When men’s water polo captain Collin Smith was just 13 years old, he had already figured out what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. And it wasn’t just water polo. In the winter of his eighth-grade year, Smith was selected to attend a holiday training camp Read More…
By the numbers, the Cal men’s water polo team performed as expected this weekend. At the SoCal Invitational held in Irvine, Calif., the Bears (11-4) stayed true to their national ranking as the No. 5 squad in the nation — topping all the teams with lower national rankings, but losing Read More…
One month into the season, the Cal men’s water polo team is still looking to secure a signature win. In the team’s most recent match against Pacific last weekend, breakdowns on defense and missed scoring opportunities in front of the goal were major factors in the Bears’ one-goal defeat. “We Read More…
This past weekend validated the Pacific men’s water polo team as a legitimate contender for the NCAA national championship. On Saturday, the No. 4 Cal men’s water polo team (8-3, 0-1 MPSF) went head to head against the No. 3 Tigers in a 10:30 a.m. tilt at Spieker Aquatic Complex. Read More…
Historically, collegiate water polo has been dominated by four teams. Cal, Stanford, UCLA and USC have captured all but five national championships. The last time one of the four did not win a national title was in 1997, when Pepperdine University defeated USC. This season, the University of the Pacific Read More…
After losing two close matches last Sunday in the final day of the NorCal Invitational, the Bears (8-2) outscored their nonconference opponents by a combined 22 goals in the wins. Senior Collin Smith led Cal with nine goals on the day. Read More…
If their performance at the Triton Invitational was any indication of how well they will execute this weekend, the Cal men’s water polo team should completely demolish its competition. At the Aggie Shootout on Saturday, the squad will take on both UC Davis and the University of Redlands for the Read More…
It was early 2009, and Cal men’s water polo coach Kirk Everist was just about to meet his newest group of recruits. One of the prospects on the trip was a tall skinny kid from La Jolla High School in San Diego. His name: Hunter Gettelfinger. Everist had yet to Read More…
The Cal men’s water polo team once again experienced a taste of deja vu at the NorCal Invitational this weekend. For the third year in a row, the UCLA Bruins thwarted the Cal squad from having a chance to play for the NorCal tournament title, defeating the Bears in a Read More…
In collegiate men’s water polo, it does not get much better than this. Sixteen of the nation’s top teams are converging on the UC Berkeley campus this weekend for the sport’s annual NorCal Invitational. And the No. 4 ranked Bears will see their toughest matches so far in the nascent Read More…