1986 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship

1986 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship

Dates	December 1986
Teams	8
Champions	Stanford (6th title)
Runners-up	California (10th title game)
Matches played	12
Goals scored	230 (19.17 per match)
Attendance	3,491 (291 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	Robert Lynn, USC (12)
Best player	Fernando Carsalade, UCLA) David Imbernino, Stanford) Craig Klass, Stanford)
← 1985 1987 →

The 1986 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 18th annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate water polo. Tournament matches were played at the Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach, California during December 1986.^[1]

Stanford defeated rival California in the final, 9–6, to win their sixth national title. Coached by Dante Dettamanti, the Cardinal finished the season undefeated, 36–0.

The Most Outstanding Players of the tournament were Fernando Carsalade (UCLA), David Imbernino (Stanford), and Craig Klass (Stanford). An All-Tournament Team of eight players was also named.

The tournament's leading scorer was Robert Lynn from USC (12 goals).

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	Previous
Air Force	5th	1981
Brown	8th	1985
California	13th	1984
Navy	2nd	1984
Pepperdine	5th	1984
USC	9th	1984
Stanford	14th	1985
UCLA	15th	1985

Bracket

• Site: Belmont Plaza Pool, Long Beach, California

	Fifth place					Consolation semifinals					First round					Championship semifinals					Championship
												Stanford	23
												Air Force	5
							Air Force	3									Stanford	15
							USC	13									Pepperdine	8
												Pepperdine	10
												USC	9
		USC	8																			Stanford	9
		Navy	3																		California	6
												California	11
												Brown	4
						Brown	4									California	11
	Seventh place						Navy	6									UCLA	8			Third place
		Air Force	13									UCLA	13									Pepperdine	11
		Brown	19									Navy	7									UCLA	12

All-tournament team

• Fernando Carsalade, UCLA (Co-Most outstanding player)
• David Imbernino, Stanford (Co-Most outstanding player)
• Craig Klass, Stanford (Co-Most outstanding player)
• Jeff Brush, California
• Kirk Everist, California
• Erich Fischer, Stanford
• Robert Lynn, USC
• Bill Schoening, California

See also

• NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship

References

1. "Men's Water Polo Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved April 30, 2015.