For a fifth time, the Bruins have a chance to conquer uncharted waters.

Having won back-to-back NCAA championships on five separate occasions, the blue and gold have never been able to keep the streak alive for a third straight national title.

But history may not always repeat itself.

No. 1 UCLA men’s water polo will dive into the 2026 season and begin its pursuit of the program’s first three-peat at Saturday’s Triton Invitational. The squad is slated for a morning matchup against No. 20 St. Mary’s before taking on Bucknell in the afternoon at Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla.

Coach Adam Wright – who has brought six national championships to Westwood as he enters his 18th year with the squad – is heading into the new campaign with an understanding of the implications of winning.

“We know winning is dangerous,” Wright said at the 2026 MPSF Media Day on Aug. 10. “But two years ago, after we won, these guys answered the bell (and) had an incredible offseason. And the bar goes up, simply.”

That narrative of raising the standard – even after winning it all – shined bright in the Bruins’ 2025 campaign. The reigning champions dropped just two matches across the season – both to a USC squad they ultimately took down in the national title game – and held their opponents to single digits in 15 of 29 matches.

Now, after claiming the throne yet again, Wright is returning the bulk of his roster from last season and will likely see clear continuity from his most vital pieces.

Spearheading the effort will be junior attacker and two-time Peter J. Cutino Award winner Ryder Dodd. The Long Beach local led the Bruins with 98 goals last season on a .563 clip and posted a team-high 132 points, adding on 32 of both steals and earned exclusions. Dodd recorded 26 multi-goal games last season, including 15 outings with four-plus goals.

The now-upperclassman is set to step into a leadership role with the Bruins in the coming year, as his undisputed dominance and abundance of collegiate and national team experience are likely to serve him well as a mentor to younger players.

“I think just me being an older guy, being in the program for now almost three years, it’s important for me to hold the standard and pave the path that the newcomers and the transfers are going to see,” Dodd said. “If I fall off that path, I’m not really setting a good example.”

Luckily for Dodd, he has plenty of fellow veteran teammates returning to the squad – three of the Bruins’ top four leading scorers behind him from last season are taking to the pool in blue and gold once again.

Scoring a combined 84 goals last season, attackers junior Bode Brinkema and fifth-year Frederico Jucá Carsalade will bolster the Bruin offense yet again. While Brinkema recorded seven hat tricks throughout the season, Carsalade scored a buzzer-beating goal against USC in the national title match to secure the victory for the Bruins.

As for the utility position, senior Ben Liechty tacked on 44 goals in 2025 and junior Peter Castillo served as an anchor on the defensive end. Castillo’s 76 earned exclusions paced both the team and the conference, helping him earn an ACWPC All-America honorable mention.

Wright is also welcoming four transfers to the squad – all of whom could play important rotational roles with the team in the coming campaign.

Leading the transfer group is junior attacker Danilo Dragović from UC Santa Barbara. The Budva, Montenegro, local was named to the All-Big West First Team last season after netting a team-high 63 goals at a .470 clip to go along with 20 assists and 23 steals. Dragović is a dynamic piece that could play multiple roles with a deep and experienced Bruin squad.

Also making the move to Westwood is a trio of former Stanford Cardinal – fifth-years goalkeeper Griffen Price, attacker Chase McFarland and defender Jack Merrill. While Price and Merrill did not see action in 2025 – and Merrill will be playing behind starting goalkeeper senior Nate Tauscher – McFarland played in 24 of Stanford’s 26 matches to total 12 goals and 15 assists.

“We have a lot of excitement with people who are coming into a program for the first time, and like I tell the guys, no position’s guaranteed,” Wright said. “There could be changes that you would never expect. It’s a new year.”

Meanwhile, St. Mary’s will make a historic debut this weekend in the program’s first-ever men’s water polo competition.

The school announced the addition of the sport for both men and women in September 2025, and the men’s squad will begin competition in 2026 as a Division I team in the West Coast Conference. Coach James Lathrop’s roster features 14 freshmen and eight transfers that will immediately be tested against nationally-proven opponents.

While the Gaels will not be competing in the MPSF, their inaugural year represents a larger theme of growth within collegiate water polo.

“Our conference is really proud of its strength and growth,” MPSF Commissioner Foti Mellis said. “As realignment leaves programs searching for a home, that’s where we come in.”

UCLA’s second opponent, Bucknell, has not recorded a winning season record since 2022. The Bison lost their leading scorer from last season – attacker Aleksa Stefanovic – and feature 10 underclassmen on a 17-man roster.

The Bruins will likely be able to take advantage of a lack of team chemistry and collegiate experience that both of this weekend’s opponents will be handling.

But, no matter the opponent, Dodd says the goals are clear.

“I think we’re very hungry, probably hungrier than we’ve ever been,” Dodd said. “We’re a very motivated team, ready to go with a lot of new guys and ready to prove something.”