Graduate attacker Jack Larsen returns for his sixth season after scoring a career-best 40 goals last year.

Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA

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), 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.

Sophomore utility Ben Liechty (MPSF Newcomer of the Year in 2023, 41 goals, leading scorer returning), redshirt sophomore attacker Frederico Jucá Carsalade (32 goals, returning), and Giorgio Alessandria (21 goals, graduated) 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.

Jack Larsen and Real Vergara were both named First-Team All-Americans while Griggs, and Kenney were both named Second-Team All-Americans. Ben Liechty was the lone Bruin named to the Honorable Mention All-America team.

The Bruins also regain the services of Olympian and redshirt junior attacker Chase Dodd (39 goals in 2022).

The Bruins also return some capable scorers in sophomore attacker Wade Sherlock (32 goals), redshirt junior center Grant Loth (27 goals), redshirt junior center Eli Liechty (18 goals), junior utility Gray Carson (14 goals), junior attacker Noah Rowe (12 goals), redshirt junior attacker Trey Doten (seven goals), and redshirt sophomore attacker Vinnie Merk (six goals).

UCLA also welcomes back redshirt freshmen Max Matthews (Tiburon, Calif., Redwood HS) and Nate Tauscher (Sunset Beach, Calif., Mater Dei HS) who both sat out last season.

The Bruins will look to replace Real Vergara, Alessandria, Hayden Nightingale (13 goals), Mark Laurlund (nine goals), Luke Makshanoff (four goals), Maximo Rossi (four goals), Anthony Gross (three goals), Griffin Engstrom (two goals), and Gianpiero Di Martire (one goal).

Arriving in Westwood this season and looking to make an immediate impact are a pair of graduate transfers in Pepperdine center Nico Tierney (38 goals last year, 137 career) and UC Davis center 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 attacker Harry Tucker (Australia).

Adam Wright begins his 16th season as UCLA's head men's water polo coach in 2024 with an overall record of 344-66 (.839) and an MPSF mark of 67-24 (.736).

The Bruins will compete in just two regular-season tournaments during the year, beginning with the season opener against a team to be determined on Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Triton Invitational on the campus of UC San Diego. UCLA will host the eight-team 2024 MPSF Championship on Nov. 22-24 while Stanford will host the 2024 NCAA Championship on Dec. 6-8.
 

2024 Men's Varsity CWPA Top 20 Poll (Preseason)
Rank	Team	Final 2023 Poll	Points
1	UCLA	2	98
2	California	1	97
3	Stanford	4	88
4	USC	3	87
5	Princeton	5	79
6	UC Irvine	6	71
7	Pacific	18 (T)	66
8	UC Davis	7 (T)	65
9	San Jose State	7 (T)	56
10	Long Beach State	11	54
11	UC Santa Barbara	7 (T)	51
12	UC San Diego	14 (T)	47
13	Pepperdine	7 (T)	40
14	Fordham	12 (T)	39
15	Harvard	12 (T)	33
16	LMU	14 (T)	27
17	California Baptist University	16	18
18	Navy	17	15
19	Santa Clara	18 (T)	12
20	Brown	20	7
RV	Air Force	RV	3
RV	Wagner College	NR	1
RV	Bucknell	NR	1
RV	Pomona-Pitzer	NR	1