No. 1 UCLA looks to defend its 2023 Overnght/MPSF Invitational championship this weekend. (photo by Patrik Molin)

LOS ANGELES – No. 1 UCLA (6-0, 0-0 MPSF WEST) heads to Berkeley, Calif., to participate in the 2024 Overnght/MPSF Invitational, featuring an eight-team field (all ranked in the top 15 of this week's CWPA Top 20 Poll, including six in the top 10). The Bruins are in Group A and will open with No. 7 Princeton (7-1, 0-0 NWPC) on Friday, Sept. 20 at 11:00 a.m. PT. UCLA will continue group play on Saturday, Sept. 21, with two more games, beginning with No. 15 UC San Diego (5-3, 0-0 Big West) at 10:00 a.m. PT, and conclude the group stage with No. 6 California (5-1, 0-0 MPSF WEST) at 3:00 p.m. PT. All of the places will be determined on Sunday, Sept. 22, with seventh place being contested at 10:00 a.m. PT, featuring the fourth-place finisher from both Group A and Group B. The fifth-place game will be between the third-place finisher in both groups and will be held at 11:30 a.m. PT. The third-place game will be contested at 1:00 p.m. and will pit the second-place finishers from both groups against each other. The top-place finishers from the group stage will battle it out for the title at 2:30 p.m. PT. Group B is consisted of No. 2 Stanford (6-0, 0-0 MPSF WEST), No. 3 USC (7-0, 0-0 MPSF WEST), No. 10 Long Beach State (6-2, 0-0 Big West), and No. 12 UC Davis (5-4, 0-0 Big West). Every game of the Overnght/MPSF Invitational this week will be streamed live and California, this year's host, will provide live stats for every game on 6-8 Sports. You can also follow along with live scoring updates on the Bruins' official account on Twitter(X). For more information on the tournament, including rosters, schedules, results, tickets, parking, and a digital program, please click the Tournament Central page.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Friday, Sept. 20 (Overnght/MPSF Invitational - Spieker Aquatics Complex - Game 7)
11:00 AM PT – No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 7 Princeton | WATCH | LIVE STATS

Saturday, Sept. 21 (Overnght/MPSF Invitational - Spieker Aquatics Complex - Game 8/9)
10:00 AM PT – No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 15 UC San Diego | WATCH | LIVE STATS
3:00 PM PT – No. 1 UCLA at No. 6 California | WATCH | LIVE STATS

Sunday, Sept. 22 (Overnght/MPSF Invitational - Spieker Aquatics Complex - Game 10)
TBD – No. 1 UCLA vs. TBD | WATCH | LIVE STATS

SERIES HISTORY
UCLA is 62-1 all-time against UC San Diego. The Bruins defeated the Tritons earlier this year at the Triton Invitational, 15-7, at the Triton Invitational on Sept. 8.
UCLA is 19-0 all-time against Princeton. The Bruins beat the Tigers twice last year, including a 12-10 win at UCLA on Oct. 18 and a 17-13 victory in the NCAA Semifinals on Dec. 2 at USC.
UCLA is 93-77-1 all-time against California. The Bruins went 3-1 against the Golden Bears last year. UCLA claimed the 2023 Overnght/MPSF Invitational title with a 12-10 win at USC on Sept. 24. UCLA also beat Cal, 14-11, on the road in MPSF play on Oct. 7 and then won 13-9 in Los Angeles in league play. Cal defeated the Bruins, 13-11, to win its third-straight NCAA title.

RECAPPING LAST WEEK
The top-ranked Bruins posted a 12-9 win at No. 9 UC Irvine on Sept. 13 and then opened its home slate with a 19-8 victory over No. 20 California Baptist University on Sept. 14. A total of nine different Bruins scored in the contest against the Anteaters, paced by four points (two goals and two assists) from sophomore Wade Sherlock. Freshman Ryder Dodd and junior Chase Dodd, playing in his first game of the season, each scored two goals. Graduate student Garret Griggs got the start in the cage and went the distance, tallying seven saves, one assist, and one steal while surrendering nine goals. A season-high 14 different Bruins scored in the contest, paced by the first hat trick of the year for freshman Bode Brinkema, who scored four points (added one assist). Three other Bruins scored multiple goals, with freshman Ryder Dodd and both graduate transfers, Aaron Voggenthaler and Nico Tierney, scoring two goals apiece. Graduate student Garret Griggs got the start in the cage and played the first half, tallying five saves and one steal while surrendering six goals. Redshirt freshman Nate Tauscher played the entire second half and registered a season-high eight saves to go with one steal while giving up two goals in the fourth quarter.

BODE BRINKEMA NAMED UCLA'S STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Freshman Bode Brinkema of UCLA Men's Water Polo was selected the Student-Athlete of the Week (on Sept. 18) for competitions held between Sept. 10-16. The freshman tied for the team lead in scoring with four goals, leading top-ranked UCLA to a pair of wins over nationally-ranked teams to improve to 6-0 on the year. The Bruins opened the week with a 12-9 win at No. 9 UC Irvine with Brinkema scoring once, picking up one steal, and drawing one exclusion. Then he scored the first hat trick (on just three shots) of his collegiate career in the Bruins' 19-8 home-opening win over No. 20 California Baptist University. He also registered two steals and an assist against the Lancers.

RYDER DODD NAMED UCLA'S STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Freshman Ryder Dodd of UCLA Men's Water Polo was selected the Student-Athlete of the Week (on Sept. 11) for competitions held between Sept. 3-9. Dodd made a big splash in the opening weekend of his collegiate career, leading top-ranked UCLA in scoring with 12 goals en route to a 4-0 record that included wins over two ranked teams at the Triton Invitational. He scored multiple goals in all four outings, including hat tricks in the first three games. He opened with three goals and an assist in the 13-7 win over No. 11 UC Santa Barbara and followed that with a four-goal, one-assist outing in the 26-7 win over Concordia University Irvine. Then on Sunday, he had another hat trick to go with five assists, two steals, a field block, and drew one exclusion in the 24-4 win over Pomona-Pitzer. He concluded the weekend with two goals in the 15-7 win at No. 12 UC San Diego.

UCLA PICKED TO WIN THE MPSF
UCLA collected 60 points and five first-place votes in topping the 2024 MPSF Men's Water Polo Western Division Preseason Coaches' poll. The Bruins return seven of their top-eight scorers and a starting goalkeeper from an NCAA runner-up season, including Delfina All-MPSF selections Jack Larsen (40 goals), Makoto Kenney (27 goals), and goalkeeper Garret Griggs (238 saves, 8.95 GAA). Also returning are MPSF Newcomer of the Year Ben Liechty (41 goals), Frederico Jucá Carsalade (32 goals), and Giorgio Alessandria (21 goals) from All-Conference Second-Team honors, as are Honorable Mention picks Ben Larsen (25 goals) and Marcell Szécsi (23 goals).

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
The Bruins return four of the five All-Americans from the 2023 season and another All-American from the 2022 season for the 2024 campaign. Olympian Chase Dodd (39 goals in 2022) has returned to campus for his junior season while the Bruins welcome back three super seniors that have decided to utilize their COVID years in 2024 and that trio includes All-Americans Jack Larsen (First Team), Garret Griggs (Second Team), and Makoto Kenney (Second Team). Ben Liechty, the 2024 MPSF Newcomer of the Year, is back after being named to the Honorable Mention All-America team last year. UCLA lost the services of Rafael Real Vergara (First Team, 71 goals).

RETURNING ALL-MPSF PLAYERS
Last year, UCLA had a school-record nine players earn 2023 Delfina All-MPSF West accolades, highlighted by MPSF Player of the Year, Rafael Real Vergara (71 goals, graduated). Of those nine, seven return, highlighted by three super seniors in graduate attacker Jack Larsen (40 goals, returning using COVID year), graduate attacker Makoto Kenney (27 goals, returning using COVID year), and graduate goalkeeper Garret Griggs (25 starts, 22-3 record, 238 saves, 8.95 goals against average, returning using COVID year), who were all named First-Team All-MPSF in 2023. Sophomore utility Ben Liechty (MPSF Newcomer of the Year in 2023, 41 goals, leading scorer returning), and redshirt sophomore attacker Frederico Jucá Carsalade (32 goals, returning), were named to the Second-Team All-MPSF a year ago. Redshirt sophomore utility Ben Larsen (25 goals, returning), and sophomore center Marcell Szécsi (23 goals, returning) both earned honorable mention honors from the league last year. In addition to losing Real Vergara, the Bruins also lost the services of Second-Teamer Giorgio Alessandria (21 goals, graduated).

SUPER SENIORS
Super senior goalkeeper Garret Griggs, super senior attacker Jack Larsen, and super senior attacker Makoto Kenney have all decided to return to Westwood for a fifth and final season. The trio have been afforded the opportunity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

PARIS OLYMPIANS JOIN THE BRUINS
Redshirt Junior attacker Chase Dodd and his younger brother, freshman Ryder Dodd, have arrived on campus after winning bronze at the Paris Olympic Games this summer with Team USA and will be ready to go for the 2024 campaign.

FRESH FACES
Arriving in Westwood this season and looking to make an immediate impact are a pair of graduate transfers in Pepperdine center defender Nico Tierney (38 goals last year, 137 career) and UC Davis center defender Aaron Voggenthaler (42 goals last year, 80 career). The Bruins also welcome in eight freshmen which includes Olympian attacker Ryder Dodd (Long Beach, Calif. /JSerra Catholic HS), utility Bode Brinkema (JSerra Catholic HS), utility Peter Castillo (Newport Harbor HS), attacker Alex Heenan (Harvard-Westlake School), goalkeeper Joey Kent (JSerra Catholic HS), attacker Andrew Spencer (Sacred Heart Prep), goalkeeper Nick Tovani (San Ramon Valley HS), and center defender Harry Tucker (Perth, Australia).

A CHAMPIONSHIP PROGRAM
The UCLA Bruins captured their 12th NCAA Championship in men's water polo with a 7-6 win at USC on Mar. 21, 2021, at USC's Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The win also marked the 119th NCAA Championship for the UCLA Athletic Department. It was a balanced scoring effort by the Bruins, who received goals from six different players. Junior Jake Cavano, who was named to the 2020 First-Team All-NCAA Tournament, scored two goals, including the eventual difference maker with 6:23 left in the game. Sophomore goalkeeper Bernardo Maurizi, who also was named First-Team All-NCAA Tournament, held the Trojans scoreless throughout the first half and racked up nine saves. UCLA never trailed in the game, though USC briefly pulled even at 4-4. Nicolas Saveljic was named the NCAA Tournament MVP.

THE WRIGHT STUFF
After guiding the Bruins to the NCAA Championship in 2020 and being named the ACWPC National Coach of the Year, Adam Wright returns for his 16th season as UCLA's head men's water polo coach in 2024 with an overall record of 350-66 (.841) and an MPSF mark of 67-24 (.736). His teams earned perfect APR (Academic Progress Rate) scores of 1,000 in 2014, 2015 and 2016 while winning the school's 112th, 113th and 114th NCAA Championships in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Wright added the fourth NCAA Championship to his resume as a head coach in 2020 (Mar. 21, 2021) and a fourth perfect APR score in 2021. On July 20, 2017, then-UCLA Director of Athletics, Dan Guerrero, announced that Wright will guide both the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams. Wright was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame on June 20, 2019, and to the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020. On March 22, 2022, UCLA Director of Athletics, Martin Jarmond, announced that Wright had signed a new six-year contract, starting in July of 2022, as the Head Coach for both of the Bruins' Men's and Women's Water Polo programs.

RECAPPING 2023
Overall Record: 26-3 | Final Ranking: 2nd | NCAA Finish: 2nd | MPSF Tournament Finish: 4th

The UCLA Bruins made their 38^th appearance in the NCAA Championship in 2023, finishing with a nation's best 26-3 (.897) record. The Bruins fell one win short of the NCAA Championship, falling to California, 13-11, in the finals. UCLA opened the season with 24 consecutive victories, tying for the third-best mark in school history (1968-70). Wright guided the Bruins to an unbeaten 23-0 regular season, the first undefeated regular season in the MPSF since UCLA's 2015 team. Eight of UCLA's wins were against MPSF West teams, including seven against top five competition, and 16 of the 23 overall wins came against top 10 opponents. The Bruins scored in double-digits in all 23 contests, and held opponents to single-digits 16 times. UCLA placed an MPSF-high nine players on the All-MPSF teams in 2023, including four on the first team. Wright was named MPSF Coach of the Year for the third time in his career (2011, 2017, 2023).

POLLING THE BRUINS
UCLA held steady at No. 1 in this week's CWPA National Men's Varsity Top 20 Poll (100 points), released on Sept. 18.

2024 Men's Varsity Top 20 (Week 2/September 18)
Rank	Team	Week 1 Poll	Points
1	UCLA	1	100
2	Stanford	2	93
3	USC	3	91
4	Pepperdine	4	85
5	Pacific	7	79
6	California	5	76
7	Princeton	6	69
8	UC Irvine	9	63
9	San Jose State	12 (T)	57
10 (T)	Long Beach State	10	52
10 (T)	Fordham	14	52
12	UC Davis	8	47
13	UC Santa Barbara	12 (T)	41
14	Harvard	15	35
15 (T)	LMU	16	30
15 (T)	UC San Diego	11	30
17	Navy	17	18
18	Santa Clara	19	15
19	Brown	18	12
20	California Baptist University	20	6
RV	Salem	NR	1
RV	Air Force	RV	1
RV	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps	NR	1
RV	Cal Lutheran	NR	1