1969 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship

The 1969 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the first annual NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship to determine the national championship of NCAA men's college water polo. Tournament matches were played at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach, California during December 1969.[1]

1969 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
Tournament details
DatesDecember 1969
Teams8
Final positions
ChampionsUCLA (1st title)
Runner-upCalifornia (1st title game)
Third placeUC Santa Barbara
Fourth placeLong Beach State
Tournament statistics
Matches played12
Goals scored145 (12.08 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)Ben Gage, UCSB (14)
1970 →

UCLA defeated California in the final, 5–2, to win their first championship.

The leading scorer for the tournament was Ben Gage, from UC Santa Barbara, with 14 goals. The awards for All-Tournament Team and Most Outstanding Player were not given out until 1972.

Qualification

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Since there has only been one single national championship for water polo, all NCAA men's water polo programs (whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III) were eligible. A total of 8 teams were invited to contest this championship.

Team Appearance Previous
California 1st Never
Colorado State 1st Never
Long Beach State 1st Never
UC Irvine 1st Never
UCLA 1st Never
UC Santa Barbara 1st Never
USC 1st Never
Yale 1st Never

Bracket

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Fifth placeConsolation semifinalsFirst roundChampionship semifinalsChampionship
UCLA4
USC3
USC13UCLA9
Yale3Long Beach State6
Long Beach State17
Yale1
USC2UCLA5
UC Irvine3California2
UC Santa Barbara7
Colorado State3
Seventh placeColorado State4UC Santa Barbara4Third place
UC Irvine10California6
Yale5California (OT)5Long Beach State8
Colorado State9UC Irvine4UC Santa Barbara12

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Men's Water Polo Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved March 11, 2015.