1990 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | December 1990 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | California (9th title) |
| Runner-up | Stanford (9th title game) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 12 |
| Goals scored | 239 (19.92 per match) |
| Attendance | 3,185 (265 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Lucas Nicolao, Navy. (10) |
| Best player | Chris Humbert (California) |
The 1990 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 22nd annual NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate water polo. Tournament matches were played at the Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach, California during December 1990.[1]
California defeated Stanford in the final, 8–7, to win their ninth national title. Coached by Steve Heaston, the Golden Bears finished the season 29–1.
As of 2024, UC Santa Barbara has not returned to the Water Polo playoffs. They currently have a 34 year drought, the longest of any such team that has won a National Championship.
The Most Outstanding Player of the tournament was Chris Humbert (California). Humbert, along with six other players, was named to the All-Tournament Team.
The tournament's leading scorer, with 10 goals, was Lucas Nicolao from Navy.
Qualification
[edit]Since there has only ever 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Air Force | 6th | 1986 |
| Brown | 11th | 1989 |
| California | 17th | 1989 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 12th | 1985 |
| Navy | 5th | 1988 |
| Pepperdine | 8th | 1989 |
| Stanford | 18th | 1989 |
| UCLA | 18th | 1988 |
Bracket
[edit]| Fifth place | Consolation semifinals | First round | Championship semifinals | Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
| California | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brown | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brown | 6 | California | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pepperdine | 13 | UCLA | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pepperdine | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pepperdine | 16 | California | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Air Force | 13 | Stanford | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| UC Santa Barbara | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Navy | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seventh place | Navy | 8 | UC Santa Barbara | 8 | Third place | ||||||||||||||||||
| Air Force | 11 | Stanford | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Brown | 6 | Stanford | 14 | UCLA | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Navy | 7 | Air Force | 6 | UC Santa Barbara | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||
All-tournament team
[edit]- Chris Humbert, California (Most outstanding player)
- Julian Bailey, California
Geoffrey Clark, Pepperdine- Dan Hackett, UCLA
- Colin Keely, Stanford
- Rick McNair, Stanford
- Stefan Pollmann, UCLA
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Men's Water Polo Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved May 8, 2015.