🛒 Shop the best Water Polo Gear now! →
🤑 10% off on selected briefs & merch 🤑
Support the Total Waterpolo mission!
TW-Brandmark-Whitex2
  • News
  • SINGAPORE 2025
    • Men’s tournament
    • Women’s tournament
  • Results

    National

    • Montenegro
      • Montenegrin League 2024/25
      • Montenegrin Cup 24/25
      • Montenegrin League 23/24
    • Nordic League
      • Nordic League Men 24/25
      • Nordic Trophy Men 2024/25
      • Nordic League Women 2024/25
      • Nordic League 23/24
      • Qualifications
    • Slovenia
      • Slovenian League 24/25
      • Slovenian League 23/24
    • Hong Kong
      • Hong Kong 24/25 – Women
      • Hong Kong 24/25 – Men
    • Austria
      • Austrian League 2025 – Men
      • Austrian League 23/24 – Women
      • Austrian League 23/24 – Men
    • Lithuania
      • Lithuanian League ’24
    • Latvia
      • Latvian Championship 2024
    • France
      • French League 23/24 – Men
    • Spain
      • Spanish League 23/24 – Men
    • Hungary
      • Hungarian League 23/24 – Men
    • Italy
      • Italian League 23/24 – Men

    International

    • SINGAPORE 2025
      • Women
      • Men
    • LEN Champions League
      • Men 24/25
      • Men 23/24
    • World Cup 2025
      • Men
    • AWL
      • Alpe Waterpolo League 2024/25
      • Alpe Waterpolo League 2023/24
      • Alpe Waterpolo League 2022/23
    • Nordic League
      • Nordic League Men 2024/25
      • Nordic Trophy Men 2024/25
      • Nordic League Women 2024/25
      • Nordic League 2023/24
      • Nordic Trophy 2023/24
    • NCAA
      • Men’s Finals 2024
      • Men’s Finals 2023
    • Oympic Games
      • Tokyo 2020
        • Women
        • Men
      • Paris 2024
        • Olympic Tournament – Men
        • Olympic Tournament – Women
    • World Championships
      • Doha 2024
        • Women
        • Men
      • Fukuoka 2023
        • Women
        • Men
      • Budapest 2022
        • Women
        • Men
    • European Championships
      • Eindhoven 2024 – Women
      • Zagreb / Dubrovnik 2024 – Men
      • Split 2022
        • Women
        • Men
      • Budapest 2020

    Amateur & Junior Divisions

    • VAL League 2024/25
    • Nordic League U16 2024/25
    • HaBaWaBa Spain 2025 – U10
    • HaBaWaBa Spain 2025 – U12
    • Masters Cup 2025

    Total Waterpolo Arena livescoring app: Stay in the game with real-time updates and stats for your next tournament.

    Contact Us
    • Champions League
      • Season 24/25
      • Season 23/24
      • Season 22/23
    • International
      • World Cup 2025 Men
      • European Championships
        • Eindhoven 2024 – Women
        • Croatia 2024 – Men
        • Split 2022
          • Women
          • Men
        • Budapest 2020
        • Barcelona 2018
      • World Championships
        • Doha 2024
          • Women
          • Men
        • Fukuoka 2023
          • Women
          • Men
        • Budapest 2022
          • Women
          • Men
      • Olympics
        • Tokyo 2020
          • Women
          • Men
        • Paris 2024
          • Women
          • Men
      • NCAA
        • NCAA Men’s Finals 2024
        • NCAA Men’s Finals 2023
      • Pacific Cup 2024
    • National
      • Montenegro
        • Montenegrin League 2024/25
        • Montenegrin Cup 2024/25
      • Austria
        • Austrian League 2025 – Men
        • Austrian League 2024 – Women
        • Austrian League 2024 – Men
      • Nordic League
        • Nordic League Men 2024/25
        • Nordic League Women 2024/25
        • Nordic League U16 2024/25
        • Nordic Trophy Men 2024/25
        • Nordic League 2023/24
        • Nordic Trophy 2023/24
      • Hong Kong
        • Hong Kong Women’s League 24/25
        • Hong Kong Men’s League 24/25
      • AWL
        • Alpe Waterpolo League 2024/25
        • Alpe Waterpolo League 2023/24
        • Alpe Waterpolo League 2022/23
      • Slovenia
      • Lithuania
      • Latvia
      • Hungarian League 2023 – Men
      • French League 2023 – Men
      • Spanish League 2023 – Men
      • Italian League 2023 – Men
    • Masters
      • Masters Cup 2025
      • VAL League 2024/25
      • Sabac Masters 2024
      • Masters Cup 2024
      • Budva Masters 2024
    • Junior
      • HaBaWaBa Spain 2025 – U12
      • HaBaWaBa Spain 2025 – U10
      • HaBaWaBa Spain Plus 2025
      • Next Generation 2024 – Men
      • Next Generation 2024 -Women
      • HaBaWaBa Easter 2024 (U10)
      • HaBaWaBa Easter 2024 (U12)
      • HabaWaba Spain Plus 2024
      • Plejade
      • Dobri Dupin
  • Transfers
  • Shop

    WearWaterpolo™ Webshop

    • Webshop
    • Men’s Briefs
    • Women’s Suits
    • Apparel
    • Game Balls
    • About

    Partner up with Total Waterpolo, the leading international water polo network worldwide and take your team gear to the next level. Our products are made to endure the harshest conditions from pro leagues around the world to your local squad rivalries. We can't wait to join your team!

    Get Total Waterpolo for your Team
  • Total Player
    • Total Player 2024
    • Total Player 2023
    • Total Player 2022
    • Total Player 2021
    • Total Player 2020
    • Total Player 2019
    • Total Player 2018
    • Total Player 2017
CHL 24/25
Support Us

UCLA edges out USC in final to win 12th NCAA title

March 22, 2021

Photo:Mart Jarmond/Twitter screenshot

The team of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) won its 12th NCAA Championships in men’s water polo.

The final tournament of the 2020 NCAA Championship (the last year’s season was postponed to this year, and the 2021 Championships will be played in autumn, as planned) was held in Los Angeles last weekend. The University of Southern California (USC) was the host. UCLA and USC faced off in the gold-medal match. UCLA recorded a narrow 7:6 win to capture the title.

Six teams took part in the tournament. The top two seeded teams, Stanford (No.1) and California (No.2), qualified to the semifinals directly. Stanford entered the tournament as the title-holder. In the previous final, held in Stockton in 2019, Stanford beat Pacific (13:8)

2020/21 NCAA Men’s Championship (Los Angeles, March 19-21)

Opening day

UCLA – California Baptist 19:14 (4:3, 5:1, 6:5, 4:5)

UCLA Bruins: Cavano 5, Saveljic 3, Discipulo 3, Rosenfeld 2, Ocasio 2, Kenney 2, Reagan 1, Pulice 1.
California Baptist: McDonough 4, Griffin 3, Barnett 2, Lowery 2, Bumgardner 1, Olsen 1, Sanchez 1

USC – Bucknell  18:9 (6:0, 3:2, 6:4, 3:3)

USC Trojans: Ehrhardt 5, Kranz 3, Nardelli 3, Wyatt 2, Sturtevant 2, Miller 1, Barker 1, Mercep 1.
Bucknell: Yardley 5, Lewis 3, Jones 1.

UCLA (No.4) defeated California Baptist, while USC (No.3) beat Bucknell on the opening day of the Championship.

The first match of the tournament turned into a flood of goals. UCLA advanced to the semifinals with a 19:14 victory over Cal Baptist. The UCLA Bruins controlled the match and broke the rival in the third quarter when they took a 12:6 lead. Before the final quarter, UCLA had a six-goal advantage (15:9) and didn’t let California Baptist come back.

USC ran over Bucknell – 18:9. The first quarter determined the rest of the match. The USC Trojans opened the game with a 6:0 blast. The second quarter was a balanced battle, but the Trojans increased the margin to seven before the middle break (9:2), and practically secured a spot in the semifinals.

For the first time since 1994, the NCAA Men’s water polo tournament featured All-MPSF semifinals. All four semifinalists are in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. That happened four times (1992, 1993,1994, and 2020).

The MPSF Championship was ended early in March. Stanford won the MPSF title this season after beating California in the final game (9:8). USC finished 3rd, and UCLA in 4th place.

Semifinals

USC – California 12:10 (2:2, 3:3, 2:3, 5:2)

USC Trojans: Ehrhardt 4, Kranz 3, Longton 2, Barker 2, Agliozzo 1.
California Bears: Papanikolaou 2, O’Brien-Schridde 1, Valecic 1, Deely 1, Stellet 1, Molina 1, Delagrammatikas1, Loth, Avakian 1.

UCLA – Stanford 11:10 (4:2, 4:3, 0:2, 3:3)

UCLA Bruins: Gruwell 3, Saveljic 2, Cavano 1, Discipulo 1, Ocasio 1, Travisano 1, Nightingale 1, Kenney 1.
Stanford Cardinal: Abramson 4, Rossman 2, Parrish 1, Jurasius 1, Churukian 1, Woodhead 1.

USC defeated California in the semifinals after a magnificent comeback. The score was tied seven times in the first three periods. California gained an 8:7 lead before the final quarter. The Bears doubled the advantage in the fourth period (9:7), only to see the Trojans’ comeback. USC produced a 5:0 series and jumped to a 12:9 lead with 37 seconds left. After that, California scored a consolation goal.

USC edged out Stanford to advance to the final game. The Bruins built an 8:5 lead by halftime, but Stanford held UCLA scoreless in the third quarter and reduced the gap (7:8) before the final eight minutes. Montenegrin Nicolas Saveljic gave UCLA a 9:7 lead in the first minute of the fourth quarter. Stanford responded for 8:9, but shortly after, Saveljic scored his second straight goal and pushed UCLA to 10:8. However, the Cardinal leveled the score (10:10) with 1:43 minutes left. Just 30 seconds later, UCLA’s Tommy Gruwell completed his trick for the final score (11:10).

FInal

UCLA – USC 7:6 (1:0, 2:0, 2:4, 2:2)

UCLA Bruins: Cavano 2, Gruwell 1, Kenney 1, Rosenfeld 1, Saveljic 1, Travisano 1.
USC Trojans: Kranz 2, Mercep 2, Ehrhardt 1, Strurtevant 1.

Defenses dominated in the first period. The Bruins’ Tommy Gruwell broke the deadlock in the 6th minute. UCLA scored two unanswered goals in the second quarter and had a solid 3:0 advantage at halftime.

The Trojans got on the scoreboard in the 18th minute, when Croat Jacob Mercep found the net for 1:3. In the middle of the third, Mercep’s teammate Sturtevant reduced the gap to one goal (2:3). Cavano doubled UCLA’s advantage (4:2), but USC answered with two goals to tie it at 4:4. Still, the UCLA Bruins entered the final quarter leading 5:4.

Nicolas Saveljic, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a power-play goal (6:4). Cavano scored his second goal and extended the margin to three (7:4) in the 26th minute. In the following minutes, USC netted two goals and came very close (6:7). The Trojans had possession with 19 seconds left, but Sturtevant hit the post a few seconds from the end. After that, Saveljic grabbed the ball, and UCLA’s celebration started.

THE BRUINS ARE YOUR 2020-2021 NCAA CHAMPIONS!!!#GoBruins #BeatSC pic.twitter.com/cvaaNN6Yik

— UCLA Water Polo (@UCLAWaterPolo) March 21, 2021

Ivan Curcic
Ivan Curcic

Related posts

Dusan Vasic Photo by KVK Radnicki

June 18, 2025

[CONFIRMED] Vasic, Milojevic, Pjesivac and many others to Crvena Zvezda


Read more

Max Irving Photo by Slobodan Sandic

June 17, 2025

[CONFIRMED] Max Irving to Pro Recco


Read more

Alvaro Granados Photo by CNA Barceloneta

June 13, 2025

[CONFIRMED] Alvaro Granados to Pro Recco


Read more

SUPPORT US ON PATREON

If you share our passion for water polo worldwide, consider becoming a cherished contributor to our cause, with as little as 5$/month.

SUPPORT US


Custom Team Gear

LEARN MORE

Shop Now

Looking for something?

✕
  • Australia arrives in Singapore with five debutants
    June 19, 2025
  • All favorites reach quarterfinals in Zagreb; exciting European derby
    June 18, 2025
  • [CONFIRMED] Vasic, Milojevic, Pjesivac and many others to Crvena Zvezda
    June 18, 2025
  • Home
  • Water Polo News
  • WearWaterpolo Shop
  • Contact Us
  • Project Superstar – TW Camp
  • BIWPA
  • Custom Team Equipment
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
© 2021 Total Waterpolo. All Rights Reserved.
✕
CroMasters '24
Support Us
  • News
  • SINGAPORE 2025
    • Men’s tournament
    • Women’s tournament
  • Results
    • Champions League
      • Season 24/25
      • Season 23/24
      • Season 22/23
    • International
      • World Cup 2025 Men
      • European Championships
        • Eindhoven 2024 – Women
        • Croatia 2024 – Men
        • Split 2022
          • Women
          • Men
        • Budapest 2020
        • Barcelona 2018
      • World Championships
        • Doha 2024
          • Women
          • Men
        • Fukuoka 2023
          • Women
          • Men
        • Budapest 2022
          • Women
          • Men
      • Olympics
        • Tokyo 2020
          • Women
          • Men
        • Paris 2024
          • Women
          • Men
      • NCAA
        • NCAA Men’s Finals 2024
        • NCAA Men’s Finals 2023
      • Pacific Cup 2024
    • National
      • Montenegro
        • Montenegrin League 2024/25
        • Montenegrin Cup 2024/25
      • Austria
        • Austrian League 2025 – Men
        • Austrian League 2024 – Women
        • Austrian League 2024 – Men
      • Nordic League
        • Nordic League Men 2024/25
        • Nordic League Women 2024/25
        • Nordic League U16 2024/25
        • Nordic Trophy Men 2024/25
        • Nordic League 2023/24
        • Nordic Trophy 2023/24
      • Hong Kong
        • Hong Kong Women’s League 24/25
        • Hong Kong Men’s League 24/25
      • AWL
        • Alpe Waterpolo League 2024/25
        • Alpe Waterpolo League 2023/24
        • Alpe Waterpolo League 2022/23
      • Slovenia
      • Lithuania
      • Latvia
      • Hungarian League 2023 – Men
      • French League 2023 – Men
      • Spanish League 2023 – Men
      • Italian League 2023 – Men
    • Masters
      • Masters Cup 2025
      • VAL League 2024/25
      • Sabac Masters 2024
      • Masters Cup 2024
      • Budva Masters 2024
    • Junior
      • HaBaWaBa Spain 2025 – U12
      • HaBaWaBa Spain 2025 – U10
      • HaBaWaBa Spain Plus 2025
      • Next Generation 2024 – Men
      • Next Generation 2024 -Women
      • HaBaWaBa Easter 2024 (U10)
      • HaBaWaBa Easter 2024 (U12)
      • HabaWaba Spain Plus 2024
      • Plejade
      • Dobri Dupin
  • Transfers
  • Shop
  • Total Player
    • Total Player 2024
    • Total Player 2023
    • Total Player 2022
    • Total Player 2021
    • Total Player 2020
    • Total Player 2019
    • Total Player 2018
    • Total Player 2017

We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience and provide personalized content. By clicking "Accept All Cookies" or continuing to browse this website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT