Pacific Tabbed Fifth In MPSF Preseason Poll

STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific men's water polo team was picked to finish fifth in the 2011 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Men's Water Polo Preseason Coaches' Poll Monday, August 15.

The Tigers are coming off of a banner year that saw the program ascend to as high as No. 4 nationally, the highest ranking since 1995. The Orange and Black finished the year at 17-11, including a 4-4 mark in MPSF play and a 13-5 victory over Pepperdine in the seventh-place game at the MPSF Tournament. Pacific returns 15 letter winners, including nine seniors and three All-Americans.

USC and California each received 60 votes to tie for the top spot. The Trojans, winners of the 2010 National Championship, picked up five first-place votes to the Bears' four.

UCLA and Stanford tied for third with 45 votes apiece. Pepperdine (23), Long Beach State (22), UC Santa Barbara (20), and UC Irvine (10) round out the nine-team league.

Pacific opens the season versus Santa Clara at the Golden Bear Invitational on September 3. The Tigers' first home match is September 17 at the NorCal Tournament.

Rank	Team	Points (1^st Place)	2010 Record
T-1	USC	60 (5)	28-2 (6-2 MPSF)
T-1	California	60 (4)	24-4 (8-0 MPSF)
T-3	UCLA	45	19-6 (6-2 MPSF)
T-3	Stanford	45	15-8 (5-3 MPSF)
5	Pacific	39	17-11 (4-4 MPSF)
6	Pepperdine	23	9-18 (1-7 MPSF)
7	Long Beach State	22	7-15 (0-8 MPSF)
8	UC Santa Barbara	20	12-12 (2-6 MPSF)
9	UC Irvine	10	18-8 (4-4 MPSF)