April 7, 2005
Six Men's Water Polo Players Named AWPCA All-Academic Team

SANTA CRUZ, CA -- Six UC Santa Cruz Men's Water Polo players were named to the AWPCA All-Academic Team. Ricky Umoff received Outstanding honor; John Shippy and Grant Shubin received Superior honors; Joe Lyons, Angel Martinez, and Mike Quacinella all received Excellent honors. In addition, this team has the highest team GPA in the nation among public universities.
      AWPCA All-Academic Team
      AWPCA Honors - Team GPAs

October 18, 2004
Slugs Upset Broncos, Again!

SANTA CLARA, CA -- The UCSC Men's Water Polo team traveled over the hill on Sunday to face off against Santa Clara University for the second time this season. The Slugs would hand the Bronco's another upset as they pulled off another tight one 4-3. In September UCSC took Santa Clara into overtime in their first home match of the season where they pulled off a victory 14-13.

This marks the 9th victory for the Slugs this season, their record now standing at 9-20, 5-9 in WWPA matches.

UCSC Men's Water Polo won't compete again until the end of the month as they travel to UC Davis to participate in the UC Davis Shootout October 29-31st.

Preview 2004-05 Season

Co-Head Coaches Randy Whitchurch and Alan Cima's 2004 men's water polo team, coming off of their strongest season ever, will look to an experienced group of seniors and talented lower classmen to move up even further in the water polo world. Despite losing All-Americans Mike Webb and Brian McGarry to graduation, the Banana Slugs return the core of last year's team and add several talented new freshman.

"We are gong to put an emphasis on playing good water polo and doing the right things fundamentally," said Whitchurch. "If we play smart water polo, we have the talent to have an even more successful year."

"The team is loaded with strong and fast all-arounds -- able to defend the other teams centers and then go down and score from center themselves," says Cima. "Look for Toby Magree, Chris Newman, Ben Johnson, AJ Olivieri, John Shippy and Joel Mckown to stand out in every game."

At pure center, senior Devin Gneiting is expected to continue his high scoring ways. According to Whitchurch, "Devin is able to get in and hold position and get a good shot off against any team we face. We look for him to continue his high scoring this season."

At Attacker position, the Banana Slugs will count on fourth year players Ricky Umoff and Brian King. "They are both strong on defense but real sharpshooters on offense," said Cima. "Returners Joel Schwarcz and Will Sause add depth and speed to the group."

Whitchurch says the team has three great goalies in Scott Vaughn, Cam Jouras and Joe Lyon, "They are all strong, we are looking for one of them to step up and carry this team to our league championship."

"Our expectations this year are very high - our returners are a strong team and we have four freshman who we expect can step in and help us right away," says Cima. "Justin Garver does everything well, Grant Shubin, Kevin Smith and Angel Martinez came out of strong club programs and have adapted quickly".

Head Coach Randy Whitchurch on the upcoming season: "Our ultimate goal has been and will always be to win a championship. We want to improve as the season progresses and by November be playing our best water polo. This will be a very exciting year because of the talent we have."

News from 2003-04 Season

April 5, 2004
Seven Men's Water Polo Players Named AWPCA All-Academic Team

SANTA CRUZ, CA -- Seven UC Santa Cruz Men's Water Polo players were named to the AWPCA All-Academic Team. Ricky Umoff received Outstanding honor; Joe Lyons, John Shippy, Ken Murray all received Superior honors; A.J. Olivieri, Bryan McGarry, and Michael Webb all received Excellent honors. In addition, this team has the highest team GPA in the nation among public universities. Senior Co-Captains Michael Webb and Bryan McGarry were named to both the Academic and Athletic All-American Teams.
      AWPCA Honors - Team GPAs
      AWPCA All-Academic Team
      AWPCA Athletic All-Americans
      ...mirrored at UCSC Currents Online

January 7, 2004
Senior Drivers Earn Postseason Honors:
Mike Webb and Bryan McGarry Named AWPCA All-Americans

SANTA CRUZ, CA -- UC Santa Cruz senior drivers Mike Webb and Bryan McGarry have been named 2003 All-Americans by the American Water Polo Coaches Association. Webb was selected first team All-American, while McGarry was a member of the All-America second team.

Webb, who earlier this season was named second team All-Western Water Polo Association and was named Most Valuable Player when the Slugs won the Bucknell Invitational, led Santa Cruz in scoring this year with 55 goals. He concluded his college career after also earning All-America honors as a sophomore and junior.

McGarry was named second team All-American after scoring 32 goals this year.

The Slugs finished the 2003 campaign 16-22 overall, ranked 2nd in the Nation in Division III and placed 6th at the WWPA Tournament. Santa Cruz has had 21 water polo players earn All-America honors in school history.

October 9, 2003
Men's Water Polo Compete at NorCal Tourney

The UCSC Men's Water Polo team competed in the NorCal Tournament this past weekend at Stanford University. 14 of the 16 teams entered were ranked top 20 of the NCAA Division I; however, the Slugs (DIII) were the only non-Division I team in the Tournament. The team came up short in both their matches, falling to Pacific 13-9 and Santa Clara 7-6. Michael Webb led the way for the Slugs, scoring five goals in the tournament. Coming by way of Division I opponents, the losses will not affect the team in the DIII rankings. Facing such high caliber teams better prepares the squad for its Division III matches.

The Slugs next match is October 10-11 at the Claremont Convergence Tournament against primarily DIII competition.

October 2, 2003
Slugs Hit #1 on the Men's Division III National Collegiate Top 10 Poll

Since the Men's Water Polo team joined the NCAA Division III in 1999, they have steadily climbed the ranks, becoming one of the top teams in the country. Wednesday they reached the top, being tied for #1 with University of Redlands in the NCAA Division III poll compiled by the Collegiate Water Polo Association. The achievement of a number one ranking only four years into the program shows the focus that UCSC teams are bringing to reach the top in Division III.

The men next travel to Stanford this weekend for a tournament against the best Division I teams in the country. Their next home match is October 17th vs UC Santa Barbara. Come out to the pool and cheer on the #1 team in the country!

September 22, 2003
Slugs Face Busy Week Before Weekend Slugfest

UCSC faces its toughest week of competition so far this season. The Slugs have a home match Tuesday against Brigham Young University, Hawaii, then they match up against some of the nation’s best water polo teams during this coming weekend’s Slugfest tournament.

"Every game this week is going to be a battle," said coach Randy Whitchurch, whose team is ranked second in Division III. "The guys have good attitudes right now and are riding a high, but if we’re going to survive this weekend we can’t make mistakes."

The Slugs did not lose a game at the Bucknell University Water Polo Tournament last weekend, a feat Whitchurch believes his squad can repeat. "We can go 6-0 or 5-1 this weekend," he said. "It’s not beyond us."

However the Slugs face two of the nation’s premier teams, UC Davis and Redlands University. Redlands is a perennial top-five D-III team and currently ranked No. 1, while Davis recently trumped Occidental College 15-2.

==> See related article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel online

September 16, 2003
UCSC Water Polo Team Wins Bucknell Tourney

The UC Santa Cruz men’s water polo team won its first tournament ever this weekend at the Bucknell College tournament in Lewisburg, PA.

In Sunday’s title game against host Bucknell, UCSC squeaked by 11-10. Senior Mike Webb was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, scoring three goals in each of the Slugs’ games.

In pool play, the Slugs dominated Grove City, 18-3, and topped Salem International University, 15-12.

==> See related article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel online

UCSC Sophomores Scott Vaughn (in goal) and Brian King did everything they could to slow UC San Diego down at the 2002 Slugfest.

10/2/02
Men's Water Polo goes 3-2 at UCSC Slugfest; now 7-8 for the season

UCSC -- The Men's Water Polo 2002 UCSC Slugfest was a major success. Teams from eight different schools participated, with friends and family coming from all over the country to watch the weekend's events.

The host Banana Slugs went 3-2 in their five Slugfest matches. UCSC defeated teams from Whittier (8-5), Claremont Mudd-Scripps (10-4) and Pomona-Pitzer (14-4). They lost to Division II UC San Diego (20-6) and Division I Air Force Academy (13-8).

The team's record now stands at 7-8 on the season. The team is ranked 4th in the country for all of Division III in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association poll.

Junior All-American Mike Webb leads the Slugs in scoring with 31 goals. Sophomore Devin Gneiting is a close second in scoring with 29. Senior All-American Jake Yeager has contributed 10 goals along with tough defense and leadership.

The team plays their next match this weekend at the Nor Cal Tournament at UC Berkeley. They play their first match of the tournament against #1 ranked Stanford University.

9/23/02
Men's Water Polo hosts UCSC Slugfest 2002

The Men's Water Polo team hosts the UCSC Slugfest this weekend. Teams from Whittier, Claremont, Pomona-Pitzer, UC Davis, UC San Diego, Santa Clara and the Air Force Academy will all be participating in the two-day, eight-team event.

The schedule for the bonanza is listed below:

UCSC is currently 4-5 on the season. They play their next match this Friday at home against Division II UC Davis. Match time is at 4:00 PM.

Junior All-American Mike Webb leads UCSC into this weekend's tournament.

9/8/02
Men's Water Polo loses opener to #1 Stanford

STANFORD, CA -- Opening their season against Division I Stanford, the #1 ranked team in the country for the entire NCAA, the Men's Water Polo team found itself quickly outmatched, losing 21-5.

Eight Stanford players scored on 32 shots. Junior Mike Derse and Sophomore Matt Moser led the Cardinal with 4 goals each.

Junior All-American Mike Webb led UCSC with 3 hoals.

Sophomore Goalkeeper Scott Vaughn had a respectable 11 saves before leaving in the fourth quarter. Vaughn could only slow down the Stanford onslaught, however.

UCSC enters the season ranked #9 in the most recent Division III poll.

The team plays its next regular season game this Friday at Claremont Mudd-Scripps.

8/23/02
Men's Water Polo - Season Preview

The Men's Water Polo team had one of its best seasons in school history in 2001-2002 under first-year head coaches Randy Whitchurch and Alan Cima. Junior All-American Mike Webb and Senior Jake Yeager are the top returners for a squad that finished ranked #4 in the country, and at one point climbed as high as #2. Webb was one of four UCSC Men's Water Polo players to be named Academic All-Americans by the WWPA. With 13 incoming recruits who hope to make the team, including former UCLA Bruin Ricky Umoff who transferred to UCSC this year, the future of the program is bright.

10/17/01
Men's Water Polo Team Ranked #2 Nationally

The UCSC Men's Water Polo is ranked #2 in the country in the latest USA Water Polo polling for Division III.

The team received 89 total points in the polling; 11 points behind #1 ranked University of Redlands, but just one point ahead of #3 Johns Hopkins University, who moved past #4 MIT in the past week.

The team's record currently stands at 12-11, with many of those matches coming against Division I competition. This includes a 19-1 thrashing of the University of Washington, one of the top club teams in the country.

The team has four matches remaining in the regular season, beginning this Saturday when they host Division I University of Pacific, who's currently ranked #11 in the Division I poll.

team is proud to be hosting the 2001 UCSC SlugFest Tournament this weekend. 16 teams from all across the country will be participating in the three day event, which will begin at 4:00 pm on Friday. The complete schedule can be found by clicking the link below.

USAWaterpolo.com - 10/10/01 Collegiate Polls

9/28/01
SLUGFEST 2001

SANTA CRUZ-- The Men's Water Polo team is proud to be hosting the 2001 UCSC SlugFest Tournament this weekend. 16 teams from all across the country will be participating in the three day event, which will begin at 4:00 pm on Friday. The complete schedule can be found by clicking the link below.

Slugfest 2001 Schedule of Events

Media Archive

• 9/2/01 - UCSC men’s water polo team adds former Soquel players to roster - Santa Cruz Sentinel