1997 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship


The 1997 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 29th 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 International Swimming Hall of Fame Aquatics Complex in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, during December 1997.
Pepperdine defeated USC in the final, 8–7, to win their first national title. The Waves were coached by Terry Schroeder.
The Most Outstanding Players of the tournament, all from Pepperdine, were Alan Herrmann, Merrill Moses, and Jeremy Pope. The All-Tournament Team comprised these three, along with four other players.
The tournament's leading scorer, with 6 goals, was Pope from Pepperdine.
Queens (NY) became the first team from outside the state of California to finish third place in an NCAA men's water polo tournament. The Knights defeated UC Davis in the third-place final, 5–3.

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 4 teams were invited to contest this championship.
TeamAppearancePrevious
UC Davis4th1996
Pepperdine13th1994
Queens (NY)1stNever
USC16th1995

Bracket

All-tournament team

  • Simun Cimerman, USC
  • Mike Gottelli, UC Davis
  • Alan Herrmann, Pepperdine
  • Merrill Moses, Pepperdine
  • Marko Pintaric, USC
  • Jeremy Pope, Pepperdine
  • John Vasek, Queens