UCSD Athletic Director Earl Edwards has been with the Tritons since 2000.

In the spring of 2000, Earl Edwards took over as Athletic Director at UCSD. The program was transitioning from Division III to Division II and going through everything you’d expect as a result. I was also a freshman at UCSD at the time. 

Though I wrote for the newspaper on campus (the UCSD Guardian), covered a number of sports, and played in the school’s pep band, I had never met Mr. Edwards (now 17 years into his role there) before last week. 

In our conversation, he talked about UCSD’s ongoing efforts to move to Division I, the state of limbo they are currently in with the Big West Conference, and what’s new with UC San Diego athletics.

UC San Diego Senior Associate Athletic Director Ken Grosse joins me on the latest podcast. We talked about the Tritons’ upcoming Division I vote by the student body and what it would mean for the university and athletic department in La Jolla.

Day 2 of the NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championships. By Danielle Boyle Melman

As I sit here reflecting on the past weekend, I cannot help but think how lucky I am to have experienced the 2014 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Final Four Championships at my alma mater, UC San Diego, where I also work. Although this is my third water polo Final Four, this time was a little different. Before I begin to reflect on my personal experience as a Final Four spectator and worker, let’s get to the most important part: the results.

Both semi-final games were intense match-ups, but especially in the second game.

In semi-final number one, UC San Diego faced a very experienced and powerful UCLA team, where the Bruins prevailed 15-6. UC San Diego came out playing hard, ending the first quarter only down by 1. The second quarter was a different story: the Bruins had an explosive offense, outscoring UC San Diego 6-2 and leading 8-3 at the half. UCLA ultimately won 15-6, earning a trip to the championship game.

In Semi-Final number two, USC beat Stanford after two overtime periods and one sudden death period.

Stanford controlled the first half, leading 7-5. But the magic of USC kicked in. The Trojans outscored the Cardinal 3-1 in the third quarter, and tied the game up with 14 seconds left of regular time. Two overtime periods later, the score was still tied.

In collegiate water polo, after two three minute overtime periods, the game is decided by sudden death. With 5 seconds left of the first sudden death period, USC Senior Kostas Genidounias (Athens, Greece) scored from the outside to lift USC to a win, earning their 10^th trip in a row to the NCAA Final Championship game. I have seen a lot of water polo but this was one of the most exciting games I have ever watched.

The UCLA Bruins celebrating their 9th NCAA Men’s Water Polo championship. By Danielle Boyle Melman

The next day, Stanford had an easy time with UC San Diego in the third place game, winning 20-11. The championship game, however, did not fail to bring drama, intensity and a passion you only see in collegiate sports.

UCLA came out blazing for three solid quarters, earning a three goal lead holding USC standout Genidounias to no goals.

But USC came blazing into the fourth quarter, scoring three goals in a row to tie the game. With 34 seconds remaining, and the score still tied, UCLA sophomore Gordon Marshall (Newcastle, Australia) fired a shot from inside to lift the Bruins to a 9-8 lead. Great UCLA defense on the next USC possession concluded the game, giving UCLA its ninth NCAA Men’s Water Polo title and 112^th NCAA championship in university history.

But intertwined with the crowning of the national champion, an NCAA National Championship weekend celebrates much more than the first place team. It honors the spirit of the student-athlete. It celebrates the sport and the community hosting the event. It recognizes the spectator, participant and volunteer. Everyone has the opportunity to share in the student-athletes playing for their teammates, for their university, for their families, for their high school, for their club coaches, and never for themselves. The student-athletes’ hearts are on out on display for all to experience  – and it is a feeling like none other.

UC San Diego Tritons take home a NCAA Men’s Water Polo 4th place finish. By Danielle Boyle Melman

Some of that emotion and heart is seen before the championship play even begins. In the spirit of the student-athlete, the National Championship Finals includes an award the NCAA hands out in every sport, in every division: the Elite 89 Award.

The Elite 89 Award is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average participating in the NCAA Championship Finals. There are 89 NCAA final championships; hence the 89. This year the NCAA honored Stanford junior BJ Churnside – an electrical engineering major holding a 3.786 GPA. Churnside not only excels in the classroom, but in the pool as well: he earned All-American accolades his freshman and sophomore year, and is ranked third on the team for goals this season. Churnside was celebrated at the student-athlete banquet Friday night, and it was a touching moment. Because this award truly embodies the spirit of the student-athlete, it was moving to see him honored in front of his peers and the water polo community. I couldn’t help but think – this is why I got into collegiate athletics.

That theme resonated with me throughout the whole weekend. I am so fortunate to be a part of the growth and development of young adults through collegiate athletics. Being an athletic administrator allows me to have a positive impact on our student-athletes, providing support and guidance through the highs and lows — almost reliving my collegiate career through the eyes of these athletes.

As the championship weekend came to a close, I couldn’t help but be so proud of all student-athletes who participated, my athletics department, UC San Diego and the community who came together to celebrate and champion the collegiate student-athlete!

It was a great collegiate season for men’s water polo and I enjoyed bringing my perspective of the game.  For those who are excited about their next, or first water polo game, you don’t have to wait a whole year for the men’s season to start back up…the women’s collegiate season is just around the corner with the first sprint in January!

With the NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championship Final Four set to commence on Saturday, December 6, emotions are running high. Four teams head into the most important tournament of their season and potentially their career. UCLA, Stanford, USC and UC San Diego are in the lineup to play in the semifinals, with #1 UCLA facing #4 UC San Diego at 1:00 PM PST, and #2 Stanford facing #3 USC at 3:00 PM PST. All games are taking place at UC San Diego’s Canyonview Aquatics Center. Below is a preview of the four teams, many of which have had to face adversity both in the water and out this year.

#1 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES

UC San Diego to host the NCAA Men’s Water Polo Final Four December 6-7.

UCLA is, clearly, the number one seed going into the Final Four. The road was somewhat predictable for the Bruins, who posted a 27-3 record heading into this weekend. The team is consistent when they are winning, but also consistent when they are losing. The Bruins saw their undefeated season squashed on October 12, when they not only lost to USC, but  four hours later to Stanford as well at the SoCal Tournament. UCLA slowly climbed its way back on top of the polls, entering the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) conference championships as the top seed. Surprisingly, UCLA lost to Long Beach State in the semifinals (whom they previously beat one week earlier by 8 goals). The Bruins went on to face USC in the third place game, beating them 10-5.

Although this team faced untimely loses this season, they will be hungry for the national championship final. I like their overall consistent, powerful play, and even though they crept into the final four by being granted an at-large berth, this team is ready to redeem themselves and show they are the number one team in the country.

Keys to victory

UCLA needs to score double digits both days to get the wins and take home the crown. With their outstanding offense and solid defense, double digit scoring will most likely produce a national championship.

#2 STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Stanford has been on a similar path as UCLA this season, posting a 25-3 record heading into the national championships. Two of their three losses have come from the Bruins, most recently losing only by 1 goal in their last meeting. Unlike UCLA, however, Stanford won their conference (MPSF) by beating Long Beach state 9-8, earning an automatic qualifier to the final four. This team will be a contender; however, UCLA seems to have their number every time they face each other. If both UCLA and Stanford make it to the NCAA Championship game, Stanford will have to be mentally tough to overcome this strong UCLA team. Bottom line: this team is a force to reckoned with and will not back down to any challenge. The key to Stanford’s success will be their offense.

Keys to victory

Similar to UCLA, when Stanford scores less than 10 goals, they lose. They need to make sure their offense is on-point and that they are putting up at least 11 goals to ensure a win. If they do that, they will be hard to beat.

Canyonview Aquatics Center-UC San Diego

#3 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

USC has encountered many ups and downs for a team at this stage, seeing six loses over the course of the season. With a record of 26-6, five of their six loses have been from UCLA and Stanford, with the most recent loss coming from Stanford in the semifinals of the MPSF conference championship tournament. The following day they lost to UCLA in the third place game. Although they have endured more losses to teams of higher seeds, USC has a unique past leaving me to believe we should not count them out.

The Trojans have been the reigning national champions the past six years in a row. Since 2002, Coach Jovan Vavic has taken home nine National Championships and two runner-ups back to the USC campus. This team knows how to win – and they know when to win. The Trojans have not only shown how physically tough they are, but emotionally and mentally tough as well.

In January, USC men’s water polo lost a teammate, sophomore Jon Walters, who passed away unexpectedly. As projected, the news hit the team hard. The have recovered both emotionally and mentally and will be wearing #6 on their caps in memory of Walters. Although almost a year has passed, the memory of Walters is very much alive: his younger brother James is a freshman on the USC team. It is absolutely remarkable how these young adults have rebounded from such a loss, and channeled their energy in a positive direction. USC is my wild card in the bunch, being incredibly unpredictable. They are playing with a heavy heart.

Keys to victory

With emotion running as high as I’m sure it is, anything can happen with USC this year — including some really good things. The Trojans will need to control and focus all the emotion that is sure to be there in order to dominate and bring home their seventh championship in a row.

#4 UC SAN DIEGO

This particular Triton team is two years in the making. Coach Denny Harper took a very unconventional approach in the spring of 2013, when he chose to have his top two would-be seniors, including 2012 conference MVP Josh Stiling, redshirt the 2013 campaign. Both student-athletes were supportive of the idea, knowing that it would create opportunity for the incoming juniors. Now, over a year later, this team is one of the best UC San Diego teams I have seen in a great while. With very experienced upperclassmen who have played with each other now for at least three years, this team is extremely close, can read each other well, and are committed to their coaches and to each other.

Although UC San Diego comes into the national championship tournament with a 16-9 record, all their losses have come from top ranked teams. This final four will be a fairly challenging one for the Tritons, but the program has always thrived on being the underdog. In 2000, UC San Diego faced USC in the NCAA National Championship semifinal game, beating the Trojans 9-8 and surpassing all expectations the water polo community had for the them. The Tritons ultimately fell to UCLA in the championship game, but it was the first ever national runner-up the program ever saw. Although a long shot, this Triton team is the host this year and should be up for any challenge. Great defense with a consistent offense from UC San Diego will be the key to knocking off the number 1 seed in the semis. UCLA’s three losses have come when they couldn’t convert more than six goals.

Keys to victory

If the Tritons can somehow hold the Bruins to six goals or less, their chances of winning the semi-final game increases dramatically, repeating their 2000 NCAA efforts.

This past weekend was conference championship tournament time for all NCAA men’s water polo teams. Similar to most conference tournaments of any sport, the winner receives an automatic berth to compete in the NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championships. This year’s are December 6-7 at Canyonview Pool on the campus of UC San Diego.  I was able to watch both the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (think PAC-12) championship game between Stanford and Long Beach State, as well as the Western Water Polo Association (think Big West meets the WCC) championship game between UC San Diego and Loyola Marymount. With Stanford and UC San Diego prevailing, both games were competitive and the athleticism was outstanding!

When watching any team play, I always pull up the rosters, secretly hoping for central coast representation. But I am constantly seeing is a trend that has been occurring in water polo the past five years: more and more international student-athletes playing at the collegiate level.

Water is one of the most popular sports in Europe: on a recent trip to Greece, water polo balls were found being sold at beach stores to be used at nearby beaches.

The top four teams in NCAA Men’s Water Polo right now include Stanford, Long Beach State, UCLA and USC. These four teams combine a total of 13 international student-athletes (Long Beach State features the most: seven). Although two of the 13 student-athletes hail from Australia and Brazil, an overwhelming majority of them come from Europe. So why all the international play — specifically European play — in the NCAA Water Polo landscape?

The popularity of water polo in Europe is unbelievable!  In some eastern European countries, it is the most popular sport to its countrymen. They play, live and breathe water polo.  Part of the reason water polo is so popular is because it can be played professionally throughout Europe. Similar to our professional sports leagues, Europe is home to the LEN Champions League (Ligue Europeenne de Natation), consisting of professional teams from up to 18 countries. It is an incredibly competitive league where the best of the best play. You must be of the highest caliber to be a member of a team (Olympic and/or national team status representing your home country).

Many young European players have the opportunity to play in this professional league, or alternatively in a lower U-19 level (equivalent to minor league baseball). Only the top young talented athletes play on the professional level; however, if you don’t make the professional cut, and you are young and want to continue to play, there is nowhere to go. These young athletes do not have a European university system that provides opportunities for athletes to train and become a better player before heading back into the international scene. We are seeing an increase in International student-athletes because our collegiate athletic system is exactly what they need and want: a high level training ground that promotes athletic growth, a healthy well-balanced life-style, as well as educational opportunities.

The Arroyo Grande High School Girls Water Polo Team embracing international integration by traveling to Italy in the Summer of 2013.

The influx of international student-athletes is seen on both the men’s and women’s side of collegiate water polo. As a player did I think this was unfair? Well, it definitely changed the landscape of collegiate water polo. The level of play increased dramatically when international student-athletes, many of whom were current Olympians or junior national team members for their country, played on college teams. But, my teammates and I tried to stay positive and embraced it. By playing against international student-athletes, they were just making me and my teammates better water polo players.

Many teams are also embracing the international integration. In the summer of 2013, Coach Steven Allen of Arroyo Grande High School took his Lady Eagles to Italy for two weeks of training, competition and culture. His goal was to bridge the gap between the United States style of play and the European way, exposing his athletes to a different way of training and game execution. The young athletes learned a fast paced style of the game, including a swim speed that is not often seen on the central coast. But most importantly, they learned the local culture at a deeper level than just seeing the sites or playing against a foreign team. The athletes were completely submerged into the culture, even residing with local Italian water polo families during their two weeks. They came home with a heightened appreciation for another culture and learned to value the international differences in the water and out.

So why is water polo extremely popular in Europe but has a difficult time holding its own in the United States? Well, it’s up for debate. My opinion: the lack of our professional sports in Europe, such as football, basketball and baseball, allows for Olympic sports to gain exposure. But, with increased television exposure of water polo (thank you NBC and PAC-12 network) along with the live-streaming of many collegiate and even high school championships, water polo in the United States is surpassing other Olympic sports. I don’t think it will ever be as popular as it is overseas, but it is certainly gaining momentum.

The 2014 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Final Four Championships will be held December 6-7, 2014 at Canyonview Pool on the campus of UC San Diego. Four of the best teams in men’s collegiate water polo will gather to determine the national champion.