1977 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | December 1977 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | California (4th title) |
| Runner-up | UC Irvine (5th title game) |
| Third place | Stanford |
| Fourth place | Pepperdine |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 12 |
| Goals scored | 249 (20.75 per match) |
| Attendance | 765 (64 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Scott Schulte, Bucknell (14) |
| Best player | Gary Figueroa, UC Irvine |
The 1977 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the ninth annual NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship to determine the national champion of NCAA men's college water polo. Tournament matches were played at the Smith Swim Center at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island during December 1977.[1]
California defeated UC Irvine in the final, 8–6, to win their fourth national title. This was a rematch of the 1973, 1974, and 1975 finals, all won by the Golden Bears.
The leading scorer for the tournament was Scott Schulte from Bucknell (14 goals). Gary Figueroa, from UC Irvine, was named the Most Outstanding Player. An All-Tournament Team, consisting of seven players, was also named.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 3rd | 1976 |
| Brown | 1st | Never |
| Bucknell | 1st | Never |
| California | 5th | 1975 |
| Loyola–Chicago | 3rd | 1976 |
| Pepperdine | 1st | Never |
| Stanford | 6th | 1976 |
| UC Irvine | 9th | 1976 |
Bracket
[edit]| Fifth place | Consolation semifinals | First round | Championship semifinals | Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brown | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brown | 6 | Stanford | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 15 | UC Irvine | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| UC Irvine | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 14 | UC Irvine | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Loyola–Chicago | 4 | California | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bucknell | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seventh place | Bucknell | 9 | California | 11 | Third place | ||||||||||||||||||
| Loyola–Chicago | 13 | Pepperdine | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Brown | 7 | Pepperdine | 14 | Stanford | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bucknell | 16 | Loyola–Chicago | 9 | Pepperdine | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
All-tournament team
[edit]- Gary Figueroa, UC Irvine (Most outstanding player)
- Marty Davis, Stanford
- John Gansel, Stanford
- Mike Loughlin, California
- Jim Purcell, California
- Kevin Robertson, California
- Terry Schroeder, Pepperdine
References
[edit]- ^ "Men's Water Polo Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved April 7, 2015.