DAVIS, Calif. — Following a Big West Championship win, UC Davis water polo is ready to battle for national supremacy in the 2025 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championships from Friday, Dec. 5 to Sunday, Dec. 7 at Avery Aquatics Center in Stanford. The action begins against the host Cardinal on Friday at 6:00 p.m. PT.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Dec. 4 — vs. #3 Stanford |
Watch Live |
Live Stats | @ucdavismwp (X/Instagram)
GAME NOTES
- Last Time Out: The Aggies are 15-12 on the season after a successful Big West Tournament. The team won their first ever Big West championship on Sunday, Nov. 23 with a 12-11 win over Long Beach State.
- Coach of the Year: Previously winning coach of the year honors five times in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA), UC Davis coach Daniel Leyson was named the Big West Coach of the Year last Friday after leading the Aggies to their first NCAA appearance since 2022.
- All-Big West Honorees: Ahead of the teams eighth NCAA appearance in program history, five Aggies were named to the Big West All-Conference teams. Thomas Kiesling was given All-Big West First Team honors after leading the team with 75 points. Baxter Chelsom, Andrew Hitchcock, and Oleg Shatskikh were each named All-Big West Second Team. Chelsom led the conference in saves (222) and steals (41) while being named the Big West Tournament MVP after collecting 27 saves in the conference tournament. Hitchcock ranked third on the team with 32 goals, going for a career-high of five against Cal State Fullerton in the regular season. Shatskikh had 74 total points after a number of standout performances, including a career-high five scores against Pepperdine. Rounding out the Aggies was Oriol Viñas on the All-Freshman Team, who tied for the team-lead with 35 assists. In the Big West Championship against Long Beach State, he collected six points with two goals and four assists.
- 2024 Recap: UC Davis went 10-14 and finished their season with a Big West Semifinals defeat to UC San Diego.
- 2025 Poll: The Aggies were picked fourth in the Big West preseason coaches' poll, receiving 13 points.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
- Stanford is 17-7 on the season, taking third in the MPSF Championships in a win against Cal two weeks ago. This is the Cardinal's 36th appearance in the NCAA Championships.
- Botond Balogh leads his team in both points (111) and goals (70), he and Ben Forer have been one of the most prolific duos in the country, combining for 215 points (127 goals, 88 assists).
- In the cage, West Temkin has proven to be a defensive leader for his team, racking in 203 saves.
- This will be the third time the Aggies and Cardinal have faced off this season, with Stanford taking the first two matchups.
- The winner of Friday night's matchup will face the winner of UCLA vs. Princeton on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. The 2025 NCAA Championship is Sunday, Dec. 7 at 3:00 p.m. PT on ESPNU.
SEASON NOTES
- This season marks year 13 for UC Davis head man Daniel Leyson.
- Leyson's coaching staff features the return of assistants Nick Alden and Joey Frantz. Alden, a 4th-year coach out of Southern Oregon, works as the primary operations and recruiting coach. Frantz, who returns for his sixth season, acts as the goalkeepers' coach.
- The roster blends a strong returning core of players, including Thomas Kiesling, Andrew Hitchcock, Brody Crouch, William Fosselman, and Adam Ting.
- Additionally, the team has built a strong 2025 recruiting class, with 10 players coming out of places such as Spain, Croatia, and Canada. The new players include Mateo Ruano, Oriol Viñas, Luka Palavra, Jacob Carrera, Jaden Joemtree, Lyle Weitz, Max Prokhin, Oliver Wilmink, William McKeon, and Cassius Wolf.
- With UC Davis making the move to the West Coast Conference in 2026, this year marks its last in the Big West.
ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS:
UC Davis, the No. 2 ranked public university by the Wall Street Journal, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked #1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as #1 in Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27.
For more information, visit
https://ucdavisaggies.com/.
