1986 NCAA men's water polo tournament

1986 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
Tournament details
DatesDecember 1986
Teams8
Final positions
ChampionsStanford (6th title)
Runner-upCalifornia (10th title game)
Tournament statistics
Matches played12
Goals scored230 (19.17 per match)
Attendance3,491 (291 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)Robert Lynn, USC (12)
Best playerFernando Carsalade, UCLA)
David Imbernino, Stanford)
Craig Klass, Stanford)
← 1985
1987 →

The 1986 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 18th annual NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate water polo. Tournament matches were played at the Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach, California during December 1986.[1]

Stanford defeated rival California in the final, 9–6, to win their sixth national title. Coached by Dante Dettamanti, the Cardinal finished the season undefeated, 36–0.

The Most Outstanding Players of the tournament were Fernando Carsalade (UCLA), David Imbernino (Stanford), and Craig Klass (Stanford). An All-Tournament Team of eight players was also named.

The tournament's leading scorer was Robert Lynn from USC (12 goals).

Qualification[edit]

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 8 teams were invited to contest this championship.

Team Appearance Previous
Air Force 5th 1981
Brown 8th 1985
California 13th 1984
Navy 2nd 1984
Pepperdine 5th 1984
USC 9th 1984
Stanford 14th 1985
UCLA 15th 1985

Bracket[edit]

Fifth placeConsolation semifinalsFirst roundChampionship semifinalsChampionship
Stanford23
Air Force5
Air Force3Stanford15
USC13Pepperdine8
Pepperdine10
USC9
USC8Stanford9
Navy3California6
California11
Brown4
Seventh placeBrown4California11Third place
Navy6UCLA8
Air Force13UCLA13Pepperdine11
Brown19Navy7UCLA12

All-tournament team[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Men's Water Polo Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved April 30, 2015.