Water Polo Selected No. 8 in Preseason CWPA Poll
8/19/2026 12:02:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Pepperdine water polo came in at No. 8 in the preseason Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division I Poll, announced today by the CWPA.
The Waves finished the 2025 campaign as the No. 9-ranked team in the country in Merrill Moses' second season at the helm. Pepperdine posted 11 ranked victories during the season and saw three Waves earn All-American recognition with a conference-high seven All-WCC honorees. Pepperdine fell in overtime in the WCC Semifinals, finishing with a 17-11 overall mark.
The West Coast Conference sees seven of its eight members land in the top-20 in this year's preseason poll, with the Waves being the second-highest ranked team behind No. 6 UC Davis.
The Waves have put together one of the most challenging schedules in the country this season, as Pepperdine is set to take on 17 of the 20 other teams featured in the preseason poll, including every other program currently ranked in the top-12 nationally.
The Waves return a trio of all-conference honorees from this past season. Junior Max Smirnov was an All-WCC Second Team honoree in 2025 after logging a .460 save-percentage in the cage. Junior Erik Ionescu also tabbed All-WCC Second Team honors with 57 goals and 43 assists to lead the Waves with 100 points. Sophomore Csanád Bella was an All-WCC Freshman Team member, having recorded 25 goals, 15 steals and 18 field blocks in his debut collegiate season. Ionescu also earned ACWPC Third Team All-American honors following the campaign.
With 21 returners on the roster, the Waves also have seven newcomers on the squad. Read more about the freshman class here.
The Waves are set to begin the season at the Triton Invite (Aug. 29-30) hosted by UC San Diego. Pepperdine will open with matchups against McKendree (8 a.m.) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (1:20 p.m.) Saturday before taking on No. 7 Long Beach State (10:40 a.m.) and No. 12 UC San Diego (4 p.m.) Sunday.
Season tickets which feature nine home games at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool this fall are available for purchase here. Single game tickets will be available for purchase Tuesday, Aug. 25.
CWPA Preseason Division I Poll
1. UCLA
2. USC
3. Stanford
4. Cal
5. Fordham
6. UC Davis
7. Long Beach State
8. Pepperdine
9. San Jose State
10. Princeton
11. Pacific
12. UC San Diego
T13. UC Irvine
T13. California Baptist
15. UC Santa Barbara
16. Loyola Marymount
17. Harvard
18. Santa Clara
19. Navy
T20. Brown
T20. Saint Mary's
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WATER POLO
Pepperdine water polo has seen success spanning decades under Terry Schroeder who gave the reins to Merrill Moses following the 2023 season. Highlighted by its national championship in 1997 with Moses as the starting goalie, the Waves have reached the NCAA Tournament on 13 occasions and recently won the inaugural WCC Regular Season Championship in 2023. Overall, the program has seen 67 athletes garner All-American honors while boasting a winning record in 37 of 51 seasons.
TICKETS
For more information on upcoming home events and to purchase season tickets, visit here.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine water polo news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineMWP.
