Aug. 31, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

BERKELEY, CALIF. -
Sat.-Sun, Sept. 5-6 at Navy Open, LeJeune Hall Pool/Scott Natatorium Annapolis, MD All Day

2009 Cal Men's Water Polo Season Outlook

Bear Bites: The 2009 Cal men's water polo team, 2006 and 2007 national champions, begin its quest for an NCAA-record 14th national title this weekend when the Golden Bears travel to the Navy Open in Annapolis, Md. No. 4-ranked Cal (National Collegiate Preseason Poll) will play four matches against some of the top teams from the Collegiate Water Polo Association - Iona, No. 12 ranked/host Navy (doubleheader) and No. 18 Bucknell. The Bears will also play an exhibition match against the University of Toronto in Annapolis. Cal owns a 19-0 record in five years competing at the Navy Open. Head coach Kirk Everist's troops will feature several key returnees, including senior captains Spencer Warden and Mike Sample, and juniors Brian Dudley, Zach White and Jacob McIntosh - all members of the Bears' 2007 title team. Warden and Dudley notched scores during the 8-6 win over USC in the `07 final. Warden garnered second-team All-America honors last year after leading Cal with 40 goals and 68 steals, while Dudley was an honorable mention All-American after scoring 28 goals, including a match-winning shot in overtime at Long Beach State.

Cal Versus The Collegiate Water Polo Association: The Bears will play Iona at 9:15 a.m. and host Navy in a doubleheader at 7:15 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 5 at LeJeune Hall Pool on the Navel Academy campus. Cal then faces Bucknell at 9:50 a.m., and Toronto at 2:30 p.m., on Sun, Sept. 6 at Navy's Scott Natatorium. Iona ended last year eighth in the CWPA rankings. Navy is the preseason No. 1-ranked team in the CWPA and competed in last year's NCAA Tournament, falling to national champs USC, 14-9, in the semifinals, and Loyola Marymount, 11-4, in the third-place match to finish 20-11 and 11th nationally. Bucknell ended 2008 ranked No. 5 in the CWPA poll. The Bears defeated Bucknell, 18-6, and Navy, 13-4, during last year's Navy Open.

Additional Bear Notes: Cal finished the 2008 season 19-9 and seventh in the final polls...besides their No. 4 preseason ranking, the Bears were tabbed third behind `08 NCAA champion USC and runner-up Stanford in the 2009 MPSF preseason coaches' poll...this summer, senior team captain Sample was a member of the U.S. World University Games team, coached by Kirk Everist, that placed sixth in Belgrade, Serbia...sophomore Luka Saponjic helped his native Serbia to a bronze medal at the World University Games, scoring six goals during the tournament...Zach White won a silver medal in July at the Maccabiah Games in Israel and helped the Lamorinda club team to a silver medal at Senior Nationals, along with goalie McIntosh and sophomores Ivan Rackov and Cory Nasoff. All four Bears earned summer All-America honors.

Head Coach Kirk Everist: A 2004 inductee into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame, Everist is in his eighth year with a 159-49 mark (.764), leading the Bears to NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007, and MPSF crowns in 2002 and 2006. He was the 2006 NCAA Coach of the Year and 2002 MPSF Coach of the Year. A 1990 Cal graduate, Everist led the Bears to NCAA titles in 1987 and 1988, earning All-American status three straight seasons (1986-88) and NCAA Player of the Year honors in 1988. He competed played for the USA National Team for nine years (1988-96) and competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games. Everist's staff includes associate head coach Boyd Lachance, in his eighth year, and Sean Nolan (fifth year), a 2000 USA Olympian who was a three-time All-American at Cal, helping the Bears to the 1991 and 1992 NCAA titles.