The Spieker Aquatics Center is a 2,500-capacity stadium in

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used by

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

water polo Water polo is a 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 ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

, and

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

teams. The $14-million center was built in 2009 and is named for Tod and Catherine Spieker. Tod was a student-athlete at UCLA, competing from 1968 to 1971 in swimming. The Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center is named after Carolyn Dirks. The athletic teams using the facilities have won 19 NCAA national championships. Men's swimming and diving won in 1982; men's water polo team were

champions A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the Victory, victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and w ...

in 1969, 1971–72, 1995–96, 1999–2000, 2004, 2014–15 and 2017; and the women's water polo team captured the

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in 2001, 2003, and 2005–09. The center features a 52-meter, all deep water pool with a diving bulkhead; platform for diving as well as one-meter and three-meter boards; men's and women's locker rooms; permanent seating for 800 people, with the ability to seat 1,700 additional spectators in temporary seating; and a "Wall of Champions" showcasing accomplishments of past teams. It also has an 8'6" x 15'6" video display board.

Notable events

The 2010

MPSF The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) is a college athletic conference with members located mostly in the western United States, although it now has members as far east as Pennsylvania. The conference participates at the NCAA Division I ...

Women's Water Polo Championship Tournament was held April 30-May 2, 2010 at the Spieker Aquatics Center. In 2011, the

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National Diving Championships were held at the center (August 9–14). 125 divers competed for 10 national titles and to represent the

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at the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

. Athletes also qualified for the 2012 US Olympic Team Trials.

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and

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broadcast the championships from Westwood. Olympian diver Dr. Sammy Lee was the awards presenter. The 2011 MPSF Men's Water Polo Championship Tournament was held at UCLA from November 25 through November 27. The USA Men's water polo team held a training game vs. the Hungary team at the Spieker Aquatics Center on May 31, 2012, prior to the

2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

.USA Water Polo Men's National Team To Host Pre-Olympic Competitions Throughout May In Southern California
, USAwaterpolo.org, April 17, 2012 In 2015, the

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 ...

was held on December 6, 2015, and the UCLA Bruins defeated the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...

10–7 for their second consecutive national title. The 2016

NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship The NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship has existed since the 2001 season. Seven conferences have teams competing in women's water polo: the Big West Conference, the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), the single-sport Golden Coast Conferen ...

was held at Spieker Aquatics Center. The 2016 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship was held May 13–15, 2016, with the USC Trojans defeating the Stanford Cardinal, 8–7. Also the

2021 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship The 2021 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship was the 19th edition of the NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship, the annual tournament to decide the championship of NCAA women's collegiate water polo. The tournament was held Ma ...

took place at the aquatics center. The 2021 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was held December 4–5, 2021, California defeated USC 13-12 for the national championship.

References

External links

* {{Swimming Venues of the Pacific-12 Conference College swimming venues in the United States Swimming venues in Los Angeles UCLA Bruins swimming and diving UCLA Bruins water polo University of California, Los Angeles buildings and structures Sports venues completed in 2009 2009 establishments in California