DAVIS, Calif. — Coming off of a Big West championship last season, UC Davis men's water polo is ready to make a splash in the West Coast Conference (WCC). Incoming redshirt junior Thomas Kiesling has been selected to the conference's preseason team while the team has been picked to finish second in the league, receiving 42 points and two first place votes.

A reigning ACWPC Third Team All-American, Kiesling captained the Aggie offense in 2025, leading the team with 65 goals while adding on 14 assists for 79 total points, ranking second in the Big West in goals scored. 

His season led to a number of accomplishments for the team last season, helping them win the Big West conference title for the first time and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in program history. After being named an All-Big West First Team selection, he was given NCAA All-Tournament Second Team honors following a two goal performance against Stanford.

The full WCC Team and Poll can be found below:

WCC PRESEASON TEAM

• Samu Biros, San Jose State
• Jon Carcarey, Pepperdine
• Borisz Kasa-Gal, Pacific
• Sam Keightley, San Jose State
• Thomas Kiesling, UC Davis
• Tom Leggett, Air Force
• Riccardo De Simon, Santa Clara

WCC PRESEASON COACHES POLL

• San Jose State (4)    44 points
• UC Davis (2)             42 points
• Pepperdine (1)          38 points
• Pacific (1)                  35 points
• LMU                           24 points
• Santa Clara                17 points
• Saint Mary's               16 points
• Air Force                      8 points

ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS 

UC Davis, ranked No. 2 among public universities by the Wall Street Journal in the value of a college degree, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked top in the United States in agriculture and forestry as well as No. 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/.