Story courtesy USA Water Polo

IRVINE, Calif. – The UC San Diego women's water polo team will compete in the first-ever Legacy Crown this weekend in Orange County.

To honor the 25^th anniversary of the inclusion of women's water polo at the Olympic Games, USA Water Polo created a new women's water polo event: the Legacy Crown, set for November 15-16 in Costa Mesa, Calif. The two-day championship will celebrate women's water polo and people in the community who have helped foster growth, excellence, and opportunity. It will feature the nation's top collegiate teams, elite domestic clubs and USA Water Polo National Team Academy squads.

"We're looking forward to competing in the first-ever Legacy Crown," said first-year UC San Diego head coach Sarah Lizotte. "This event brings together high-level teams from across the country, and it's a great opportunity for us to challenge ourselves in the offseason. More importantly, it's about building our standard and strengthening our culture together."

UC San Diego's first game will be against Hawai'i on Nov. 15 at 11:45 a.m. at Orange Coast College. Ensuing games will depend on results.

Stanford University will headline the collegiate field as the reigning NCAA champion, and will be joined by perennial NCAA tournament qualifiers: UCLA, USC, California, Hawaii, Arizona State, UC Irvine, Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount, Fresno State, and UC San Diego. Elite domestic clubs will include the New York Athletic Club, Los Angeles Athletic Club and the Olympic Club. Rounding out the competition will be the next generation of USA Water Polo stars from two USA Academy squads.

All the action will take place at Orange Coast College and Costa Mesa High School, conveniently located across the street from each other. Admission will be FREE all weekend and all the matches will be live streamed on Overnght.com and the Overnght app. Live stats will be available at 6-8Sports.com.

"We are honored to bring together some of the most elite collegiate and club programs in the country for the inaugural Legacy Crown," said Adam Krikorian, head coach of USA Water Polo's women's national team. "Our vision is for this to become an annual tradition—one that celebrates the legacy of women's water polo while embracing the relentless competitive spirit that defines our sport. We can't wait to see who will rise and claim the Crown!"  

The winning team will receive the inaugural Legacy Crown championship trophy. Individual awards to honor top performers will include: MVP, Best Goalkeeper, Leading Scorer, Best Defensive Player and Rising Star.

Be sure to follow USA Water Polo social channels @USAWP for more information leading up to the Legacy Crown as well as live coverage throughout the championship weekend.

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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.