The 1990 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 22nd 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 Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach, California during December 1990.
California defeated Stanford in the final, 8–7, to win their ninth national title. Coached by Steve Heaston, the Golden Bears finished the season 29–1.
As of 2025, UC Santa Barbara has not returned to the Water Polo playoffs. They currently have a 35-year drought, the longest of any such team that has won a National Championship.
The Most Outstanding Player of the tournament was Chris Humbert (California). Humbert, along with six other players, was named to the All-Tournament Team.
The tournament's leading scorer, with 10 goals, was Lucas Nicolao from Navy.
Qualification 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 8 teams were invited to contest this championship.
Team Appearance PreviousAir Force6th1986Brown11th1989California17th1989UC Santa Barbara12th1985Navy5th1988Pepperdine8th1989Stanford18th1989UCLA18th1988
Bracket Site: Belmont Plaza Pool, Long Beach, California
All-tournament team Chris Humbert, California (Most outstanding player) Julian Bailey, California Geoffrey Clark, Pepperdine Dan Hackett, UCLA Colin Keely, Stanford Rick McNair, Stanford Stefan Pollmann, UCLA
See also NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
References