LA JOLLA, Calif. — It's tourney time as UC San Diego heads to Los Angeles for the WWPA Championships, hosted by LMU Nov. 18-20.
The Tritons are gunning for their 20th conference title, and first since 2018. They have won eight WWPA Championships since 2000.
UC San Diego goes in as the third seed and will play an opening round game against California Baptist, the sixth seed, on Friday at noon. Ensuing match-ups will depend on the outcomes of other games.
2022 WWPA Championship Seeds
1. UC Davis (reigning champion)
2. Loyola Marymount
3. UC San Diego
4. Santa Clara
5. Air Force
6. California Baptist
7. Concordia
8. Biola
The winner of the tournament earns an automatic berth in the upcoming NCAA National Collegiate Championships.
For the second-straight week, the Tritons moved up in the national poll, coming in at No. 11, their highest ranking of the season.
Thursday, four Tritons were honored by the WWPA.
Vedran Latkovic was selected to the All-WWPA First Team,
Rhys Bugelli was named to the second team,
Alexander Nemeth made honorable mention, and
Bennett Axline was tabbed the WWPAÂ Freshman of the Year and had a spot on the all-freshman team.
THIS WEEK'S ACTION
*** Game 25 - WWPA Championship First Round ***
• #11 UC San Diego (12-12, 6-2) vs. #17Â
California Baptist (22-12, 4-4)
• Friday, November 18 | 12 p.m.
•
Burns Aquatics Center | 1 LMU Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90045 (
map)
•Â
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Tickets
•Â
Twitter |
Instagram
• All-Time Series: UC San Diego leads 15-2
• Last Meeting:
10/6/22 at CBU (UC San Diego wins 13-11)
ABOUT THE UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS
Roster |Â
Schedule & Results |Â
Statistics
• Overall: 12-12
• WWPA: 6-2
• Home: 5-6
• Away: 3-4
• Neutral: 4-2
• Streak: W1
• vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams: 5-12
• CWPA National Ranking: 11th
• WWPA Preseason Poll: 2nd of 9
ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA BAPTIST LANCERS
Roster |Â
Schedule & Results |
Statistics
• Overall: 22-12
• WWPA: 4-4
• Home: 7-2
• Away: 4-4
• Neutral: 11-6
• Streak: W1
• vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams: 4-11
• CWPA National ranking: 17th
• WWPA Preseason Poll: 3rd of 9
FOUR TRITONS EARN ALL-WWPA ACCOLADES
On the eve of the conference tournament, four members of the 11th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team earned All-Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) recognition as the league announced its annual awards Thursday.Â
Vedran Latkovic was selected to the All-WWPA First Team,Â
Rhys Bugelli was named to the second team,Â
Alexander Nemeth picked up honorable mention accolades, andÂ
Bennett Axline was chosen as the WWPA Freshman of the Year and named to the WWPA All-Freshman Team.
#4Â Vedran Latkovic
Senior | Kotor, Montenegro | All-WWPA First Team
• Leads team in goals (70) and points (91)
• Ranks third in goals per game (2.9), fourth in points per game (3.8) and goals (70), and seventh in points (91) among all WWPA Players
• 18 multiple-goal games
• 14 games with at least three goals
• Currently riding a 17-game scoring streak
• Scored a career-high eight goals at home against UC Irvine on Nov. 10
• WWPA Player of the Week (Oct. 27)
• All-WWPA Second Team in 2021
• A psychology major out of Muir College
#15Â Rhys Bugelli
Sophomore | Santa Barbara, Calif. | All-WWPA Second Team
• First on the team in steals (24) and second in goals (49), points (63), and drawn ejections (24)
• Ranks sixth in goals per game (2.1) and 10th in goals (49) among all WWPA players
• Has scored in 23 of 24 games this season
• Multiple goals in 14 games
• Three or more goals in nine games
• Scored a career-high five goals at No. 1 Cal (9/10)
• Has won 15 of 16 sprints
• WWPA Player of the Week (9/28)
• An aerospace engineering major out of Warren College
#1Â Alexander Nemeth
Senior | Los Altos, Calif. | All-WWPA Honorable Mention
• Has played in 82% of the team's total minutes
• Has racked up a double-digit save total in eight games
• Ranks third in saves per game (9.1), sixth in saves (201) and goals against average (11.06), and seventh in save percentage (.463) among all WWPA players
• Made a career-high 19 saves against Loyola Marymount this season (9/21)
• Dished out a career-high four assists this season against UC Irvine (11/10)
• Has 13 steals on the season
• All-WWPA Second Team in 2021
• An international business major out of Muir College
#16Â Bennett Axline
Freshman | San Diego | WWPA Freshman of the Year/WWPA All-Freshman Team
• A true freshman
• First WWPA Freshman of the Year since 2017 (Connor Turnbow-Lindenstadt)
• Third on the team in goals (40)
• Led team in drawn ejections (45)
• Scored in 18 of 24 games
• Multiple goals in 12 games
• Netted a career-high four goals against Fresno Pacific (9/8) and No. 8 Santa Clara (9/25)
• A graduate of Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego
• An economics major out of Sixth College
AROUND THE BLOCK
Max Abravanel (13) is second,
Manuel Augusto (12) is fourth, and
Brendon Fezzey (9) is eighth in field blocks among all WWPA players.
HELP ME OUT, WILL YA
With 29Â assists apiece,
Manuel Augusto and
Kaden Likins are tied for the team lead in assists.
Max Abravanel is just two behind with 27 helpers.
VEDRAN LATKOVICÂ NETS WWPA PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
Vedran Latkovic was named the WWPA Player of the Week on Oct. 27. 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 had 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 sophomoreÂ
Rhys Bugelli earned the honor on Sept. 28.
BUGELLIÂ 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.
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.
MOMDZHYANÂ BACK ON THE DECK
Former UC San Diego men's water polo standoutÂ
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 13-8Â 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.
| FINAL 2022 WWPAÂ STANDINGS |
| Rank |
Team |
WWPA |
Overall |
| 1 |
UC Davis |
8-0 |
16-7 |
| 2 |
Loyola Marymount |
7-1 |
15-8 |
| 3 |
UC San Diego |
6-2 |
12-12 |
| 4 |
Santa Clara |
4-4 |
11-12 |
|
Air Force |
4-4 |
23-10 |
|
California Baptist |
4-4 |
22-12 |
| 7 |
Concordia |
2-6 |
5-21 |
| 8 |
Biola |
1-7 |
14-16 |
| 9 |
Fresno Pacific |
0-8 |
2-21 |
| 2022 WWPA PRESEASON COACHESÂ 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 (Nov. 16) |
| Rank |
Team |
Previous Poll |
| 1 |
Cal |
1 |
| 2Â |
UCLA |
2 |
| 3 |
USC |
3 |
| 4 |
Stanford |
4 |
| 5 |
UC Davis |
5 |
| 6 |
Long Beach State |
6 |
| 7 |
Pacific |
7 |
| 8 |
Princeton |
8 |
| 9 |
Pepperdine |
11 |
| 10 |
UC Santa Barbara |
8 (tie) |
| 11 |
UC San Diego |
12 |
| 12 |
Loyola Marymount |
13 |
| 13 |
UC Irvine |
10 |
| 14 |
San Jose State |
15 |
| 15 |
Harvard |
14 |
| 16 |
Santa Clara |
17 |
| 17 |
California Baptist |
16 |
| 18 |
St. Francis College Brooklyn |
20 |
| 19 (tie) |
Fordham |
18 |
| 19 (tie) |
George Washington |
19 |
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,Â
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 TwitterÂ
@Tritoncast.Â
YOU CAN CATCH MANUEL AUGUSTOÂ ONÂ TRITONCAST HERE!
YOU CAN CATCH HEAD COACH MATT USTASZEWSKIÂ ONÂ TRITONCAST HERE!
GET SOCIAL WITH MEN'S WATER POLO
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media throughÂ
Twitter andÂ
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 theÂ
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,Â
click here.
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.
