1997 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship

1997 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship

Dates	December 1997
Teams	4
Champions	Pepperdine (1st title)
Runners-up	USC (6th title game)
Matches played	4
Goals scored	65 (16.25 per match)
Attendance	927 (232 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	, Pepperdine (6)
Best player	, Pepperdine Merrill Moses, Pepperdine , Pepperdine
← 1996 1998 →

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 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, during December 1997.^[1]

Pepperdine defeated USC in the final, 8–7 (in two overtimes), to win their first national title. The Waves (25–3) were coached by Terry Schroeder.

The Most Outstanding Players of the tournament, all from Pepperdine, were , Merrill Moses, and . 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 (whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III) were eligible. A total of 4 teams were invited to contest this championship.

Bracket[]

• Site: , Fort Lauderdale, Florida

All-tournament team[]

• , USC
• , UC Davis
• , Pepperdine (Most outstanding player)
• Merrill Moses, Pepperdine (Most outstanding player)
• , USC
• , Pepperdine (Most outstanding player)
• , Queens (NY)

See also[]

• NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship

References[]