1996 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship

1996 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship

Tournament details
Dates	December 1996
Teams	4
Final positions
Champions	UCLA (5th title)
Runner-up	USC (5th title game)
Tournament statistics
Matches played	4
Goals scored	84 (21 per match)
Attendance	2,790 (698 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	Hrvoje Cismic, USC (5) Brian Stahl, UMass (5) Marko Zagar, USC (5)
Best player	Matt Swanson, UCLA

The 1996 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 28th annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate water polo. Tournament matches were played at Canyonview Pool in La Jolla, San Diego, California during December 1996.

UCLA defeated USC in the final, 8–7, to win their fifth national title. The Bruins (24–6) were coached by Guy Baker.

The Most Outstanding Player of the tournament was Matt Swanson from UCLA. Swanson, along with seven other players, comprised the All-Tournament Team.

The tournament's leading scorers, with 5 goals each, were Hrvoje Cismic (USC), Brian Stahl (Massachusetts), and Marko Zagar (USC).

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 4 teams were invited to contest this championship.

Team	Appearance	Previous
UC Davis	3rd	1975
Massachusetts	4th	1995
USC	15th	1994
UCLA	22nd	1995

Bracket

• Site: Canyonview Pool, La Jolla, San Diego, California

	Semifinals					Championship
	USC		21
	Massachusetts		6
						USC		7
						UCLA		8
	UCLA		18
	UC Davis		6			Third Place
						Massachusetts		8
						UC Davis		11

All-tournament team

• Jeremy Braxton-Brown, UCLA
• Simun Cimerman, USC
• Hrvoje Cizmic, USC
• Corbin Graham, UCLA
• Brian Stahl, Massachusetts
• Matt Swanson, UCLA (Most outstanding player)
• Jim Toring, UCLA
• Marko Zagar, USC

See also

• NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship