Water Polo Picked Third in WCC Preseason Coaches Poll; Carcarey Named to All-WCC Preseason Team
8/21/2026 10:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
SAN BRUNO, Calif. — Pepperdine water polo came in at No. 3 in the West Coast Conference (WCC) Preseason Coaches Poll while senior Jon Carcarey was named to the All-WCC Preseason Team, announced today by the conference.
Carcarey, a senior out of Santa Maria, Calif., earns recognition on the All-WCC Preseason Team for the Waves. Carcarey earned All-WCC honorable mention this past season and was named to the Cutino Award Watch List during the campaign. In 2025, he posted 34 goals with 24 assists offensively while logging 26 steals and 10 field blocks across 26 contests.
Pepperdine posted a 17-11 overall mark in 2025, eventually reaching the WCC Semifinals. The Waves have been in the final four in the WCC Tournament in all three years of its existence.
Pepperdine was selected at No. 8 in the Preseason Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Coaches Poll earlier this week, having finished 2025 as the No. 9-ranked team in the country.
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.
The WCC slate begins Friday, Oct. 2 with a home matchup against Loyola Marymount, and concludes at Pacific Nov. 8. The new-look WCC this season features eight teams in total, with the additions of UC Davis and Saint Mary's, while California Baptist left the conference.
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.
2026 WCC Preseason Coaches Poll
Team (first-place votes) points
1. San Jose State, (4) 44 points
2. UC Davis, (2) 42 points
3. Pepperdine, (1) 38 points
4. Pacific, (1) 35 points
5. LMU, 24 points
6. Santa Clara, 17 points
7. Saint Mary's, 16 points
8. Air Force, 8 points
2026 All-WCC Preseason Team
Samu Biros, San Jose State
Jon Carcarey, Pepperdine
Borisz Kasa-Gal, Pacific
Sam Keightley, San Jose State
Thomas Kiesling, UC Davis
Tom Leggett, Air Force
Riccardo De Simon, Santa Clara
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.
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