Bears Ranked No. 5 In Preseason Poll

Nikos Delgrammatikas earned All-MPSF honorable mention last season.

12/31/2020 11:50 AM | Men's Water Polo

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Four MPSF Teams Rated In Top Five

By: Cal Athletics

The Cal men's water polo team is expected to be among the best teams in the nation once again this season, landing at No. 5 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) preseason poll.

The Bears finished 14-11 in 2019 and made a run at the MPSF tournament title, upsetting top-seeded USC in the semifinals before falling to eventual national champion Stanford in the title match. Cal landed at No. 8 in the final CWPA Top 20 poll.

A talented group of freshmen will join the team this season, bolstering a group of key returners which includes All-American honorable mention recipients Nikolaos Papanikolau and Adrian Weinberg and All-MPSF honorable mention Nikos Delgrammatikas.

The MPSF makes up most of the preseason poll, as Stanford and USC tied for the first spot, followed by UCLA at No. 3. Pepperdine, which competes in the Golden Coast Conference, earned the fourth slot.