The 1989 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 21st annual NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate water polo. Tournament matches were played at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis, Indiana during December 1989.
UC Irvine defeated two-time defending champion California in the final, 9–8, to win their third national title. Coached by Ted Newland, the Anteaters finished the season 27–6.
The Most Outstanding Player of the tournament was Dan Smoot (UC Irvine). Smoot, along with eight other players, was named to the All-Tournament Team.
The tournament's leading scorer, with 11 goals, was Tom Warde from UC Irvine.
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 PreviousArkansas–Little Rock2nd1988Brown10th1987California16th1988UC Irvine18th1988UC San Diego1stNeverLong Beach State10th1988Pepperdine7th1987Stanford17th1988
Bracket Site: Indiana University Natatorium, Indianapolis, Indiana
All-tournament team Dan Smoot, UC Irvine (Most outstanding player) Rich Ambidge, California Geoffrey Clark, Pepperdine Chris Duplanty, UC Irvine Chris Humbert, California Rick McNair, Stanford Jeff Oeding, Stanford Sasa Poljak, Pepperdine Tom Warde, UC Irvine
See also NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
References