1996 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship

1996 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
Tournament details
DatesDecember 1996
Teams4
Final positions
ChampionsUCLA (5th title)
Runner-upUSC (5th title game)
Tournament statistics
Matches played4
Goals scored84 (21 per match)
Attendance2,790 (698 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)Hrvoje Cismic, USC (5)
Brian Stahl, UMass (5)
Marko Zagar, USC (5)
Best playerMatt Swanson, UCLA
← 1995
1997 →

The 1996 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 28th annual NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate water polo. Tournament matches were played at Canyonview Pool in La Jolla, San Diego, California during December 1996.[1]

UCLA defeated USC in the final, 8–7, to win their fifth national title. The Bruins (24–6) were coached by Guy Baker.

The Most Outstanding Player of the tournament was Matt Swanson from UCLA. Swanson, along with seven other players, comprised the All-Tournament Team.

The tournament's leading scorers, with 5 goals each, were Hrvoje Cismic (USC), Brian Stahl (Massachusetts), and Marko Zagar (USC).

Qualification

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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 4 teams were invited to contest this championship.

Team Appearance Previous
UC Davis 3rd 1975
Massachusetts 4th 1995
USC 15th 1994
UCLA 22nd 1995

Bracket

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Semifinals Championship
      
USC 21
Massachusetts 6
USC 7
UCLA 8
UCLA 18
UC Davis 6 Third Place
Massachusetts 8
UC Davis 11

All-tournament team

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Men's Water Polo Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved May 20, 2015.