DAVIS, Calif. — Following a successful run at last weekend's Bruno Classic, UC Davis men's water polo officially opens its home campaign for the 2026 season by hosting the annual Aggie Roundup from Sept. 5-6. Davis will play five games in those two days, starting with a matchup against No. 1 UCLA on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 8:00 am PT.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW

Sept. 5  — vs. No. 1 UCLA | Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats | @ucdavismwp (X/Instagram)

Sept. 5  — vs. Cuesta College | Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats | @ucdavismwp (X/Instagram)

Sept. 6  — vs. No. 18 Harvard | Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats | @ucdavismwp (X/Instagram)

Sept. 6  — vs. UC Merced | Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats | @ucdavismwp (X/Instagram)

Sept. 6  — vs. American River College | Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats | @ucdavismwp (X/Instagram)


GAME NOTES

• Last Time Out: UC Davis starts the season 3-1 after a successful Bruno Classic hosted by Brown University. Highlights from the weekend included 31 goals against Iona, the most in a single game in school history, and a top 20 victory over No. 20 Brown.
• Wulfhorst has the WCC's attention: With nine goals in his first four collegiate games, Aggie freshman Lucas Wulfhorst was named the WCC's Newcomer of the Week on Tuesday, Sept. 1 for the first week of the season. This weekly award is the first for the Aggies since 2024.
• A New Look Schaal: In preparation for hosting the NCAA Championships in 2027, Schaal Aquatics Center got some upgrades during the offseason. The highlight was the building of a brand new video board in the northwest corner of the pool, creating a more modernized experience for all fans to enjoy.
• Looking back on 2025: The 2025 season was one to remember for Aggie water polo, featuring the team's first Big West championship in the team's three year history in the conference and their tenth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. This success saw a number of postseason awards for the Aggies, including Coach of the Year honors for head coach Daniel Leyson, and all-conference honors for five different players.
• Elevating to the West Coast: In July 2025, UC Davis announced that their men's water polo and beach volleyball programs would make the transition to the West Coast Conference (WCC) for the 2026-27 season, in coordination with many Aggie programs moving to the Mountain West Conference. For men's water polo, this is the third conference realignment they've been a part of since 1994, going from the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) to the Big West Conference in 2023.
• Cross Country Aggies: UC Davis continues to expand its blueprint in the water polo world by traveling to play games on the East Coast for the first time since 2021, when the team played at the Navy Open in Maryland. It's also the third time the team has played in the Bruno Classic, competing in the tournament in 2018 and 2016.
• The Two Time All-American Returns: Leading the team with 65 goals and 79 points last season, redshirt junior Thomas Kiesling was rewarded for his efforts by being named a Third Team All-American by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) in December. This was his second straight All-American award, being an Honorable Mention in 2024. Now in his third season with the program, he hopes to make it three straight honors in 2026.
• Elite-Scholar Athlete: On December 4, 2025, then junior Timothy Kerr received the highest academic honor an NCAA student-athlete can receive when he was given the National Collegiate Men's Water Polo Elite-Scholar Athlete award after achieving a 4.0 GPA in Electrical Engineering. With this honor, he was just one of eight student-athletes in NCAA fall 2025 sports to receive this prestigious award.
• 2026 Preseason Poll: With a strong 2025 under their belt, UC Davis was picked to finish second in their inaugural WCC campaign, receiving 42 points and two first place votes.
• 2025 Recap: The Aggies finished 2025 with a 15-13 record, rattling off three straight wins in the Big West Tournament to win the conference before falling to Stanford in the NCAA Tournament.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS

• UCLA starts the season 2-0 after wins against Saint Mary's and Bucknell in last week's Triton Invitational. The defending national champions will play Pacific today at 3:00 pm before heading to Davis.
• The standout player for the Bruins is Ryder Dodd, the 2025 Cutino Award winner for the best player in collegiate men's water polo. Last season, the All-American led his team with 98 goals on the way to a second straight national championship.
• Three other 2025 All-Americans flank Dodd in the pool, highlighted by NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Frederico Juca Carsalade, whose all-around season included 35 goals, 37 assists, and 36 steals.
• UC Davis is 0-23 all-time against UCLA.
• Cuesta College opens the season against the Aggies this Saturday.
• Ranked No. 6 in the NJCAA preseason polls, the Cougars look to make it to the playoffs for the 47th consecutive year.
• Saturday marks the first matchup between Davis and Cuesta.
• Harvard starts the year 2-2, splitting games at last weekend's Bruno Classic.
• Senior Jack Burghardt, who led the team with 98 goals a season ago, led the team in scoring with 14 in the opening weekend.
• California native Clay Carrington made his college debut with 11 goals through the four games, earning him NWPC Rookie of the Week honors.
• The Aggies and Crimson have played each other 11 times, with Harvard holding a slight 6-5 advantage. Davis won the last matchup at home 10-9.
• UC Merced is 0-1 so far on the season, dropping a match to Santa Clara.
• Altug Misirli Jr., Andrew Jones, James Soto, and Weston Oliver each scored a goal for the Bobcats.
• Sunday will mark the fourth straight year the Aggies have played the Bobcats, winning at home 21-5 in last year's final home game.
• American River College is 1-1 on the year, losing to Cerritos in the opener before beating Riverside College later that day.
• ARC saw hat tricks from five different players against the Tigers, with freshman Jacob Hanson leading the way with five scores.
• Davis will play American River College for the second time, beating the team 25-6 during the 2024 home opener.

SEASON NOTES

• This season is No. 14 for six-time Coach of the Year winner Daniel Leyson.
• Leyson retains his coaching staff from last year with fifth year assistant Nick Alden and seventh year staff member Joey Frantz. Alden works primarily with operations and as the team's recruiting coordinator while Frantz serves as goalkeepers coach.
• Many high level players return from last season, including Kiesling, Kerr, 2025 Big West Tournament MVP Baxter Chelsom, and Oriol Viñas.
• New faces include Andonis Petroutsas from Cuesta College, Jacob Carrera, Jaden Joemtree, and Cassius Wolf.
• Coming off of a conference championship last season, the team looks to go back-to-back as they step into the WCC.

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 No. 1 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/.