On the largest stage in the world, Aleksa Saponjic hears a lot of distractions. It’s Sunday, Aug. 12. Aleksa is a starting player for the Serbian national water polo squad, and his team is in the bronze-medal match against Montenegro in the 2012 London Olympics. The summer Games drew millions Read More…
If there were ever a time for a feel-good sports story, this would be it. After seeing five players removed from the team for code of conduct violations two weeks ago, the Cal men’s water polo team has suffered three consecutive losses and dropped from No. 3 to No. 4 Read More…
With three losses to the top three teams, Cal’s men’s water polo’s national title hopes might already be on the ropes. No. 4 Cal (7-3, 0-1) even began the season with concerns. The team lost some crucial seniors on offense, such as attackers Ivan Rackov and Luka Saponjic. Rackov was Read More…
Within the week, the Bears lost two matches and five players. But with a game against No. 1 USC coming up, Cal’s men’s water polo might be saving the worst for the weekend. The No. 4 Bears are traveling to USC’s McDonald’s Swim Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. to Read More…
Five players have been removed from the Cal men’s water polo team due to a violation of the team’s code of conduct, head coach Kirk Everist confirmed Sunday night. On Monday, Everist said the five players removed from the team are senior goalie and team captain Justin Parsons, sophomore attacker Read More…
Things were going as planned for the Cal men’s water polo team on Saturday. Then, the weekend took a turn for the worse on Sunday. The No. 3 Bears beat No. 16 Air Force Saturday morning at the Stanford-hosted NorCal Invitational and dropped No. 16 UC Irvine later that evening Read More…
For nearly a decade, a California triumvirate has dominated collegiate men’s water polo. USC, UCLA, and Cal have each claimed the last nine NCAA Championships and are perennially ranked No. 1, 2 and 3 in the nation. They’ve traded wins back and forth, often by the slightest of margins. And Read More…
The Cal men’s water polo team was without head coach Kirk Everist this weekend, but that did not slow the Bears in their East Coast domination at the Princeton Invitational in Princeton, N.J. Everist stayed home from the invite for personal reasons, so assistant coach Boyd Lachance led the Bears Read More…
The NCAA water polo system is biased against the MPSF. Home to the top nine teams in the nation, the MPSF has been the powerhouse of water polo, but year after year, MPSF teams suffered from the weight of its own strength in qualifying for the NCAA tournament. The Cal Read More…
The Cal men’s water polo team filled in the missing pieces splendidly, sweeping all three of its games at the Golden Bear Invitational against top-15 opponents. The No. 3 Bears, led by their young talent, beat No. 15 Santa Clara, No. 13 UC Davis and No. 7 Pacific in three Read More…
