1998 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship

The 1998 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 30th annual NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate water polo. Tournament matches were played at the Marian Bergeson Aquatic Center in Newport Beach, California during December 1998.[1]

1998 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
Tournament details
DatesDecember 1998
Teams4
Final positions
ChampionsUSC (1st title)
Runner-upStanford (13th title game)
Tournament statistics
Matches played4
Goals scored60 (15 per match)
Attendance3,132 (783 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)George Csaszar, USC (5)
Best playerChris Aguilera, Stanford
Ivan Babic, USC
Marko Pintaric, USC
← 1997
1999 →

USC defeated Stanford in the final, 9–8 (in two overtimes), to win their first national title. The Trojans had previously gone 0–6 in tournament finals appearances. The Trojans (25–3) were coached by John Williams and Jovan Vavic.

The Most Outstanding Players of the tournament were Chris Aguilera (Stanford), Ivan Babic (USC), and Marko Pintaric (USC). These three, along with five other players, comprised the All-Tournament Team.

The tournament's leading scorer, with 5 goals, was George Csaszar from USC.

Qualification

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Since there has only ever been one single national championship for water polo, all NCAA men's water polo programs (whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III) were eligible. A total of 4 teams were invited to contest this championship.

Team Appearance Previous
Stanford 22nd 1994
UC San Diego 6th 1995
Massachusetts 5th 1996
USC 17th 1997

Bracket

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Semifinals Championship
      
USC 12
Massachusetts 3
USC (2OT) 9
Stanford 8
Stanford 6
UC San Diego 3 Third Place
Massachusetts 9
UC San Diego (4OT) 10

All-tournament team

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Men's Water Polo Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved May 20, 2015.