Loyola Marymount University

Loyola Marymount University is a university known for its wide range of athletic programs in such sports as women’s basketball, cheerleading, cross country, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, and volleyball; and men’s baseball, basketball, cheerleading, crew, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, and track. Loyola Marymount also has an extensive water polo program for men and women which competes in the division 1 level.

What is Water Polo?
Water polo is a team-based sport that is played in a pool and requires the ability to swim. It is an extremely competitive game, requiring exceptional skills, especially on the college level. Water polo is played by swimming, passing of the game ball, and scoring goals by sending the ball past the goalie of the opposing team. Water polo has similar characteristics of sports that are played on land, such as soccer and hockey. It is currently the oldest team sport still played in the Olympics.

Accomplishments of the Loyola Marymount Women’s Water Polo Team:
Loyola Marymount has had a lot of success with its women’s water polo program. The women’s water polo team was the WWPA Champion for five years in a row from 2001 to 2005, and again champions in 2007. The 2004 season saw the biggest success for the team. The Loyola Marymount women’s water polo team made it to the finals of the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship. Unfortunately for them, they lost to Southern California (USC) with the final score being 10-8. This was an exciting run for the team and showed that they can compete with the best teams in water polo.

Loyola Marymount University has a long history of receiving high accolades in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) for women’s water polo. The team has three All-American players and has recently been selected for the second year in a row as the favorites by the 2010 WWPA Preseason Coaches. They received a total of 80 points and eight first place votes to be selected as the favorite. If they do indeed win, it will be their eighth WWPA Championship title in ten years. The 2010 Western Water Polo Women’s Championship will be held from April 30 to May 2 at Cal State Bakersfield. Cal State Bakersfield is the second favorite going into the 2010 competition.

The Loyola Marymount Men’s Water Polo Team:
In the 2009 National Collegiate Men’s Water Polo Championship, the Loyola Marymount men’s water polo team lost to UCLA in overtime 9-8, a heartbreaking loss for such a promising season. With 37 seconds left in the second overtime, UCLA scored on a 6-on-5 situation from three meters out. This was during the semifinals of the competition, the round that the men’s water polo team has had bad luck in for years. UCLA was responsible for the last four goals in the game, coming back from behind to take the victory from Loyola Marymount.