At 6:12 p.m., Dirks Pool was as still as glass and Spieker Aquatics Center appeared as it normally does before a rivalry showdown. The stands were filled to capacity with a blend of red and blue. TV cameras were situated around the pool, aimed at the two rival teams awaiting the inevitable dive into a […]
Author Archives: Annie Bardet
Men’s water polo narrowly defeats Cal to win MPSF championship
A month ago, the Bruins fought to gain a lead against the Golden Bears. On Sunday, the UCLA men’s water polo team fought to keep a lead in the longest game it has played in two years. As the sun set over Uytengsu Aquatics Center, UCLA defeated Cal 12-11 in a dramatic overtime finish to win […]
Goalie Garrett Danner continues historic rise with men’s water polo
A large, red USC flag was draped lifeless over the ledge of Spieker Aquatics Center’s upper seating as the fourth period ticked away, held by two pairs of hands that had lost the motivation to wave it. It wasn’t the rain or wind chill that drained the enthusiasm from Trojan fans and player alike over […]
Men’s water polo to focus on finer points of play for rivalry game
The temperature in Los Angeles has plummeted into the low 60s during the evenings and, consequently, a chill has settled over Spieker Aquatics Center. Fog clouds the lights towering above the deck, and the blue and gold beanies have emerged from storage. The only source of warmth is Dirks Pool, where the kinks and mistakes […]
Men’s water polo rides second period momentum to back-to-back victories
Under the lights of Spieker Aquatics Center, UCLA battled to gain the upper hand over league foe UC Santa Barbara in the opening eight minutes of Friday’s matchup. The early back-and-forth duel turned into a second period Bruin tempest as the temperature dropped and UCLA’s 2-1 lead quickly skyrocketed. A steal from sophomore utility Alex […]
Men’s water polo honors legacy of 1995 championship team
Top-ranked UCLA, sporting identical blue and yellow robes, lined up in front of a glossy pool and an audience of Bruin and Golden Bear fans on Oct. 24. For a group of middle-aged men, all wearing identical blue T-shirts and watching from across the pool, the scene was nostalgic. Twenty years ago, they had stood […]
Men’s water polo to face the increasingly threatening Pacific
In the 45 total NCAA water polo championships that have been played, California, Stanford, USC or UCLA have vied for the trophy every year. The four powerhouse schools have combined for 41 national titles. Just as college water polo was starting to fall into the same predictable pattern in 2015, the University of the Pacific […]