LONG BEACH, Calif. -Â The UC San Diego women's water polo team is set to begin its postseason Friday at the Big West Championship.
The Tritons, ranked 17th nationally and the tournament's No. 5 seed, face off against ninth-ranked and fourth-seeded UC Irvine in a quarterfinal at noon at the Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center on the campus of host Long Beach State.
The winner advances to the semifinal round and will meet the winner of the quarterfinal between top-seeded Hawai'i and No. 8 seed UC Santa Barbara Saturday at 2 p.m.
This is the sixth Big West Women's Water Polo Championship that UC San Diego has taken part in. It will be the third meeting between the Tritons and Anteaters at the event.
All games at the event can be followed with FOSH Live Stats and links can be found on the
Championship site.
INSIDE THE GAME
--- Game 24: Big West Championship Quarterfinal ---
• No. 17 (5th seed) UC San Diego (11-12, 3-4) vs. No. 9 (4th seed)Â
UC Irvine (12-14, 4-3)
• Friday / April 10 / 12 p.m. Pacific
•Â
Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center
•
FOSH Live Stats |
Championship Site |
Tickets
THE TEAMS
| UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS |
UC IRVINE ANTEATERS |
| Roster | Schedule | Stats |
Roster | Schedule | Stats |
| Location: La Jolla, Calif. |
Location: Irvine, Calif. |
| Conference: Big West |
Conference: Big West |
| Overall: 11-12 |
Overall: 12-13 |
| Big West: 3-4 |
Big West: 4-3 |
| Home: 3-8 |
Home: 6-4 |
| Away: 3-4 |
Away: 4-4 |
| Neutral: 5-0 |
Neutral: 2-5 |
| Streak: 1Â win |
Streak: 1 loss |
| CWPA National Rank: 17 |
CWPA National Rank: 9 |
| Big West Preseason Poll: 4th of 8 |
Big West Preseason Poll: 3rd of 8 |
TRITONS AT THE BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP
Overall: 4-5
Goals For:
Goals Against:
2025 (4th seed)
•
15-10 W vs. UC Davis in QF
•
9-11 LÂ vs. Hawai'i in SF
2024 (4th seed)
•
18-11 WÂ vs. CSUN in QF
•
10-17 L vs. Hawai'i in SF
2023 (4th seed)
•
9-8 W vs. UC Davis in QF
•
6-12 L vs. UC Irvine in SF
2022 (5th seed)
•
12-11 2OT W vs. UC Davis in QF
•
12-14 L vs. Hawai'i in SF
2021 (2nd seed)
•
11-12 L vs. UC Irvine in SF
SENIORS DELIVER
The three senior Tritons -
Allie Bartholomew,
Sofia Munatones, and
Sydney Munatones - were on fire in the Senior Day game against Brown on March 28 in La Jolla. The trio combined for 18 points with 10 goals and eight assists. Sydney racked up a career high eight points with three goals and five assists, which matched her career best for helpers as well. The Huntington Beach native also drew four exclusions. Allie followed with a career high six points from three goals and three assists. Her goal total was also a career high. Sofia, twin sister to Sydney, had four goals, one short of her high mark for a single game.
TRITON ROSTER DETAILS
Players Returning (16)
•
Allie Bartholomew, ATT
•
Ally Bone, ATT
•
Kyla Bruhn, ATT
•
Evelyn Burns, UT
•
Emily Cloherty, ATT
•
Makana Fake, GK
•
Paedrin Gillett, GK
•
Zoe Grover, ATT
•
Maddie McMahon, ATT
•
Sofia Munatones, ATT
•
Sydney Munatones, ATT
•
Olivia Obando, UT
•
Holly Roberts, UT
•
Abigail Schechter, ATT
•
Cascade Stensland, UT
•
Bria Zwaschka, GK
Players Lost (8)
•
Caroline Christl, UT
•
Lucia Doak, CD
•
Sila Fedler, UT
•
Kenzie Larson, ATT
•
Abby Moll, ATT
•
Courtney Okumura, ATT
•
Lexi Stahl, GK
•
Kendall Thomas, C
Newcomers (8)
•
Kendra Ammon, ATT
•
Alex Anghera, UT
•
Kenya Cassidy, ATT
•
Anna Fazioli, ATT
•
Alexa Kraaijvanger, UT
•
Nola Palestrant, GK
•
Berkley Sinner, CÂ
•
Caitlin Stayt, ATT
SCHECHTERÂ NAMED TO CUTINO AWARD WATCH LIST
UC San Diego junior
Abigail Schechter was selected to the Cutino Award Watch List on Thursday, March 26. The Peter J. Cutino Award, named in honor of the late Hall of Fame coach, recognizes the best player in women's and men's college water polo each year. The top 20 athletes, as submitted by varsity college coaches, have been recognized for their outstanding play. While it's possible the 2026 Cutino Award winner will come from watch list, the list is completely independent from the nomination and voting process. The watch list was created in 2022 to help promote the college game, awareness of the award, and the excellent play of athletes across the country.
BIG WEST STANDINGS (through 4/9)
| Seed |
Team |
Big West |
Overall |
| 1 |
Hawai'i |
6-0 |
13-5 |
| 2 |
Long Beach State |
6-1 |
15-10 |
| 3 |
UC Davis |
5-2 |
14-12 |
| 4 |
UC Irvine |
4-3 |
12-13 |
| 5 |
UC San Diego |
3-4 |
11-12 |
| 6 |
CSUN |
2-4 |
17-8 |
| 7 |
Cal State Fullerton |
1-6 |
17-14 |
| 8 |
UC Santa Barbara |
0-7 |
1-18 |
TRITON RECORDS (through 4/9)
| Overall |
11-12 |
| Big West |
3-4 |
| Non-conference |
8-8 |
| At home |
3-8 |
| On the road |
3-4 |
| At at neutral site |
5-0 |
| In overtime |
0-0 |
| Scoring 0-6Â goals |
0-1 |
| Scoring 7-9 goals |
0-4 |
| Scoring 10-12 goals |
3-6 |
| Scoring 13-15 goals |
4-1 |
| Scoring 16-18 goals |
1-0 |
| Scoring 19-20 goals |
1-0 |
| Scoring 21-plus goals |
2-0 |
| On Wednesdays |
0-1 |
| On Thursdays |
0-1 |
| On Fridays |
1-3 |
| On Saturdays |
7-5 |
| On Sundays |
3-2 |
| vs. Ranked Teams |
7-12 |
| vs. Un-ranked Teams |
4-0 |
MULTIPLE GOAL GAMES (through 4/9)
GAME-WINNING GOALS (through 4/9)
CURRENT SCORING STREAKS (through 4/9)
•
Abigail Schechter, 9 games
•
Anna Fazioli, 3 games
•
Sydney Munatones, 3 games
•
Caitlin Stayt, 3 games
TRITONS IN THE BIG WESTÂ (through 4/9)
Â
| CWPA NATIONAL POLL (4/8) |
2026 BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL |
| 1. USC |
1. Hawai'i (5 first-place notes) |
| 2. Stanford |
2. Long Beach State (2) |
| 3. UCLA |
3. UC Irvine (1) |
| 4. California |
tie-4. UC San Diego |
| 5. Arizona State |
tie-4 UC Davis |
| 6. Hawai'i |
6. UC Santa Barbara |
| 7. Long Beach State |
7. CSUN |
| 8. Loyola Marymount |
8. Cal State Fullerton |
| 9. UC Irvine |
|
| 10. Harvard |
|
| 11. Michigan |
|
| 12. Indiana |
|
| tie-13. Fresno State |
|
| tie-13. Princeton |
|
| 15. UC Davis |
|
| 16. San Diego State |
|
| 17. UC San Diego |
|
| 18. Marist |
|
| 19. San Jose State |
|
| 20. California Baptist |
|
| 21. Pacific |
|
| 22. Wagner |
|
| 23. CSUN |
|
| 24. Villanova |
|
| 25. Brown |
|
|
|
| 13,13,12,13,14,14,14,16,15,16,17 |
|
Â
2025Â AWARDS
• Kendall Thomas: ACWPC All-America Third Team, All-Big West First Team
• Caroline Christl: ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention,
 All-Big West First Team
•
Courtney Okumura: All-Big West Honorable Mention
•
Holly Roberts: Big West All-Freshman Team
UC SAN DIEGO TO HOST 2026 NATIONAL COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
UC San Diego will serve as host of the 2026 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship. Canyonview Aquatic Center will welcome the top teams in the country, starting with a play-in game on Wednesday, April 22. Quarterfinals will take place on Friday, April 22, semis will be held Saturday, April 23, and the title game is set for Sunday, April 24. Ticket info and other specifics are forthcoming.
LIZOTTEÂ EARNSÂ HEAD COACH ROLE
Four-time Triton All-American Sarah Lizotte was named head coach of the UC San Diego Women's Water Polo Team in August of 2025. Lizotte was an assistant coach with the program for the 2025Â season, which saw the Tritons go 17-14 overall and 4-3 in the Big West. The squad advanced to the conference championship semifinal round for the fourth-straight year.
A marquis player for UC San Diego between 2011 and 2014, Lizotte is the program's all-time leader in goals and assists. The Riverside, Calif., native earned Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) First Team All-America status following each of her seasons. The Tritons won Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) titles in 2011, 2013, and 2014 and advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of those seasons.
Prior to returning to La Jolla, Lizotte spent a year as an assistant coach with the men's and women's programs at UCLA. In 2024, her guidance as a coach helped the Bruins win a national title.
Lizotte graduated from UC San Diego in 2014 with a degree in Communications. She also minored in Business at UCSD's Rady School of Business.
WELCOME BACK NICK
Two-time Triton All-American Nick Alexander returned to UC San Diego in the fall of 2025 as an assistant coach with the women's water polo program..
Most recently, Alexander served as the Technical Director and Age Group head coach for the Clovis Water Polo Club in California's Central Valley, a position he held since 2017. He was responsible for tailoring coaching methods through skill assessments, ensuring positive learning experiences and development. His teams posted top-12 finishes at Junior Olympics on an annual basis.
As a four-year scholar-athlete at UC San Diego, Alexander earned First Team All-America accolades in 2015 and again as a senior captain in 2016. He helped the Tritons lock down two NCAA Quarterfinal appearances as well as three Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) titles. In 2015, Alexander merited WWPA Championship MVP honors. He was also a two-time All-WWPA and All-WWPA Championship player.
Alexander graduated from UC San Diego in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications. He held minors in Business and Sociology. A three-time Academic All-American, he founded the NCAA Division I Student Leadership Group and was a member of the Triton Athletic Council. Alexander earned a Master's Degree in Kinesiology from Fresno Pacific in 2020. (full bio)
CRAWFORD HEADING TO THE HALL
Former UC San Diego women's water polo standout Carin Crawford will be inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame this June. A multiple-time All-American for the Tritons, Crawford is also the all-time winningest coach in San Diego State University history. Crawford graduated cum laude from UC San Diego in 1989 and returned to earn her master's degree in U.S. history in 1992, while also competing on the U.S. National Team. (
complete story)
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire UC San Diego athletics program has completed a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of theÂ
Big West Conference for the 2024-25 academic year. All UC San Diego sports are now eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
UCSD ACCEPTS INVITE TO JOIN WCC
On Sept. 3, 2025, UC San Diego accepted a formal invitation to join theÂ
West Coast Conference (WCC) and will begin competing in the conference starting with the 2027-28 season. In 2027-28, the WCC membership will consist of: University of California San Diego, Loyola Marymount University, University of the Pacific, Pepperdine University, University of Portland, Saint Mary's College, University of San Diego, University of San Francisco, Santa Clara University, and Seattle University. UC San Diego will become the first public institution in the West Coast Conference since the departure of the University of Nevada-Reno in 1979.Â
(complete press release)
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.
