LA JOLLA, Calif. — It's a big, two-match week for the No. 13 UC San Diego men's water polo team. One serves as the Tritons' Western Water Polo Association (WWPA), the other is against the top-ranked squad in the country.

On Thursday, Sept. 8, UC San Diego travels to Fresno Pacific for its first of eight conference contests. On Saturday, Sept. 10, the team stays on the road to play at No. 1 Cal.

UC San Diego heads out with a 1-3 record following last weekend's Triton Invitational at Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla. The Tritons opened with a commanding 22-8 victory over La Verne. They then fell to No. 10 Pepperdine (15-16 in overtime), No. 12 UC Irvine (5-10), and No. 8 UC Santa Barbara (17-20 in overtime).

The Thursday evening game in Fresno is the season opener for FPU.

California comes into the week undefeated at 4-0. Over the weekend, the Bears played in the Navy Open at Navy in Annapolis, Md. Across four games, they scored 102 goals while giving up just 26, collecting wins against Johns Hopkins (33-4), Iona (23-7), Princeton (22-7), and host Navy (24-8). Cal hosts No. 5 Pacific Friday.

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THIS WEEK'S ACTION
Game 5 - WWPA Match
No. 13 UC San Diego (1-3, 0-0) at Fresno Pacific (0-0, 0-0)
Thursday, Sept. 8 | 6:30 p.m.
Sunnyside Aquatics Center | Fresno, Calif.
Live Stats | No Live Video | Tickets
Twitter | Instagram
All-Time Series: UC San Diego leads 9-0

Game 6 - Non-Conference Match
No. 13 UC San Diego (1-3) at No. 1 Cal (4-0)
Saturday, Sept. 10 | 10:00 a.m.
Spieker Aquatics Complex | Berkeley, Calif. | Map
Live Stats | Live Video
Twitter | Instagram

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ABOUT THE UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics
• Overall: 1-3
• WWPA: 0-0
• Home: 1-3
• Away: 0-0
• Neutral: 0-0
• Streak: L3
• vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams: 0-3
• CWPA national ranking: No. 13
• WWPA Preseason Poll: 2nd of 9

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ABOUT THE FRESNO PACIFIC SUNBIRDS
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics
• Overall: 0-0
• WWPA: 0-0
• Home: 0-0
• Away: 0-0
• Neutral: 0-0
• Streak: N/A
• vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams: 0-0
• CWPA national ranking: Not ranked
• WWPA Preseason Poll: 8th of 9

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ABOUT THE CAL BEARS
Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics
• Overall: 4-0
• MPSF: 0-0
• Home: 0-0
• Away: 1-0
• Neutral: 3-0
• Streak: W4
• vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams: 2-0
• CWPA national ranking: No. 1
• MPSF Preseason Poll: 1st of 4

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A QUICK GLANCE AT THE 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.

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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.

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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.

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BUGELLI IS THE UNIVERSITY CREDIT UNION PLAYER OF THE WEEK
On Monday, sophomore Rhys Bugelli was named the University Credit Union Player of the Week for his performance during the Triton Invitational in La Jolla. Over four games, Bugelli accumulated 14 points on 10 goals and 4 assists. He netted at least one goal in every game and scored multiple goals in three of four. Against 10^th-ranked Pepperdine, Bugelli totaled six points on four goals and a pair of assists. Those point and goal totals were both career-bests. In action against No. 8 UC Santa Barbara, he scored another hat trick to go along with an assist.

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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.

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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

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CWPA NATIONAL POLL (Sept. 7)
Rank	Team	Previous Poll
1	California	1
2	UCLA	3
3	USC	2
4	Stanford	4
5	University of the Pacific	T5
6	UC Davis	7
7	Long Beach State	T5
8	UC Santa Barbara	8
9	Pepperdine	10
T10	San Jose State	9
T10	Princeton	11
12	UC Irvine	12
13	UC San Diego	T13
14	Harvard	16
15	Loyola Marymount	15
16	California Baptist	T13
17	Fordham	17
T18	Brown	19
T18	St. Francis College Brooklyn	20
20	Navy	RV

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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!

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GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, click here.
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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.