The Men’s Water Polo Program started off a bit sluggish in 2016; however, our student athletes continued to display an exponential amount of development and team camaraderie. After struggling to find wins early in the season, the men’s program finished strong and placed second in the 2016 CWPA Sierra Pacific Division. Because of recent budget cuts, the UCSC Men’s Water Polo Program was unable to provide the financial support necessary to send its members to the 2016 Men’s Division III Club Championship held in New York. The funding from Giving Day 2017 will act as an incentive for kick-starting an official water polo tournament at UC Santa Cruz. By inviting a diverse group of water polo programs located from Oregon to Los Angeles, this tournament would be beneficial for the local region. Hosting this tournament would give the UCSC Men’s Water Polo Program an opportunity to display the sportsmanship and maturity of our developing team. This initial regional tournament would also provide a foundation to potentially become a prestigious tournament recognized by local water polo programs in the Northern California area.
