LA JOLLA, Calif. — The 12th-ranked UC San Diego men's water polo team wraps up its regular season at home Thursday when it plays host to No. 10 UC Irvine on Senior Night.
It will be the second time the two teams have met this season. Way back on September 4 during the Triton Invitational in La Jolla, UCI came out on top in a 10-4 decision.
The non-conference game is slated for a 6 p.m. first sprint but get to the venue early to help us celebrate the eight senior members of this season's squad!
Following Thursday's game, UC San Diego will look for its 20th Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) title as the conference tournament runs November 18-20 at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. The Tritons are the No. 3 seed and will face off against sixth-seeded California Baptist at noon on Friday, November 18, in the opening round.
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THIS WEEK'S ACTION
*** Game 24 - Senior Night ***
• #12 UC San Diego (11-12) vs. #10
UC Irvine (14-10)
• Thursday, November 10 | 6 p.m.
•
Canyonview Aquatic Center | La Jolla (
map)
•
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Tickets
•
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• All-Time Series: UC Irvine leads 48-16
• Last Meeting:
9/4/22 at UC San Diego (UC Irvine wins 10-5)
YOU NEED ONE
The first 150 fans at Thursday's game will get a
FREE TRIDENT FOAM FINGER!!!
ABOUT THE UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS
Roster |
Schedule & Results |
Statistics
• Overall: 11-12
• WWPA: 6-2
• Home: 4-6
• Away: 3-4
• Neutral: 4-2
• Streak: L2
• vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams: 4-12
• CWPA National Ranking: 12th
• WWPA Preseason Poll: 2nd of 9
ABOUT THE UC IRVINE ANTEATERS
Roster |
Schedule & Results |
Statistics
• Overall: 14-10
• GCC: 2-2
• Home: 6-2
• Away: 1-4
• Neutral: 7-4
• Streak: W2
• vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams: 9-10
• CWPA National ranking: 10th
• GCC Preseason Poll: 6th of 6
SENIOR-NIGHTIS
The eight seniors on this year's roster will be celebrated prior to the start of Thursday's game.
#1
Alexander Nemeth
#2
Will Riley
#4
Vedran Latkovic
#5
Connor McManigal
#8
Manuel Augusto
#9
Max Carrillo
#10
Konstantin Karlov
#14
Brendan Nugent
LATKOVIC THE LEADER
Senior
Vedran Latkovic currently leads the Tritons in points with 83 and goals with 62. The Montenegrin has scored in 21 of 23 games. He is currently riding a 16-game scoring streak with multiple goals in 12 of those. Among all WWPA players, Latkovic ranks third in goals per game, fourth in points per game, fifth in goals, and eighth in points. His six goals against UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 4 equaled his single-game career-high (also done 9/26/21 at San Jose State).
BUGELLI ROLL
Sophomore
Rhys Bugelli has been on quite the roll this season. He's tallied at least one goal in 21 of 22 games and has netted multiple goals in 14 outings. His 49 goals and 63 points rank second on the team. In the WWPA, Bugelli is sixth in goals per game and 10th in goals.
AROUND THE BLOCK
Max Abravanel (13) and
Manuel Augusto (11) are second and third, respectively, in the WWPA in field blocks.
ON THE NET
Triton goalkeeper
Alexander Nemeth has been in net for the majority of this season's minutes. He has totaled nine victories and 193 saves. That save number is the fifth-most by any WWPA player. He has been called upon to make 10 or more saves eight times. Most recently, Nemeth had 15 stops against UC Davis on Nov. 5.
HELP ME OUT, WILL YA
With 28 assists,
Kaden Likins leads the Tritons in helpers this season.
Max Abravanel is just behind with 27, while
Manuel Augusto (25),
Vedran Latkovic (21) and
Miles Wilson (21) have eclipsed 20 assists as well.
VEDRAN LATKOVIC NETS WWPA PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
Vedran Latkovic was named the WWPA Player of the Week on Oct. 27. Latkovic netted three goals to lead the team to a 12-7 WWPA victory over Air Force at home. The win kept the Tritons undefeated in conference action as they moved to 6-0. It was the 16
th time this season that Latkovic had tallied multiple goals with at least a hat trick in 11 of those games. It is the second league player of the week accolade of his career as he also garnered the title on Sept. 29, 2021, en route to being selected to the All-WWPA Second Team. Latkovic is the second Triton to be tabbed the WWPA Player of the Week in 2022 as sophomore
Rhys Bugelli earned the honor on Sept. 28.
BUGELLI NAMED THE WWPA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore
Rhys Bugelli was named the WWPA Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Sept. 28. He totaled 11 points with nine goals and a pair of assists over four matches at the MPSF Invitational, helping the Tritons go 2-2 against a stacked field at Stanford. Bugelli had multiple goals in three of four matches, including three vs. No. 9 San Jose State and three against No. 11 Pepperdine. He also scored twice vs. No. 10 Loyola Marymount and had a single goal against No. 4 Pacific. In addition, he collected five drawn exclusions during the tournament. Earlier in the week in a home contest against Loyola Marymount, Bugelli registered four drawn exclusions and netted a goal.
THEY CALL HIM USHA
UC San Diego is led by first-year head coach Matt "Usha" Ustaszewski, who took over for Denny Harper as he announced his retirement in July after 42 years at the helm. Ustaszewski earned his first victory as UC San Diego's head coach on Sept. 3, 2022, as the Tritons defeated La Verne, 22-8, in the team's season opener during the Triton Invitational. In 2021, Ustaszewski completed his ninth season as associate head coach and 12th season overall on the UC San Diego men's water polo staff. Usha is no stranger to the La Jolla campus. He was a co-captain of the fifth-ranked Triton water polo team as a senior in 2003 for under the tutelage of Harper. He graduated in 2004, completing his bachelor's degree in history (Europe emphasis) with a 3.5 grade-point average. He also has extensive experience with Team USA. As an assistant coach in the summer of 2022, he helped the Men's National Team finish sixth at the FINA World Championships in Hungary. Team USA went 2-2 overall, which included a 16-15 penalty shootout victory against Hungary.Also during the summer of 2022, Ustaszewski was with Team USA when it won a silver medal at the FINA World League Super Final in France. Ustaszewski served as the video coach for Team USA at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
For Usha's complete bio,
click here.
MOMDZHYAN BACK ON THE DECK
Former UC San Diego men's water polo standout
Arman Momdzhyan has returned to the program this season as an assistant coach. Momdzhyan played for UC San Diego for two seasons after transferring from Los Angeles Valley College. He was named the Association of Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) NCAA Division II Player of the Year in both 2016 and 2017. Momdzhyan also earned ACWPC All-America Division II First Team as well as All-Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) First Team accolades in each of his seasons with the Tritons. Over 43 career games, he scored 98 goals and added 16 assists for 114 points. His 44 goals in 2016 led the team and his 54 goals in 2017 were second on the Triton roster. Momdzhyan led UC San Diego to back-to-back WWPA titles and a No. 9 national ranking. The Glendale, Calif., native graduated from UC San Diego in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in human developmental sciences. He earned a master's in Kinesiology from Fresno Pacific.
For Momdzyhan's complete bio,
click here.
A QUICK GLANCE AT THE 2021 TRITONS
In 2021, UC San Diego posted a 14-10 overall record and went 6-2 in WWPA play. Ranked as high as No. 8 in the nation, the Tritons earned seven victories over other ranked teams including No. 5 Pepperdine, No. 9 UC Davis, No. 13 UC Irvine, No. 17 Loyola Marymount (twice), No. 18 California Baptist, and No. 20 Santa Clara. The team won its first match at the WWPA Championships, defeating Concordia 21-7, before falling to California Baptist and Loyola Marymount to end its season.
The Tritons return several key players in 2022 including senior
Vedran Latkovic, who led the team in point production with 69 on 53 goals and 16 assists. He netted at least one goal in 21 of 24 games played with one of his biggest coming with 12 seconds left on the clock to lift the Tritons to a 14-13 win against Loyola Marymount at home. Also back in the pool will be junior
Kaden Likins, who tied for second on the team with his 59 points. Likins scored 33 goals while dishing out 26 assists, which tied for the most helpers on the team. Senior
Manuel Augusto (31 goals, 55 points) and sophomore
Miles Wilson (29 goals, 55 points) return, as does junior goalkeeper
Alexander Nemeth, who posted a 13-8 record and led UC San Diego defensively with 22 steals.
Latkovic and Nemeth were selected to the All-WWPA Second Team while Likins was an All-WWPA Honorable Mention. Wilson was named to the WWPA All-Freshman Team.
FINAL HURRAH IN THE WWPA
This will be UC San Diego's final season as a member of the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). The Tritons will join The Big West when the conference begins sponsoring the sport in 2023. The team has enjoyed great success in the WWPA, winning 19 conference titles. Expected to join the Tritons next season in The Big West are Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara. In addition, Cal State Fullerton announced that it will be adding men's and women's water polo in 2023. The Titans will give the league six teams, the minimum required to create a conference that can qualify for an automatic berth into the NCAA Championship. The addition of men's water polo will give UC San Diego 17 teams competing in The Big West - baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and men's and women's volleyball, and men's and women's water polo. The UC San Diego women's water polo team has been in The Big West since 2020.
| 2022 WWPA STANDINGS (through 11/9) |
| Rank |
Team |
WWPA |
Overall |
| 1 |
UC Davis |
8-0 |
16-7 |
| 2 |
Loyola Marymount |
7-1 |
15-7 |
| 3 |
UC San Diego |
6-2 |
11-12 |
| 4 |
Santa Clara |
4-4 |
11-12 |
|
Air Force |
4-4 |
23-10 |
|
California Baptist |
4-4 |
22-12 |
| 7 |
Concordia |
2-6 |
5-21 |
| 8 |
Biola |
1-7 |
14-16 |
| 9 |
Fresno Pacific |
0-8 |
2-21 |
| 2022 WWPA PRESEASON COACHES POLL |
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
1st-Place Votes |
2021 Records |
| 1 |
UC Davis |
64 |
8 |
19-9/7-1 |
| 2 |
UC San Diego |
53 |
1 |
14-10/6-2 |
| 3 |
California Baptist |
49 |
- |
20-14/6-2 |
| 4 |
Loyola Marymount |
48 |
- |
12-14/6-2 |
| 5 |
Santa Clara |
33 |
- |
13-16/2-6 |
| 6 |
Air Force |
32 |
- |
17-9/5-3 |
| 7 |
Concordia |
21 |
- |
9-17/2-6 |
| 8 |
Fresno Pacific |
14 |
- |
7-22/2-6 |
| 9 |
Biola |
10 |
- |
3-22/0-8 |
| CWPA NATIONAL POLL (Nov. 9) |
| Rank |
Team |
Previous Poll |
| 1 |
Cal |
1 |
| 2 |
UCLA |
2 |
| 3 |
USC |
3 |
| 4 |
Stanford |
4 |
| 5 |
UC Davis |
5 (tie) |
| 6 |
Long Beach State |
7 |
| 7 |
Pacific |
5 (tie) |
| 8 (tie) |
Princeton |
8 |
| 8 (tie) |
UC Santa Barbara |
9 (tie) |
| 10 |
UC Irvine |
11 |
| 11 |
Pepperdine |
9 (tie) |
| 12 |
UC San Diego |
13 |
| 13 |
Loyola Marymount |
12 |
| 14 |
Harvard |
15 |
| 15 |
San Jose State |
14 |
| 16 |
California Baptist |
17 |
| 17 |
Santa Clara |
16 |
| 18 |
Fordham |
18 |
| 19 |
George Washington |
19 |
| 20 |
St. Francis College Brooklyn |
20 |
GAME DAY GOES WITH YOU
Triton fans now have a whole new way to access game day information, as game programs have gone digital! Fans can visit
Game Day from their smart phone or scan the QR code at the entrance to Canyonview Aquatic Center for everything they need to know about each home game, including updated rosters, schedules, and stats for each team, as well as links to watch games live.
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS LAUNCHES WEEKLY PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast,
Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department during its transition to NCAA Division I. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on Twitter
@Tritoncast.
YOU CAN CATCH MANUEL AUGUSTO ON TRITONCAST HERE!
YOU CAN CATCH HEAD COACH MATT USTASZEWSKI ON TRITONCAST HERE!
GET SOCIAL WITH MEN'S WATER POLO
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through
Twitter and
Instagram. The team's handle is @ucsdmwp.
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the
Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!
GEAR HERE
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories,
click here.
UP NEXT
It's Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championship time as the conference tournament is set for November 18-20 at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. The third seed, UC San Diego opens with a first round game against fifth-seeded Air Force at noon on November 18. The winner of the WWPA Championship earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. For a complete schedule and live links, visit
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
