MALIBU, California – The Pepperdine men's water polo team will have a new affiliation next year as the West Coast Conference announced today that the league will begin sponsoring the sport in the fall of 2023.
 
The Waves have been a member of the WCC since 1956-57 for men's basketball, and water polo will become the 13th Pepperdine team to compete in the conference.
 
"We are very excited that we will officially become a WCC-sponsored sport," Pepperdine Coach Terry Schroeder said. "Our new conference will be very competitive and hopefully will compete for the national championship every year. I believe that this is great for water polo and our future as a Division I sport. Thank you to all of the individuals who worked hard to make this happen."
 
Four existing WCC schools sponsor water polo: Pepperdine and Pacific (competing in the Golden Coast Conference in 2022) and Loyola Marymount and Santa Clara (competing in the Western Water Polo Association in 2022). The league will also include three affiliate members when play begins in 2023 in Air Force, California Baptist and San Jose State.
 
"I am very excited for the addition of men's water polo in the West Coast Conference," WCC Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said. "We were presented with the opportunity to explore additional opportunities for our men's water polo student-athletes. Our membership felt strongly it was time to add men's water polo to ensure the stability of the sport in the western region. The four Conference member institutions fielding programs, coupled with three very strong affiliate members, provides a great deal of excitement as we prepare for the inaugural season of WCC men's water polo in 2023."
 
The Pepperdine men's water polo team has competed in the Golden Coast Conference since 2016. Previous conference affiliations include the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (1992-2014), the Big West (1988-1991) and the PCAA (1978-1987).
 
Pepperdine's 2022 season begins September 3-4 at the Triton Invitational hosted by UC San Diego. The Waves finished 14-13 overall last year and tied for fifth place in the GCC. In the final 2021 rankings, the future WCC schools finished seventh (Pacific), ninth (San Jose State), 10th (Pepperdine), 13th (California Baptist) and 14th (Loyola Marymount), while Air Force and Santa Clara were receiving votes.