Augustana College in Rock Island will host this weekend’s USA Water Polo Division III Men’s Collegiate Water Polo National Championship in the Anne Greve Lund Natatorium Dec. 2-3.
Augustana — in partnership with Visit Quad Cities and USA Water Polo – was chosen for the prestigious tournament, marking the return of the championship to the region after a successful women’s tournament last spring, according to a Friday Visit Quad Cities release.
“Augustana Athletics is honored to be selected to host [this event]. I look forward to partnering with the staff at Visit Quad Cities and USA Water Polo to host a memorable championship experience for the four participating programs,” Mike Zapolski, Augie’s director of athletics, said in the release.
The Women’s USA Water Polo Collegiate National Championship was held at Augie this past spring (2023).
The new men’s tournament will showcase four top-tier teams competing for the national title: Augustana College, the MPSF East titleholder and host; Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, the SCIAC champion; MIT, the CWPA DIII Eastern champion; and the University of Redlands, SCIAC runner-up.
“Hosting this championship event continues to diversify our portfolio of sporting events and is a fantastic opportunity to showcase Augustana College,” said Dave Herrell, president/CEO of Visit Quad Cities.
The Augustana Vikings men’s water polo team will take on the No. 1 ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday, Dec. 2 in their home pool in the first of two semifinal contests at the USA Water Polo Division III National Tournament.
Augustana enters the tournament with a 15-6 overall record and earned an automatic bid after winning its second straight MPSF-East title two weekends ago, according to the college website. The Vikings defeated Washington & Jefferson by a score of 24-14 in the East semifinal game, using an 11-point fourth quarter to pull away for good.
Augie then beat the Austin ‘Roos in the title game for the second time in as many seasons, winning by a score of 13-4. Declan Hutton was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player on the East side as the Vikings wrapped up a perfect 8-0 record vs. divisional teams in 2023.
The tournament’s schedule is as follows (all times Central):
- Saturday, December 2
- 2 p.m.: Augustana vs Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
- 4 p.m.: Redlands vs MIT
- Sunday, December 3
- 10 a.m.: 3rd Place Game
- 12 noon: Championship Game
Admission for the tournament is $12 for a day pass or $20 for the entire weekend, with tickets available for purchase here. Additionally, all four games will be live-streamed via the Viking Sports Network on YouTube.
“The Lindberg Center’s Anne Greve Lund Natatorium is a state-of-the-art venue. We look forward to hosting the student-athletes, administrators and fans in the Quad Cities regional destination,” Herrell added.
This national championship marks the first-ever men’s Division III water polo tournament outside California, reinforcing Augustana’s reputation as a distinguished host for such esteemed events.
For ticket purchases, click HERE. For live-stream access provided by Augustana, click HERE.
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