The 2004 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 36th 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 Avery Aquatic Center in Stanford, California during December 2004.
As of 2024, this was the last year USC failed to make the playoffs. They have won 8 in this time period, winning six straight between 2008-2013, and appearing in the Championship Game 14 times in a row (2005-2018).
UCLA defeated Stanford in the final, 10–9 (in overtime), to win their eighth national title. The Bruins (25–3) were coached by Adam Krikorian.
The Most Outstanding Player of the tournament was Brett Ormsby from UCLA. For the first time, two All-Tournament Teams were named: a First Team (with eight players) and a Second Team (with seven players).
The tournament's leading scorer, with 7 goals, was Endre Rex-Kiss from Loyola Marymount.
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 4 teams were invited to contest this championship.
Team Appearance PreviousLoyola Marymount3rd2003Princeton2nd1994Stanford27th2003UCLA26th2001
Bracket Site: Avery Aquatic Center, Stanford, California
All-tournament teams First Team Brett Ormsby, UCLA (Most outstanding player) Joe Axelrad, UCLA Tony Azevedo, Stanford Greg Crum, Stanford Albert Garcia, UCLA Thomas Hopkins, Stanford Endre Rex-Kiss, Loyola Marymount Peter Varellas, Stanford
Second Team Josh Hewko, UCLA Michael March, UCLA Brian McShane, Loyola Marymount Jamal Motlagh, Princeton Ted Peck, UCLA Peter Sabbatini, Princeton John Stover, Princeton
See also NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship
References