DAVIS, Calif. - UC San Diego and Hawai'i will meet in a Big West Women's Water Polo Championship semifinal Saturday.
First sprint between the fourth-seeded Tritons and top-seeded Rainbow Wahine is slated for a noon start at Schaal Aquatics Center on the campus of UC Davis.
UC San Diego defeated CSUN, the fifth seed, 18-11 in a quarterfinal Friday to advance. Hawai'i topped eighth-seeded Cal State Fullerton 19-6 to punch its ticket into the semis.
Saturday's second final will feature No. 2 UC Irvine against No. 3 Long Beach State.
This is the fourth Big West Championship appearance for the Tritons since joining the conference for the 2020 season (no event that year due to pandemic). The team has won its opening game to advance to the semifinal round in each of the past three seasons. The Tritons' 12-11 overtime victory against UC Davis in 2022 was their first-ever Big West Championship win.
UC Irvine is the reigning Big West champion after defeating Hawai'i in overtime last year. The Anteaters hold a 29-5 all-time record in the Big West Championship, the best of any conference team.
For complete information, including a full schedule and ticket info, visit
Tournament Central.
THE ESSENTIALS
--- Game 30: Big West Championship ---
• #15/16/ UC San Diego (18-11) vs. #2
Hawai'i (20-3) - Semifinal
• Saturday / April 27 / 12 p.m. Pacific
•
Schaal Aquatics Center / Davis, Calif. (
map)
•
Tickets
•
ESPN+ ($)
•
Live Stats
•
Twitter /
Instagram
ABOUT THE UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS
Roster |
Schedule & Results |
Statistics
• Location: La Jolla, Calif.
• Conference:
Big West
• Overall: 18-11
• Big West: 4-3
• Home: 2-6
• Away: 5-1
• Neutral: 11-4
• Streak: 2 wins
• Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) national ranking: 16
• Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) national ranking: 15
• Big West Preseason Poll: 4th of 8
• Big West Finish: 4th of 8
ABOUT THE HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE
Roster |
Schedule & Results |
Statistics
• Location: Honolulu, Hawai'i
• Conference:
Big West
• Overall: 20-3
• Big West: 7-0
• Home: 8-0
• Away: 3-1
• Neutral: 9-2
• Streak: 8 wins
• Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) national ranking: 2
• Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) national ranking: 2
• Big West Preseason Poll: 1st of 8
• Big West Finish: 2nd of 8
TRITONS V. RAINBOW WAHINE
• All-time: Hawai'i leads 29-4
• Last meeting: 3/29/24 (
UH wins 18-8 in Honolulu)
• Last UC San Diego win: 3/10/21 (
10-9 in La Jolla, Calif.)
• Streak: Hawai'i 6 wins
TRITON QUICK BITS
• This is the third-straight season that UC San Diego has advanced to the Big West semifinal round.
• The 18 goals scored Friday were one short of the Big West Championship record, set by Hawai'i earlier in the day.
• UC San Diego's top-five goal productions this season are 23 (Ottawa, 1/20), 20 (Fresno Pacific, 1/27), 20 (La Verne, 3/1), 19 (Whittier, 1/21), and 18 (CSUN, 4/26).
•
Caroline Christl has scored at least once in 14 of her last 15 outings and has multiple goals in 12 of those games.
• Christl has tallied multiple goals in 19 games this season, which includes four-straight games with a hat trick.
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Kendall Thomas has scored 13 goals over her last three games.
• Friday's three-goal performance was the 15th multi-goal game for Thomas in 2024.
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Abigail Schechter's three goals Friday are a career-high for the freshman.
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Lexi Stahl has made 10 or more saves seven times this season, including a five-game streak in which she stopped 13, 11, 11, 10, and 15.
• Stahl has at least one steal in 13 of 19 games played this season.
•
Katie Ward made her 14th appearance in net yesterday.
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Sydney Munatones matched her career-high with three assists Friday. It was the third time this season she has dished out a trifecta of helpers.
• UC San Diego has gone 4-0 on sprints seven times this year.
BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Quarterfinals - Friday, April 26
No. 1 Hawai'i 19, No. 8 Cal State Fullerton 6
No. 4 UC San Diego 18, No. 5 CSUN 11
No. 2 UC Irvine 9, No. 7 UC Davis 6
No. 3 Long Beach State 8, No. 6 UC Santa Barbara 6
Semifinals - Saturday, April 27
No. 1 Hawai'i vs. No. 4 UC San Diego, 12 p.m.
No. 2 UC Irvine vs. No. 3 Long Beach State, 2 p.m.
Championship - Sunday, April 28
Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 12 p.m.
BIG WEST STANDINGS (final)
1. Hawai'i, 7-0
2. UC Irvine, 5-2
3. Long Beach State, 5-2
4. UC San Diego, 4-3
5. CSUN, 2-5
6. UC Santa Barbara, 2-5
7. UC Davis, 2-5
8. Cal State Fullerton, 1-6
UC SAN DIEGO IN THE BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP
• Overall: 3-3
• vs. CSUN: 1-0
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vs. Hawai'i: 0-1
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vs. UC Davis: 2-0
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vs. UC Irvine: 0-2
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In Overtime: 1-0
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As the No. 2 seed: 0-1
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As the No. 4 seed: 2-1
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As the No. 5 seed: 1-1
• UC San Diego Goals Scored: 68
• Opponent Goals Scored: 68
2024 (Davis, Calif.)
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UC San Diego 18, CSUN 11 (Quarterfinal)
2023 (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
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UC Irvine 12, UC San Diego 6 (Semifinal)
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UC San Diego 9, UC Davis 8 (Quarterfinal)
2022 (Honolulu, Hawai'i)
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Hawai'i 14, UC San Diego 12 (Semifinal)
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UC San Diego 12, UC Davis 11 OT (Quarterfinal)
2021 (La Jolla, Calif.)
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UC Irvine 12, UC San Diego 11 (Quarterfinal)
TRITON LEADERS
(through 4/26)
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Goals:
Caroline Christl 64
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Assists: Sydney Munatones,
Courtney Okumura 31
• Points: Caroline Christl 77
• Drawn Exclusions: Kendall Thomas 40
• Steals: Lexi Stahl 28
• Field Blocks: Kendall Thomas 7
• Saves: Lexi Stahl 160
ACTIVE TRITON SCORING STREAKS
(through 4/26)
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Courtney Okumura 4 games
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Kendall Thomas 4
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Abby Moll 2
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Sydney Munatones 2
TRITON GAME-WINNING GOALS
(through 4/26)
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Caroline Christl: 5 (Ottawa, La Verne, Princeton, Cal State Fullerton, UC Santa Barbara)
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Cascade Stensland: 3 (California Baptist 2, Whittier, Biola)
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Grayson Mix: 2 (Fresno Pacific, Marist)
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Abigail Schechter: 2 (La Salle, CSUN 2)
• Kendall Thomas: 2 (CSUN, San Diego State)
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Annika Arroyo: 1 (UC Irvine)
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Lucia Doak: 1 (California Baptist 1)
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Kenzie Larson: 1 (Concordia)
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Courtney Okumura: 1 (Biola 2)
GOAL BREAKDOWN (through 4/26)
| Player |
Goals |
Games Scored In |
Multi-Goal
Games |
| Christl |
64 |
23 |
19 |
| Thomas |
49 |
21 |
15 |
| Doak |
35 |
19 |
11 |
| Okumura |
34 |
20 |
13 |
| Arroyo |
25 |
16 |
7 |
| Sofia Munatones |
24 |
15 |
8 |
| Stensland |
24 |
13 |
6 |
TRITON RECORDS
(through 4/26)
| Overall |
18-11 |
| Big West |
4-3 |
| Non-conference |
14-8 |
| At home |
2-6 |
| On the road |
5-1 |
| At a neutral site |
11-4 |
| In overtime |
0-1 |
| Scoring 4-6 goals |
1-2 |
| Scoring 7-9 goals |
1-5 |
| Scoring 10-12 goals |
3-3 |
| Scoring 13-15 goals |
7-0 |
| Scoring 16-18 goals |
2-1 |
| Scoring 19-20 goals |
3-0 |
| Scoring 21-plus goals |
1-0 |
| More steals than opponent |
15-3 |
| Opponent has more steals |
1-8 |
| Steals are even |
2-0 |
| More shots than opponent |
14-7 |
| Opponent has more shots |
3-3 |
| Shots are even |
1-1 |
| More exclusions than opponent |
5-3 |
| Opponent has more exclusions |
11-5 |
| Exclusions are even |
2-3 |
| More field blocks than opponent |
8-2 |
| Opponent has more field blocks |
4-8 |
| Field blocks are even |
6-1 |
| On Fridays |
3-5 |
| On Saturdays |
7-4 |
| On Sundays |
8-2 |
2024 AWARDS
• Caroline Christl: UCU Athlete of the Week (4/1)
•
Lexi Stahl: Two-time Big West Player of the Week (4/10, 3/13)
• Kendall Thomas: All-Big West Preseason Coaches' Team, Two-time UCU Athlete of the Week (4/22, 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
TRITON DEBUTS
A total of five UC San Diego freshmen have made their collegiate debuts this season.
Four of those debuts came 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
The final debut was goalie
Paedrin Gillett on Feb. 3 vs. California Baptist. She had 5 saves, 1 assist, 3 steals, and earned a 13-9 win in a complete game effort.
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
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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,
Caroline Christl and
Courtney Okumura also earned ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention.
Sofia Munatones and
Sydney Munatones joined that trio in gaining Big West postseason recognition.
2024 CWPA NATIONAL POLL
(4/24)
1. UCLA
2. Hawai'i
3. California
4. Stanford
5. USC
6. Loyola Marymount
7. UC Irvine
8. Long Beach State
9. Fresno State
10. Arizona State
11. Princeton
12. Indiana
13. Michigan
14. UC Davis
15. UC San Diego
16. UC Santa Barbara
17. CSUN
18. Wagner
19. San Jose State
20. Harvard
21. Pacific
22. Long Island University
23. San Diego State
24. Brown
25. Pomona-Pitzer
UC SAN DIEGO IN THE 2024 CWPA NATIONAL POLL
Week 14 (4/24): 15
Week 13 (4/17): 11
Week 12 (4/10): 11
Week 11 (4/3): 12
Week 10 (3/27): 12
Week 9 (3/20): 12
Week 8 (3/13): 11
Week 7 (3/6): T-13
Week 6 (2/28): 15
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
2024 ACWPC NATIONAL POLL
(4/24)
1. UCLA
2. Hawai'i
3. California
4. Stanford
5. USC
6. LMU
7. Fresno State
8. UC Irvine
9. Long Beach State
10. Arizona State
11. Indiana
12. Princeton
T-13. Michigan
T-13. UC Davis
15. UC Santa Barbara
16. UC San Diego
17. San Jose State
18. Wagner
19. Harvard
20. Long Island University
21. San Diego State
22. Pacific
23. CSUN
24. Pomona-Pitzer
T-25. Brown
T-25. Marist
UC SAN DIEGO IN THE 2024 ACWPC NATIONAL POLL
April 24: 16
April 17: 14
April 10: 14
April 3: 14
March 27: 14
March 20: T-14
March 13: 14
March 6: T-15
Feb. 28: 14
Feb. 21: 13
Feb. 14: 13
Feb. 7: 15
Jan. 31: 9
Jan. 24: 9
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
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the
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GEAR HERE
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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.
