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…
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 didn’t know that its last practice would actually be its last practice. One week ago, the team took to the Spieker Aquatics pool for final drills before flying to Los Angeles for the MPSF tournament. The players knew that they’d be back to train Read More…
Luka Saponjic could have saved the game. With 27 seconds left in the final overtime period of Saturday’s 7-6 loss, the senior attacker posted up close to the goal with the ball in his left hand. From his position Saponjic had a chance to score. It was the MPSF semifinal Read More…
Quick Overview: The No. 3 Cal men’s water polo team completely annihilated a lagging No. 4 Stanford, 11-4, at the Avery Aquatics Center in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday. A product of a lethal defense and seamless transitions, the Bears launched a seven-goal attack in the first half that left the Read More…
Ivan Rackov is the best player on Cal’s roster and has the title to prove he’s the best player in the country. However, he is also a source of frank insight.
It all came down to a rule. In 2005, when Ivan Rackov was 16, the Water Polo Association of Serbia reconfigured its age groups for tournament eligibility, and by technical error Rackov’s generation didn’t fit with any eligible group. For the next year, Rackov’s club team didn’t compete. Since his Read More…
Water polo players tread water; it’s an accepted fact of the game. Touching bottom is a foreign and overall unwelcome experience. Yet in the second and fourth quarters of Saturday’s game against No. 5 UCSB, whenever a No. 3 Cal men’s water polo team member took a shot, his feet Read More…
In the world of collegiate men’s water polo, there is a wide chasm that splits the MPSF. The mere spectator, overly reliant on stats and rankings, wouldn’t even know it existed. After all, the MPSF is the nation’s most cutthroat conference, and all nine teams have held a top-10 slot Read More…
For the No. 4 Cal men’s water polo team, this Friday’s 6 p.m. match will be played amidst the shadows from the buildings that surround the Spieker Aquatics pool as the sun sets across the Bay. But the bigger shadow the Bears (14-3, 2-1 MPSF) will have to contend with Read More…