Adam Krikorian’s last UCLA women’s water polo game was, by his own standards, the most unlikely achievement in his storied career.
The outgoing coach, who is leaving to take the helm of the U.S. women’s national team, won his fifth straight NCAA women’s water polo championship on Sunday after leading No. 3 UCLA to a 5-4 upset over No. 1 USC.
“Each year is so different,” Krikorian said. “But I have to rank this one up there with the first NCAA championship (in 2001). In fact, this might be the improbable. There were not a lot of people in water polo world that believed we could get this done.”
Asked if, at the beginning of the season, he thought his team would end up with a fifth straight national championship, Krikorian responded negatively.
“To be honest, no. There was always some belief, but if I was a betting man I wouldn’t have put money on us to win. After we played Stanford and USC so close at the end of the season I told the team that “˜this is ours’ ““ that we can win this. That’s when we truly believed.”
What made this season different from the others was the underdog status UCLA had throughout the year. The Bruins entered the season ranked No. 3 in the country, the same spot they found themselves in at the end of the season. Krikorian had to replace five seniors from last year’s 33-0 national championship team, including NCAA Division I Player of the Year Courtney Mathewson.
This year’s squad initially struggled with the turnover. This team had as many losses ““ six ““ as Krikorian’s previous four national championship teams.
Five of this season’s losses came to No. 2 Stanford and the No. 1 Trojans, four of which were by one goal. The Bruins had to beat both teams en route to winning the school’s 104th NCAA championship.
“The mental toughness and confidence that came from the team was really the key,” Krikorian said. “When you lose to (USC and Stanford) that many times, it is very easy to doubt yourself.”
In addition to Krikorian, this year’s accomplishments have special significance for UCLA seniors Tanya Gandy, Anne Belden, Katie Rulon and Brittany Fullen. Each of the four ended their UCLA career with a 115-12 overall record, a perfect 12-0 NCAA tournament record, and four national championships.
This senior class joins last year’s women’s water polo class of 2008 and the men’s volleyball class of 1984 as the only UCLA athletes to cement their Bruin legacy by winning four straight NCAA titles.
Krikorian, who will end his UCLA women’s water polo career with seven NCAA championships and a 289-44 record, said he still has not taken in that this will be his last year with the program he turned into a national powerhouse.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” Krikorian said. “I started to get a little emotional after the game. I didn’t put any extra pressure on myself or the team. But I know it doesn’t get much better than this. My time at UCLA with the women’s team has been phenomenal.”