LA JOLLA, Calif. – After finishing the regular season with a win at the Harper Cup, the No. 12 UC San Diego women's water polo team (19-10, 3-3 BWC) will take on UC Davis (16-11, 3-3 BWC) in the team's first match at the Big West Conference Tournament. The Tritons are the fifth seed in the Big West Tournament; the Aggies are the fourth seed.
 
DETAILS
No. 12 UC San Diego (19-10, 3-3 BWC)  vs No. 11 UC Davis (16-11, 3-3 BWC)
Thursday, April 21 at 1:00 pm PDT
Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tournament Page
 
THE BRACKET
The Tritons are the fifth seed in the tournament. Long Beach State, UC Davis and UC San Diego all finished 3-3 in conference play. The tiebreaker considered goal differential in games between the three teams, with Long Beach State earning the No. 3 seed ahead of UC Davis and UC San Diego. University of Hawai'i finished 6-0 in conference play this season to earn the top seed and is hosting the tournament.
 
Last season, the Tritons were the second seed, and only the top five teams in the Big West competed in the tournament. This season, all seven schools will compete, allowing for quarterfinals and a bye for top-seeded Hawai'i.
 
For an interactive bracket, click here.
 
WHAT'S AT STAKE
For the Tritons, this is only their second Big West Conference Tournament appearance. In the team's first appearance in 2021, UC San Diego hosted the Tournament, and in their only match was handed a 12-11 loss by UC Irvine in the semifinal. In that match, Ciara Franke netted a team-high four goals for the Tritons.
 
Against UC Davis this season, UC San Diego is winless in three matchups. At the Triton Invitational on Feb. 13, the Tritons fell 9-7 to the then-No. 10 Aggies. Two weeks later, UC Davis once again bested UC San Diego in an 11-8 win on Feb. 25 at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational at UC Irvine. During Big West play, the Aggies completed the season sweep against the Tritons in a 9-5 win at Canyonview Aquatic Center. UC San Diego historically has struggled against UC Davis, with a 21-37 record against their now-Big West rival. The Tritons' last win against the Aggies came on April 10, 2021, in an 11-7 victory during conference play, with Bennett Bugelli recording 11 saves. This was the first time since 2013 that UC San Diego had taken down UC Davis in the pool.
 
LAST TIME OUT
In the final match of the regular season, UC San Diego brought home a 13-8 win at the Harper Cup against No. 20 San Diego State on Saturday, April 16. The Tritons found themselves down a goal early after Karli Canale scored for the Aztecs, the first of four goals she netted in the match. UC San Diego then notched four consecutive goals, with two coming from Lucia Doak, taking a 4-1 lead with 4:36 remaining in the second period. After trading goals with San Diego State to end the half, the Tritons took a 6-3 lead into the second half.
 
The third period saw a combined seven goals between the two teams, with the Tritons scoring the first two goals of the period to extend their lead to 8-3. In the fourth period, Ciara Franke, Courtney Okumura, and Karis Couch found the back of the net to help solidify the win for UC San Diego.
 
RECORD WATCH
Ciara Franke netted four goals on her way to being named Harper Cup MVP, giving her 206 for her career. She is now sixth in UC San Diego history. She cemented herself as the 10th all-time goal scorer in UC San Diego history against Loyola Marymount, scoring four goals, including three penalty shots, in the win. This season, Franke has netted 52 goals, despite missing six matches.
 

Goals	Player Name	Years Played
321 goals	Sarah Lizotte	2011-2014
297 goals	Alexis Wieseler	2013-2017
245 goals	Julie Swail	1992-1995
218 goals	Jamie Dailey	1989-1992
210 goals	Emma Kudrutzki	1999-2002
206 goals*	Ciara Franke	2018 - Present
205 goals	Julia Kirkland	2013-2016

 
*NOTE – In previous releases, Franke's goal total was calculated incorrectly to be 204 career goals and 51 goals this season. Above is the accurate total (206 career goals, 52 goals this season).
 
Franke has also moved up on the steals leaderboard this season. With her three steals against San Diego State, she reached 163 steals in her career, placing her in a three-way tie with Jolene Guiliana and Hanalei Crowell for eighth all-time in steals at UC San Diego.
 

Steals	Player Name	Years Played
280 steals	Samara Silverman	2000-2003
248 steals	Alexis Wieseler	2013-2017
217 steals	Meris Bantilan-Smith	2001-2004
193 steals	Laurel Kistler	2013-2016
189 steals	Kristen Bates	2009-2012
174 steals	Christy Parker	1988-1991
169 steals	Shawna Caballero	1993-1996
163 steals	Hanalei Crowell	2008-2011
163 steals	Jolene Guiliana	2012-2015
163 steals	Ciara Franke	2018-Present

Bennett Bugelli recorded 12 more saves against San Diego State, bringing her career total up to 806 career saves. In the win over UCSB at the Kalbus Invitational, Bugelli moved up to third all-time, passing Maryam Hadiashar, 697 saves, and Leona Mason, 701 saves. This season, she has already leapt up from ninth place after making 25 saves at the UCSB Winter Invite. Next on the list is Jefi Paulsen with 852 saves.
 

Goalie Saves	Player Name	Years Played
1,465 saves	Courtney Miller	2013-2016
852 saves	Jefi Paulsen	1987-1990
806 saves	Bennett Bugelli	2017- Present
701 saves	Leona Mason	1993-1996
697 saves	Maryam Hadiashar	1997-2000

 
FINE WORK BY THE FRESHMAN
Freshmen Lucia Doak and Courtney Okumura each contributed a pair of goals to finish off their first collegiate regular season. On the year, three of the Tritons' top six goal scorers were freshmen. Kendall Thomas led the first years with 38 goals, followed by Doak with 37 and Okumura with 22. Okumura also the led the team in assists with 24, and is the first freshman of the Big West era at UC San Diego to lead the team in that category.

HISTORY WITH EVERY WIN
With the win over San Diego State on Saturday, head coach Brad Kreutzkamp moved up to 263 career wins, after already having surpassed his former head coach and mentor Denny Harper earlier this season for the program record.

UC SAN DIEGO AND COVID-19
UC San Diego's nationally renowned Return to Learn program was created to return to in-person teaching, learning, conducting pioneering research and serving our communities in the safest way possible. The program has three adaptive pillars that are central to our strategy to resume on-campus activity: risk mitigation, viral detection, and intervention.

For the latest information on UC San Diego and COVID-19, please visit the University's Return to Learn site.

GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO WOMEN'S WATER POLO
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through Twitter and Instagram. The team's handle is @ucsdwwp.

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
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, click here.
 
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 has begun a new era 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 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have garnered 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. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.