LA JOLLA, Calif. -Â No. 13 UC San Diego women's water polo is back in tournament action this week at UC Irvine's Barbara Kalbus Invitational.
The event runs Feb. 23-25 and games will be held at the Anteater Aquatics Complex on campus as well as Corona del Mar High School.
The Tritons (6-5) get things going against sixth-ranked California (6-1) on Friday at 5 p.m. at UC Irvine. The squads have split the last two meetings between one another with Cal victorious in February of 2020 and UC San Diego winning in January of the same season.
The winner of the game will play the winner of the Biola/Fresno State game Saturday at 11:45 a.m. at Corona del Mar High School. The loser will play either Biola or Fresno State Saturday at 11:45 a.m. at UC Irvine.
Sunday's opponent and game time/location are dependent on results.Â
The 16-team tournament field features 13 nationally-ranked squads, including nine of the top 10-ranked teams in the country.
#1 UCLA
#2 Hawai'i
#3 Fresno State
#4 Stanford
#5 USC
#6 California
#7 Arizona State
#8 Michigan
#10 UC Irvine
#12 Long Beach State
#13 UC San Diego
#13 Indiana
#13 UC Santa Barbara
RV Biola
RV Pomona-Pitzer
Cal State Fullerton
THE ESSENTIALS
--- Game 12: Barbara Kalbus Invitational ---
• #13 UC San Diego (6-5) vs. #6Â
California (6-1)
• Friday / February 23 / 5pm Pacific
•
Anteater Aquatics Complex / Irvine, Calif. (
map)
•
Tickets
•
Live Stats
•
KSDT Radio
•Â
Twitter /Â
Instagram
ABOUT THE UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS
Roster |Â
Schedule & Results |Â
Statistics
• Location: La Jolla, Calif.
• Overall: 6-5
• Big West: 0-0
• Home: 1-4
• Away: 1-0
• Neutral: 4-1
• Streak: 3 losses
• Against nationally-ranked teams: 1-5
• Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC)national ranking: 13
• Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) national ranking: 13
• Big West Preseason Poll: 4th of 8
ABOUT THE CAL GOLDEN BEARS
Roster |Â
Schedule & Results |
Statistics
• Location: Berkeley, Calif.
• Overall: 6-1
• MPSF: 0-0
• Home: 2-0
• Away: 0-1
• Neutral: 4-0
• Streak: 1 win
• Against nationally-ranked teams: 6-1
• Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC)national ranking: 5
• Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) national ranking: 6
TRITONS v BEARS - THE SERIES
• All-time: California leads 13-1
• Last meeting: 2/23/20 (Cal wins 10-6 in Irvine, Calif.)
• First meeting: 3/7/92 (UC San Diego wins 5-3 in Berkeley, Calif.)
• Last UC San Diego win: 1/19/20 (14-13 OT in Santa Barbara, Calif.)
• Streak: Cal 1 win
TRITON DEBUTS
Four UC San Diego freshmen made their collegiate debuts against Ottawa on Jan. 20 at UC Santa Barbara's Winter Invitational. The foursome accounted for five goals, two assists, and six steals in the Tritons' 23-2 victory.
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Emily Cloherty: 2 shots, 2 goals, 1 drawn exclusion, 1 steal
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Maddie McMahon: 1 shot, 1 goal, 1 steal
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Olivia Obando: 1 shot, 1 goal, 3 steals
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Abigail Schechter: 1 shot, 1 goal, 2 assists, 1 steal
TRITON LEADERS
(through 2/22)
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Goals:Â
Caroline Christl 20
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Assists:
Sydney Munatones 15
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Points:
Kendall Thomas 25
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Shots:
Caroline Christl 47
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Drawn Exclusions:
Kendall Thomas 19
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Steals:
Lexi Stahl 10
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Field Blocks:
Kendall Thomas 5
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Saves: Lexi Stahl 42
TRITONS AMONGÂ THE BIG WEST LEADERS
(through 2/22, all games)
• Caroline Christl: 6th in goals (20), 8th in goals/game (2.0)
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Sydney Munatones: 4th in assists (15), 5th in assists/game (1.5)
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Courtney Okumura: 3rd in sprint wins (11)
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Lexi Stahl: 8th in saves (42)
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Kendall Thomas: 5th in field blocks (5)
ACTIVE TRITON SCORING STREAKS
(through 2/22)
• Caroline Christl: 5 games
• Annika Arroyo: 3
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Sasha Frey: 2
TRITON GAME-WINNING GOALS
(through 2/22)
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Grayson Mix: 2 (Fresno Pacific, Marist)
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Cascade Stensland: 2 (California Baptist 2, Whittier)
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Caroline Christl: 1 (Ottawa)
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Lucia Doak: 1 (California Baptist 1)
TRITON CAREER-HIGHS
(through 2/22)
Â
TRITON GOAL BREAKDOWN
(through 2/22)
TRITON RECORDS
(through 2/22)
| Overall |
6-5 |
| Big West |
0-0 |
| Non-conference |
6-5 |
| At home |
1-4 |
| On the road |
1-0 |
| At a neutral site |
4-1 |
| In overtime |
0-0 |
| Scoring 4-6Â goals |
0-0 |
| Scoring 7-9 goals |
0-3 |
| Scoring 10-12 goals |
0-2 |
| Scoring 13-15 goals |
3-0 |
| Scoring 16-18 goals |
0-0 |
| Scoring 19-20 goals |
2-0 |
| Scoring 21-plus goals |
1-0 |
| More steals than opponent |
5-1 |
| Opponent has more steals |
1-4 |
| Steals are even |
0-0 |
| More shots than opponent |
6-4 |
| Opponent has more shots |
0-1 |
| Shots are even |
0-0 |
| More exclusions than opponent |
2-1 |
| Opponent has more exclusions |
4-3 |
| Exclusions are even |
0-1 |
| More field blocks than opponent |
2-1 |
| Opponent has more field blocks |
2-4 |
| Field blocks are even |
2-0 |
| On Wednesdays |
0-0 |
| On Thursdays |
0-0 |
| On Fridays |
0-2 |
| On Saturdays |
4-2 |
| On Sundays |
2-1 |
2024 AWARDS
• Kendall Thomas: All-Big West Preseason Coaches' Team, UCU Athlete of the Week (1/29)
UC SAN DIEGO ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Returning (20)
Annika Arroyo, UTL
Allie Bartholomew, ATT
Lauren Bellavia, ATT
Caroline Christl, UTL
Lucia Doak, CD
Sila Fedler, UTL
Sasha Frey, ATT
Hannah Kawar, C
Kenzie Larson, ATT
Grayson Mix, UTL
Abby Moll, ATT
Sofia Munatones, ATT
Sydney Munatones, ATT
Courtney Okumura, ATT
Olivia Seargeant, UTL
Lexi Stahl, GK
Cascade Stensland, CD
Kendall Thomas, C
Katie Ward, GK
Bria Zwaschka, GK
Lost (8)
Caroline Courtois, ATT
Natalie DiMeo, ATT
Tania Frank, ATT
Madisongrace Guerra, GK
Maja Layden, C
Maddie Solares, ATT
Kayla Peacock, ATT
Carson Rampelberg, ATT
Newcomers (7)
Kyla Bruhn, ATT
Emily Cloherty, ATT
Paedrin Gillett, GK
Zoe Grover, ATT
Maddie McMahon, UTL
Olivia Obando, ATT
Abigail Schechter, UTL
AYE AYE CAPTAIN
The Tritons' co-captains this season are senior
Annika Arroyo and junior
Lexi Stahl.
THOMAS NAMED TO ALL-BIG WEST PRESEASON COACHES' TEAM
Junior
Kendall Thomas was named to the 2024 All-Big West Preseason Coaches' Team. In 2023, Thomas rang up 67 points on 56 goals and 11 assists. The center led the Tritons in drawn exclusions with 42 and was second on the team in points and goals. Among all Big West players, she ranked seventh in goals and 10th in points. Thomas scored multiple goals in 16 games including a career-best seven in a win against conference opponent Cal State Fullerton. In the annual Harper Cup game against San Diego State, Thomas scored with three seconds left to give the Tritons a 10-9 win and keep the cup in La Jolla for the seventh-consecutive season. Thomas earned several accolades in 2023 including All-America Honorable Mention from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC), All-Big West Second Team, and Harper Cup MVP. She also won academic awards from the Big West and ACWPC.
'TIS THE PRESEASON
2024 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. UC Irvine: 47 points, 5 first-place votes
2. Hawai'i: 42, 1
3. Long Beach State: 40, 2
4. UC San Diego: 31
5. UC Davis: 23
6. UC Santa Barbara: 20
7. CSUN: 13
8. Cal State Fullerton: 8
2024 All-Big West Preseason Coaches' Team
• Rachel Kowalchick: Sr., Center, Long Beach State
• Bia Mantellato Dias: So., Center, Hawai'i
• Elisa Portillo: So., Attacker, Long Beach State
• Faith Tedesco: Sr., Goalkeeper, UC Irvine
• Dorottya Telek: Sr., Center, CSUN
•
Kendall Thomas: Jr., Center, UC San Diego
• Nioka Thomas: Jr., Center, UC Irvine
TAKE ME BACK
In 2023, the Tritons went 14-17 overall and posted a 4-3 Big West record. They finished strong, winning five of their last six games. As the fourth seed in the Big West Championship, UC San Diego defeated fifth-seeded UC Davis in a quarterfinal and fell against top-seeded and eventual conference winner UC Irvine in the semifinal round.
Kendall Thomas,Â
Caroline Christl andÂ
Courtney Okumura also earned ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention.Â
Sofia Munatones andÂ
Sydney Munatones joined that trio in gaining Big West postseason recognition.
2024 CWPA NATIONAL POLL
(2/21)
1. UCLA
2. Hawai'i
3. Fresno State
4. Stanford
5. USC
6. California
7. Arizona State
8. Michigan
9. Princeton
10. UC Irvine
11. Loyola Marymount
12. Long Beach State
T-13. UC San Diego
T-13. UC Santa Barbara
T-13. UC Davis
T-13. Indiana
17. Pacific
18. Wagner
19. Harvard
20. Brown
T-21. Long Island University
T-21. Marist
23. San Jose State
24. San Diego State
25. CSUN
Receiving votes: Biola, Pomona-Pitzer
UC SAN DIEGO IN THE 2024 CWPA NATIONAL POLL
Week 5 (2/21): T-13
Week 4 (2/14): 14
Week 3 (2/7): 14
Week 2 (1/31): 9
Week 1 (1/24): 10
Preseason (1/11): 10
HEAD COACH BRAD KREUTZKAMP
Brad Kreutzkamp is in his 15th season as head coach of the UC San Diego women's water polo program in 2024. In 14 seasons at the helm, Kreutzkamp has led UC San Diego to eight Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) championships and eight appearances at the NCAA Championship. He holds an overall record of 278-197 (.585) during his tenure and has been named the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) and WWPA Coach of the Year five times during this stretch.
Full Bio
UP NEXT
UC San Diego plays two games on Friday, March 1, as part of the Claremont Convergence tournament. With both games at the Allred Aquatics Center on the campus of Chapman University in Orange, the Tritons play La Verne (10:15 a.m.) and Biola (2 p.m.).
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out theÂ
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, visit the official team store of the TritonsÂ
here.
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.
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 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.
