1977 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship

1977 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship

Tournament details
Dates	December 1977
Teams	8
Final positions
Champions	California (4th title)
Runner-up	UC Irvine (5th title game)
Third place	Stanford
Fourth place	Pepperdine
Tournament statistics
Matches played	12
Goals scored	249 (20.75 per match)
Attendance	765 (64 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	Scott Schulte, Bucknell (14)
Best player	Gary Figueroa, UC Irvine

The 1977 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the ninth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA men's college water polo. Tournament matches were played at the Smith Swim Center at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island during December 1977.

California defeated UC Irvine in the final, 8–6, to win their fourth national title. This was a rematch of the 1973, 1974, and 1975 finals, all won by the Golden Bears.

The leading scorer for the tournament was Scott Schulte from Bucknell (14 goals). Gary Figueroa, from UC Irvine, was named the Most Outstanding Player. An All-Tournament Team, consisting of seven players, was also named.

Qualification

Since there has only ever been one single national championship for water polo, all NCAA men's water polo programs (whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III) were eligible. A total of 8 teams were invited to contest this championship.

Team	Appearance	Previous
Arizona	3rd	1976
Brown	1st	Never
Bucknell	1st	Never
California	5th	1975
Loyola–Chicago	3rd	1976
Pepperdine	1st	Never
Stanford	6th	1976
UC Irvine	9th	1976

Bracket

• Site: Smith Swim Center, Providence, Rhode Island

All-tournament team

• Gary Figueroa, UC Irvine (Most outstanding player)
• Marty Davis, Stanford
• John Gansel, Stanford
• Mike Loughlin, California
• Jim Purcell, California
• Kevin Robertson, California
• Terry Schroeder, Pepperdine

See also

• NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship