Water Polo

Outside of the mighty Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), the Golden Coast Conference has arguably the nation’s strongest women’s water polo teams. But the past three years, the GCC has been dominated solely by one team—Pacific—which since 2017 has 21 straight conference wins and three GCC ti...

A dramatic finish Wednesday to a men’s quarterfinal match at the 34th LEN European Water Polo Championships may signal the end of an unprecedented reign of success. When Spain’s Alvaro Granados Ortega beat Serbian goalie Branislav Mitrovic in a shootout, it gave the Spaniards a dramatic 10-9 win and...

With the start of a new decade, the Big West Conference Women’s Water Polo has made significant changes to its conference: First, it has added a seventh member in UC San Diego, as the Triton's athletic department was invited to join the Big West Conference as a part of their four-year transition fro...

In results Tuesday from the 34th LEN European Water Polo Championships, the four top teams in group play predictably advanced out of the quarterfinals and into semifinal match-ups Thursday in Budapest’s Duna Aréna. Led by Holland’s 22-2 domination of Slovakia, Russia pushed past Italy by a score of ...

The first full weekend of NCAA women's varsity water polo action saw a theme repeated from the men’s season, when a string of early upsets portended an upending of the usual hierarchy of teams—a scenario that continued throughout the 2019 campaign. [Notes from a Memorable Start to the 2019 NCAA Men’...

After five days of group play at the 34th LEN European Championships, two women’s teams have emerged unscathed—and are on target for the tournament final next weekend at Budapest’s Duna Aréna. On Saturday host Hungary scorched winless Serbia 27-0 while the Netherlands toppled previously undefeated S...

The Collegiate Water Polo Association's Top 25 Women's Varsity Poll is out, the preseason ranking of the nation's top women's water polo programs that signals a new season. Swimming World appreciates that a another women's campaign has begun. In fact, play opened a week ago. Cal faced San Jose State...

The Australian Stingers have ended the USA women's water polo team's amazing 69 game winning streak with a heart-stopping 10-9 victory over the World and Olympic champions in front of a vocal 3,000 strong crowd at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre tonight. The Americans hadn't lost in more than a year, an...

After the European women had already played two matches, Day Three of the 34th LEN European Water Polo Championships saw the men finally hit the water in Budapest’s Duna Arena for the first time. On Tuesday defending champion Serbia, as well as Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, the Nethe...

Olympic champions the USA have stretched their winning streak to 69 with a thrilling 10-9 victory over a spirited Australian Stingers side to win the first of three women’s water polo Test matches at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre tonight. While in a heart-stopping men's Test the Aussie Sharks came bac...

The second day of women’s play was at the 34th LEN European Water Polo Championships in Budapest’s Duna Arena saw a continuation of mismatches between European powers and not-ready-for-prime-time programs. Host Hungary won big, as did Greece, the Netherlands and Russia. In the day’s most competitive...

In a reflection of the rippling waves of growth that the sport is enjoying at the moment, Friday Mount St. Mary's Director of Athletics Lynne Robinson announced that, beginning in the 2020-21 school year, men's and women's water polo will become the Mount's 23rd and 24th varsity sports. "We are plea...

Defending conference champion and NCAA runner-up USC placed on top of the 2020 MPSF Women’s Water Polo Coaches’ poll, collecting 33 points and four first-place votes. Winners of four of the last seven conference titles, the Trojans return senior All-Americans Denise Mammolito (29 goals) and Kelsey M...

After multiple reports cited that the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center, venue for men’s and women’s water polo at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, contains asbestos, organizers are vowing to take “emergency countermeasures.” The Asahi Shimbun, The Japan Times and Reuters, among others, have cited...

Eugenio Martinez passes away. [caption id="attachment_409826" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Eugenio middle row, far right with the Cuban National team, late 1980s. Photo Courtesy: Osvaldo Garcia (middle row 3rd from right).[/caption] Six-time Olympic water polo referee Eugenio Martinez of Cuba ha...

Mirko Vicevic has won gold at every major event on the water polo world stage; the Olympic Games, the World Championships and the FINA World Cup. [caption id="attachment_409833" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Mirko Vicevic mid-play Photo Courtesy: Mirko Vicevic[/caption] His original club was Prim...

Picking the best of anything is never easy. The best croissants in Paris, the best pizza in Chicago, the best pitcher in baseball — many of these decisions come down to personal preference. And are subject to endless second-guessing. Except when it comes to the best female water polo player in the w...

At the 2019 USA Water Polo Holiday Cup last month, women's teams from Italy, the Netherlands and Russia traveled to Princeton, N.J. to sharpen their skills for a final push to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But one top European team did not make the trip East. Hungary last visited the U.S. in ...

Tomorrow starts a new decade — as well as the beginning of the end of the latest Olympic quadrennial. With the Tokyo Games set to open on July 24th, the next seven months will see a run-up to the most important water polo tournament in the sport. Before we go forward, Swimming World will go back — o...

2019 was a year like no other for water polo. Not only did the Stanford men's program return to NCAA glory after almost two decades, the Cardinal women also won a national championship, making for a varsity polo sweep. Both the U.S. women's team (expected) and the American men (touch and go) qualifi...