1986 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship


The 1986 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 18th annual NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship 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.
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, David Imbernino, and Craig Klass. An All-Tournament Team of eight players was also named.
The tournament's leading scorer was Robert Lynn from USC.

Qualification

Since there has only ever been one single national championship for water polo, all NCAA men's water polo programs were eligible. A total of 8 teams were invited to contest this championship.
TeamAppearancePrevious
Air Force5th1981
Brown8th1985
California13th1984
Navy2nd1984
Pepperdine5th1984
USC9th1984
Stanford14th1985
UCLA15th1985

Bracket