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DAVIS, Calif. \u2014 Coming off of a bye week, UC Davis men’s water polo is back in action for its first two West Coast Conference (WCC) league games this weekend against No. 17 Santa Clara and No. 13 San Jose State. Action against the Broncos will be on Friday, Oct. 9 at 2:30 pm PT.<\/p>\n
HOW TO WATCH\/LISTEN\/FOLLOW<\/p>\n
Oct. 9 \u2014 at No. 17 Santa Clara | Watch Live<\/a> | Live Stats<\/a> | @ucdavismwp (X\/Instagram)\u2028 GAME NOTES
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS<\/p>\n
SEASON NOTES<\/p>\n
ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS:\u00a0<\/p>\n UC Davis Athletics represents one of the nation’s premier public universities on the NCAA Division I stage, with more than 650 student-athletes competing across 25 sports, including 16 programs in the Mountain West Conference. Located in California’s quintessential college town, UC Davis combines championship-level athletics with the academic excellence of the nation’s #8 public research university and is home to the nation’s No. 1 programs in agriculture, veterinary medicine and sustainability. With a growing national media presence, bold investments in facilities and the student-athlete experience, and a tradition of developing champions in competition, in the classroom and beyond, the Aggies are elevating UC Davis on a national stage.
\nOct. 11 \u2014 at No. 13 San Jose State | Watch Live<\/a> | Live Stats<\/a> | @ucdavismwp (X\/Instagram)\u2028<\/p>\n
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\n\tLast Time Out: The Aggies sit at 8-7 on the season following an 8-15 loss against Stanford on Sept. 27. Thomas Kiesling<\/a> secured a hat trick for the third straight contest while Oleg Shatskikh<\/a> led the offense with five total points.
\n\tNon-Conference Recap: The 2026 non-conference schedule featured many highs for the Aggies, beginning the year 7-2 with many big wins against Division I competition. During the first weekend of the year against Iona, the team made history with 29 goals against the Gaels, the most goals scored in a single game in program history.
\n\tTwo in a row for Wulfhorst: 17 goals across the five games in the Aggie Roundup gave Wulfhorst the WCC Newcomer of the Week for the second straight week. His performance over the weekend was highlighted by a seven-goal performance against No. 18 Harvard, the second most in a single game in program history.
\n\tWulfhorst has the WCC’s attention: With nine goals in his first four collegiate games, Aggie freshman Lucas Wulfhorst<\/a> was named the WCC’s Newcomer of the Week on Tuesday, Sept. 1 for the first week of the season. This weekly award is the first for the Aggies since 2024.
\n\tA New Look Schaal: In preparation to host the NCAA Championships in 2027, Schaal Aquatics Center got some upgrades during the offseason. The highlight was the building of a brand new video board in the northwest corner of the pool, creating a more modernized experience for all fans to enjoy.
\n\tLooking back on 2025: The 2025 season was one to remember for Aggie water polo, featuring the team’s first Big West championship in their three year history in the conference and their tenth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. This success saw a number of postseason awards for the Aggies, including Coach of the Year honors for head coach Daniel Leyson<\/a>, and all-conference honors for five different players.
\n\tElevating to the West Coast: In July 2025, UC Davis announced that their men’s water polo and beach volleyball programs would make the transition to the West Coast Conference (WCC) for the 2026-27 season, in coordination with many Aggie programs moving to the Mountain West Conference. For men’s water polo, this is the third conference realignment they’ve been a part of since 1994, going from the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) to the Big West Conference in 2023.
\n\tCross Country Aggies: UC Davis continues to expand its blueprint in the water polo world by traveling to play games on the East Coast for the first time since 2021, when the team played at the Navy Open in Maryland. It’s also the third time the team has played in the Bruno Classic, competing in the tournament in 2018 and 2016.
\n\tThe Two Time All-American Returns: Leading the team with 65 goals and 79 points last season, redshirt junior Thomas Kiesling<\/a> was rewarded for his efforts by being named a Third Team All-American by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) in December. This was his second straight All-American award, being an Honorable Mention in 2024. Now in his third season with the program, he hopes to make it three straight honors in 2026.
\n\tElite-Scholar Athlete: On December 4, 2025, then junior Timothy Kerr<\/a> received the highest academic honor an NCAA student-athlete can receive when he was given the National Collegiate Men’s Water Polo Elite-Scholar Athlete award after achieving a 4.0 GPA in Electrical Engineering. With this honor, he was just one of eight student-athletes in NCAA fall 2025 sports to receive this prestigious award.
\n\t2026 Preseason Poll: With a strong 2025 under their belt, UC Davis was picked to finish second in their inaugural WCC campaign, receiving 42 points and two first place votes.
\n\t2025 Recap: The Aggies finished 2025 with a 15-13 record, rattling off three straight wins in the Big West Tournament to win the conference before falling to Stanford in the NCAA Tournament.
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\n\tSanta Clara is 8-6 on the season, most recently dropping road contests to No. 18 Navy and No. 8 UC Irvine.
\n\tThe Broncos are led by two 40+ point scorers in Imme van der Schaaf (45) and Riccardo De Simon (42). De Simon paces the team in goals with 36 and van der Schaaf leads in assists with 26.
\n\tPrimary goalkeeper Harrison Labrosse protects the net with 94 saves on the year and a 7-5 record.
\n\tDavis last played Santa Clara in Sept. 2025, winning a shootout at Sullivan Aquatic Center 17-15.
\n\tSan Jose State is 6-8 following the non-conference season. The Spartans open WCC play at home on Friday against Pacific before facing off against the Aggies.
\n\tSam Keightley leads the offense for SJSU with 36 goals, collecting eight hat tricks throughout the year.
\n\tThe Aggies are coming off two straight losses to the Spartans, dropping a close match 8-9 on the road last October.
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\n\tThis season is number 14 for six-time Coach of the Year winner Daniel Leyson<\/a>.
\n\tLeyson retains his coaching staff from last year with fifth year assistant Nick Alden<\/a> and seventh year staff member Joey Frantz<\/a>. Alden works primarily with operations and as the team’s recruiting coordinator while Frantz serves as goalkeepers coach.
\n\tMany high level players return from last season, including Kiesling, Kerr, 2025 Big West Tournament MVP Baxter Chelsom<\/a>, and Oriol Vi\u00f1as.
\n\tNew faces include Andonis Petroutsas<\/a> from Cuesta College, Jacob Carrera<\/a>, Jaden Joemtree<\/a>, and Cassius Wolf<\/a>.
\n\tComing off of a conference championship last season, the team looks to go back-to-back as they step into the WCC.
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