2004 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship


The 2004 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 36th 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 Avery Aquatic Center in Stanford, California during December 2004.
As of 2024, this was the last year USC failed to make the playoffs. They have won 8 in this time period, winning six straight between 2008-2013, and appearing in the Championship Game 14 times in a row.
UCLA defeated Stanford in the final, 10–9, to win their eighth national title. The Bruins were coached by Adam Krikorian.
The Most Outstanding Player of the tournament was Brett Ormsby from UCLA. For the first time, two All-Tournament Teams were named: a First Team and a Second Team.
The tournament's leading scorer, with 7 goals, was Endre Rex-Kiss from Loyola Marymount.

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
Loyola Marymount3rd2003
Princeton2nd1994
Stanford27th2003
UCLA26th2001

Bracket

All-tournament teams

First Team

Second Team