1989 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship


The 1989 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 21st 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 Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis, Indiana during December 1989.
UC Irvine defeated two-time defending champion California in the final, 9–8, to win their third national title. Coached by Ted Newland, the Anteaters finished the season 27–6.
The Most Outstanding Player of the tournament was Dan Smoot. Smoot, along with eight other players, was named to the All-Tournament Team.
The tournament's leading scorer, with 11 goals, was Tom Warde from UC Irvine.

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
Arkansas–Little Rock2nd1988
Brown10th1987
California16th1988
UC Irvine18th1988
UC San Diego1stNever
Long Beach State10th1988
Pepperdine7th1987
Stanford17th1988

Bracket