches at the MPSF Invitational, helping the Tritons go 2-2 against a stacked field at Stanford. Bugelli had multiple goals in three of four matches, including three vs. No. 9 San Jose State and three against No. 11 Pepperdine. He also scored twice vs. No. 10 Loyola Marymount and had a single goal against No. 4 Pacific. In addition, he collected five drawn exclusions during the tournament. Earlier in the week in a home contest against Loyola Marymount, Bugelli registered four drawn exclusions and netted a goal.
HELP ME OUT, WILL YA
With 25 assists,
Max Abravanel and
Kaden Likins are tied for the team lead in helpers. On Sept. 21 against Loyola Marymount, Likins dished out four assists to establish a new single-game career-high. With four assists vs. Air Force on Oct. 21, Abravanel equaled his career-high, which he has now done three times.
Manuel Augusto is just behind the pair with 23 assists this season.
THEY CALL HIM USHA
UC San Diego is led by first-year head coach Matt "Usha" Ustaszewski, who took over for Denny Harper as he announced his retirement in July after 42 years at the helm. Ustaszewski earned his first victory as UC San Diego's head coach on Sept. 3, 2022, as the Tritons defeated La Verne, 22-8, in the team's season opener during the Triton Invitational. In 2021, Ustaszewski completed his ninth season as associate head coach and 12th season overall on the UC San Diego men's water polo staff. Usha is no stranger to the La Jolla campus. He was a co-captain of the fifth-ranked Triton water polo team as a senior in 2003 for under the tutelage of Harper. He graduated in 2004, completing his bachelor's degree in history (Europe emphasis) with a 3.5 grade-point average. He also has extensive experience with Team USA. As an assistant coach in the summer of 2022, he helped the Men's National Team finish sixth at the FINA World Championships in Hungary. Team USA went 2-2 overall, which included a 16-15 penalty shootout victory against Hungary.Also during the summer of 2022, Ustaszewski was with Team USA when it won a silver medal at the FINA World League Super Final in France. Ustaszewski served as the video coach for Team USA at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
For Usha's complete bio,
click here.
MOMDZHYAN BACK ON THE DECK
Former UC San Diego men's water polo standout
Arman Momdzhyan has returned to the program this season as an assistant coach. Momdzhyan played for UC San Diego for two seasons after transferring from Los Angeles Valley College. He was named the Association of Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) NCAA Division II Player of the Year in both 2016 and 2017. Momdzhyan also earned ACWPC All-America Division II First Team as well as All-Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) First Team accolades in each of his seasons with the Tritons. Over 43 career games, he scored 98 goals and added 16 assists for 114 points. His 44 goals in 2016 led the team and his 54 goals in 2017 were second on the Triton roster. Momdzhyan led UC San Diego to back-to-back WWPA titles and a No. 9 national ranking. The Glendale, Calif., native graduated from UC San Diego in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in human developmental sciences. He earned a master's in Kinesiology from Fresno Pacific.
For Momdzyhan's complete bio,
click here.
A QUICK GLANCE AT THE 2021 TRITONS
In 2021, UC San Diego posted a 14-10 overall record and went 6-2 in WWPA play. Ranked as high as No. 8 in the nation, the Tritons earned seven victories over other ranked teams including No. 5 Pepperdine, No. 9 UC Davis, No. 13 UC Irvine, No. 17 Loyola Marymount (twice), No. 18 California Baptist, and No. 20 Santa Clara. The team won its first match at the WWPA Championships, defeating Concordia 21-7, before falling to California Baptist and Loyola Marymount to end its season.
The Tritons return several key players in 2022 including senior
Vedran Latkovic, who led the team in point production with 69 on 53 goals and 16 assists. He netted at least one goal in 21 of 24 games played with one of his biggest coming with 12 seconds left on the clock to lift the Tritons to a 14-13 win against Loyola Marymount at home. Also back in the pool will be junior
Kaden Likins, who tied for second on the team with his 59 points. Likins scored 33 goals while dishing out 26 assists, which tied for the most helpers on the team. Senior
Manuel Augusto (31 goals, 55 points) and sophomore
Miles Wilson (29 goals, 55 points) return, as does junior goalkeeper
Alexander Nemeth, who posted a 13-8 record and led UC San Diego defensively with 22 steals.
Latkovic and Nemeth were selected to the All-WWPA Second Team while Likins was an All-WWPA Honorable Mention. Wilson was named to the WWPA All-Freshman Team.
FINAL HURRAH IN THE WWPA
This will be UC San Diego's final season as a member of the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). The Tritons will join The Big West when the conference begins sponsoring the sport in 2023. The team has enjoyed great success in the WWPA, winning 19 conference titles. Expected to join the Tritons next season in The Big West are Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara. In addition, Cal State Fullerton announced that it will be adding men's and women's water polo in 2023. The Titans will give the league six teams, the minimum required to create a conference that can qualify for an automatic berth into the NCAA Championship. The addition of men's water polo will give UC San Diego 17 teams competing in The Big West - baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and men's and women's volleyball, and men's and women's water polo. The UC San Diego women's water polo team has been in The Big West since 2020.
| 2022 WWPA PRESEASON COACHES POLL |
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
1st-Place Votes |
2021 Records |
| 1 |
UC Davis |
64 |
8 |
19-9/7-1 |
| 2 |
UC San Diego |
53 |
1 |
14-10/6-2 |
| 3 |
California Baptist |
49 |
- |
20-14/6-2 |
| 4 |
Loyola Marymount |
48 |
- |
12-14/6-2 |
| 5 |
Santa Clara |
33 |
- |
13-16/2-6 |
| 6 |
Air Force |
32 |
- |
17-9/5-3 |
| 7 |
Concordia |
21 |
- |
9-17/2-6 |
| 8 |
Fresno Pacific |
14 |
- |
7-22/2-6 |
| 9 |
Biola |
10 |
- |
3-22/0-8 |
| CWPA NATIONAL POLL (Oct. 26) |
| Rank |
Team |
Previous Poll |
| 1 |
UCLA |
1 |
| 2 |
Cal |
2 |
| 3 (tie) |
Pacific |
4 |
| 3 (tie) |
USC |
5 |
| 5 |
Stanford |
3 |
| 6 |
Long Beach State |
6 |
| 7 |
UC Davis |
7 |
| 8 |
Princeton |
9 (tie) |
| 9 |
Pepperdine |
9 (tie) |
| 10 |
UC Santa Barbara |
11 |
| 11 |
UC Irvine |
8 |
| 12 |
Loyola Marymount |
12 |
| 13 |
UC San Diego |
13 |
| 14 |
San Jose State |
15 |
| 15 |
California Baptist |
16 |
| 16 |
Harvard |
14 |
| 17 |
Santa Clara |
17 (tie) |
| 18 |
Fordham |
17 (tie) |
| 19 |
George Washington |
19 |
| 20 |
St. Francis College Brooklyn |
20 |
GAME DAY GOES WITH YOU
Triton fans now have a whole new way to access game day information, as game programs have gone digital! Fans can visit
Game Day from their smart phone or scan the QR code at the entrance to Canyonview Aquatic Center for everything they need to know about each home game, including updated rosters, schedules, and stats for each team, as well as links to watch games live.
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS LAUNCHES WEEKLY PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast,
Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department during its transition to NCAA Division I. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on Twitter
@Tritoncast.
YOU CAN CATCH MANUEL AUGUSTO ON THE LATEST EDITION OF TRITONCAST HERE!
GET SOCIAL WITH MEN'S WATER POLO
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through
Twitter and
Instagram. The team's handle is @ucsdmwp.
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the
Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!
GEAR HERE
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories,
click here.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego hosts WWPA rival UC Davis on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 5 p.m. That will be the final regular season conference game for the Tritons.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
