The 2002 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 34th annual

NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship The NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship is an annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate water polo. Beginning in 1969, it has been held every year except 2020, when it was postponed to March 2021 because of the C ...

to determine the national champion of

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

men's collegiate

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

. Tournament matches were played at the Burns Aquatic Center on the campus of

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

during December 2002. Stanford defeated rival

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in the final, 7–6, to win their tenth national title. The Cardinal (24–5) were coached by

John Vargas John Vargas is an American actor best known for his role in the films ''Primary Colors'' and '' Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan''. "Seduced By Evil" 1994. Early life John Vargas was born in the Bronx and moved to Puerto Rico when his father Jua ...

. The ''Most Outstanding Player'' of the tournament was again Tony Azevedo from Stanford. Azevedo, along with six other players, also comprised the ''All-Tournament Team''. Azevedo, along with Queens College's Michael Vieira, were the tournament's leading scorers, with 5 goals each.

Qualification

Since there has only ever been one single national championship for water polo, all

men's water polo programs (whether from Division I, Division II, or

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

) were eligible. A total of 4 teams were invited to contest this championship.

Bracket

*Site: Burns Aquatics Center,

All-tournament team

* Tony Azevedo, Stanford (Most outstanding player) * Attila Banhidy, California * Nick Ellis, Stanford * Peter Hudnut, Stanford * Chris Lathrop, California * Andrew Stoddard, California * Michael Vieira, Queens (NY)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ncaa Men's Water Polo Championship

2002 in sports in California December 2002 sports events in the United States 2002

Qualification

Bracket

All-tournament team

See also

References