California Golden Bears Athletics
Saturday, September 5
Davis, CA
8:00 AM PT
California
vs
Harvard
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Cal Heads To Davis For Aggie Roundup
9/3/2026 10:30 AM | Men's Water Polo
Bears Take On Harvard, San José State Saturday With Exhibition Games Sunday
The No. 4 California men's water polo team travels to Davis this weekend for competition at the Aggie Roundup. There, the Bears face No. 18 Harvard and No. 10 San José State in official action on Sept. 5 before two exhibition games on Sept. 6 against Cuesta and American River. Cal enters the event with a 2-0 record.
LAST ACTION
Cal fought through early deficits with powerful second-half play to collect two wins in the Golden Bears' first official day of competition at the Triton Invitational in La Jolla. Luke Bachler and Dom Brown tallied respective hat tricks in Cal's 14-9 victory over No. 15 UC Santa Barbara and 15-11 win over No. 12 host UC San Diego in Saturday's action at the Triton Invitational in La Jolla. Cal goalie Riley Clansen manned the cage for both games, topping out with 17 saves in the win over the Tritons to help the Bears to a 2-0 start to the year.
NOTABLE:
- Freshmen Ilias Angelopoulos, João Leme and Mason Netzer each scored their first goals as Bears.
- Goalie Riley Clansen set a new career high with 17 saves vs. UC San Diego.
- Dom Brown and Kai Inoue each scored multiple goals in both games.
- Brown led all Bears in scoring with five total goals.
2026 PRESEASON POLLS
Both the CWP Preseason Poll and the MPSF Coaches' Poll shook out the same this year, reflecting the final standings of 2025. The Golden Bears were picked to finish fourth in conference and nationally while reigning national champion UCLA was picked to threepeat. MPSF Champion and national runner-up USC was ranked second, and national semifinalist Stanford took third.
FAMILIAR FACES
The Bears return 18 members of last year's roster including its five top scorers who combined for 171 goals and 232 points in 2025. That group is led by sophomore Beso Akhvlediani who was named a Second Team All-American after leading Cal with 59 goals and 82 points while also becoming the program's first freshman First Team All-MPSF selection since 2019. On the defensive end Cal gets back sophomore goalkeeper Aran Pina who is fresh off a silver-medal finish as Spain's starter at the U-20 European Championships. Pina played in 21 of 23 games and compiled 166 saves and 29 steals.
2025 RECAP
Cal once again competed among the nation's elite during the 2025 season, facing one of the country's most demanding schedules in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and posting a 15-8 overall record. The Golden Bears battled a slate that featured every 2024 NCAA semifinalist and multiple top-10 opponents, highlighted by an impressive 13-11 victory over then-No. 2 USC. Individually, four Golden Bears earned ACWPC All-America recognition. Seniors Albert Ponferrada and Nik Mirkovic, along with freshman goalkeeper Aran Pina, received All-America honorable mention honors for their contributions throughout the season. The Bears also continued their tradition of academic excellence, placing multiple student-athletes on the MPSF All-Academic Team.
GOLDEN SUCCESS
The Bears have won 17 NCAA championships, including three in a row from 2021-2023, making Cal the winningest program in men's water polo history. During Kirk Everist's tenure as a head coach, he has been named the ACWPC National Coach of the Year five times (2006, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023), and the Bears have won six national championships (2006, 2007, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023) amid his 25 seasons at the helm.
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal men's water polo, follow the Bears on X/ Twitter (@CalWaterPolo) and Instagram (@calmwaterpolo).
Aggie Roundup
Schaal Aquatics Center (La Jolla, Calif.)
Saturday, Sept. 5
8 a.m. PT — #4 Cal vs. #18 Harvard
3 p.m. PT — #4 Cal vs. #10 San José State
Sunday, Sept. 6
8 a.m. PT — Cal vs. Cuesta (exhibition)
11 a.m. PT — Cal vs. American River (exhibition)
Schaal Aquatics Center (La Jolla, Calif.)
Saturday, Sept. 5
8 a.m. PT — #4 Cal vs. #18 Harvard
3 p.m. PT — #4 Cal vs. #10 San José State
Sunday, Sept. 6
8 a.m. PT — Cal vs. Cuesta (exhibition)
11 a.m. PT — Cal vs. American River (exhibition)
LAST ACTION
Cal fought through early deficits with powerful second-half play to collect two wins in the Golden Bears' first official day of competition at the Triton Invitational in La Jolla. Luke Bachler and Dom Brown tallied respective hat tricks in Cal's 14-9 victory over No. 15 UC Santa Barbara and 15-11 win over No. 12 host UC San Diego in Saturday's action at the Triton Invitational in La Jolla. Cal goalie Riley Clansen manned the cage for both games, topping out with 17 saves in the win over the Tritons to help the Bears to a 2-0 start to the year.
NOTABLE:
- Freshmen Ilias Angelopoulos, João Leme and Mason Netzer each scored their first goals as Bears.
- Goalie Riley Clansen set a new career high with 17 saves vs. UC San Diego.
- Dom Brown and Kai Inoue each scored multiple goals in both games.
- Brown led all Bears in scoring with five total goals.
2026 PRESEASON POLLS
Both the CWP Preseason Poll and the MPSF Coaches' Poll shook out the same this year, reflecting the final standings of 2025. The Golden Bears were picked to finish fourth in conference and nationally while reigning national champion UCLA was picked to threepeat. MPSF Champion and national runner-up USC was ranked second, and national semifinalist Stanford took third.
FAMILIAR FACES
The Bears return 18 members of last year's roster including its five top scorers who combined for 171 goals and 232 points in 2025. That group is led by sophomore Beso Akhvlediani who was named a Second Team All-American after leading Cal with 59 goals and 82 points while also becoming the program's first freshman First Team All-MPSF selection since 2019. On the defensive end Cal gets back sophomore goalkeeper Aran Pina who is fresh off a silver-medal finish as Spain's starter at the U-20 European Championships. Pina played in 21 of 23 games and compiled 166 saves and 29 steals.
2025 RECAP
Cal once again competed among the nation's elite during the 2025 season, facing one of the country's most demanding schedules in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and posting a 15-8 overall record. The Golden Bears battled a slate that featured every 2024 NCAA semifinalist and multiple top-10 opponents, highlighted by an impressive 13-11 victory over then-No. 2 USC. Individually, four Golden Bears earned ACWPC All-America recognition. Seniors Albert Ponferrada and Nik Mirkovic, along with freshman goalkeeper Aran Pina, received All-America honorable mention honors for their contributions throughout the season. The Bears also continued their tradition of academic excellence, placing multiple student-athletes on the MPSF All-Academic Team.
GOLDEN SUCCESS
The Bears have won 17 NCAA championships, including three in a row from 2021-2023, making Cal the winningest program in men's water polo history. During Kirk Everist's tenure as a head coach, he has been named the ACWPC National Coach of the Year five times (2006, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023), and the Bears have won six national championships (2006, 2007, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023) amid his 25 seasons at the helm.
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal men's water polo, follow the Bears on X/ Twitter (@CalWaterPolo) and Instagram (@calmwaterpolo).
Players Mentioned
ATT
/ Men's Water Polo
C
/ Men's Water Polo
ATT
/ Men's Water Polo
GK
/ Men's Water Polo
ATT
/ Men's Water Polo
ATT
/ Men's Water Polo
A
/ Men's Water Polo
GK
/ Men's Water Polo
A
/ Men's Water PoloThursday, October 05
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Thursday, June 23
