This post was updated Oct. 25 at 11:22 p.m.

UCLA men’s water polo returned to No. 1 in the rankings after dropping to second for two weeks. The Bruins sit at 17-1 (2-1 MPSF) and are riding a dominant 15-9 road victory over crosstown rival No. 3 USC. After a bye weekend, the squad will return to action Oct. 31 for another heavyweight conference matchup against No. 4 California in Berkeley. With four regular season matches remaining, the NCAA Championship is just over one month out, and the reigning back-to-back national champions are preparing for a shot at the first three-peat in program history. With the Bruins out of action this weekend, Daily Bruin Sports’ men’s water polo beat discusses who the X-factor will be for the blue and gold to win it all once again.

Steven Chaparyan
Assistant Sports editor
Pick: Ryder Dodd

Somebody has to state the obvious.

I’ll do the honors.

No matter how great of a supporting cast dons the blue and gold each season, the truth is that a three-peat conversation likely wouldn’t even be happening if it weren’t for junior attacker Ryder Dodd.

The reigning back-to-back ACWPC and MPSF West Player of the Year has led the conference in scoring for the past two seasons, and he knows exactly how to answer the call when the stakes are highest.

For a squad looking to return to glory for a third-straight year, that is exactly the type of leader needed.

Dodd was named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team last season after tallying nine goals across three matches to propel the Bruins to victory. After a four-goal outing against Princeton in the quarterfinals, he notched a pair against Stanford in the semifinals before posting a team-high hat trick in the title match against USC.

With the elite talent in collegiate men’s water polo being so concentrated in a handful of programs, Dodd’s experience in big moments will prove vital this postseason, when UCLA will almost certainly rematch against those top squads.

And Dodd’s impact extends beyond himself.

Especially in tight matchups like the final two last season, any sign of offensive momentum can be the catalyst for a change in pace and for one squad to take control. That was exactly what happened in last year’s NCAA tournament, when Dodd’s offensive excellence allowed the team around him to shine as well.

Then-redshirt junior attacker Frederico Jucá Carsalade joined Dodd with four goals in the game against Princeton, and three other Bruins tallied multi-goal performances alongside Dodd in the final match. The truth is, when Dodd is succeeding, so is his team.

He leads the blue and gold with a plus-minus of +90.9 this season, and is showing no signs of slowing down, having tallied a team-high 46 goals at a 51% clip so far in 2026.

So when that first weekend of December rolls around, the Bruins will know exactly who to look to.

Amelia Chief
Daily Bruin senior staff
Pick: Luka Gladović

UCLA men’s water polo is no stranger to standout freshmen.

Dodd made an immediate splash in his debut season. His team-leading 102 goals set an MPSF record, and he led both the team and conference in total points with 134. The Long Beach local was recognized with the Peter J. Cutino Award as the best collegiate men’s water polo player.

Dodd was crucial for the Bruins to take home the 2024 title, and as the blue and gold eye a three-peat, a freshman may once again be the key.

Three-time MPSF West Newcomer of the Week Luka Gladović has led the Bruins in scoring in four games this season, including the Overnght MPSF Invitational final. The utility powered UCLA to its fourth-straight invitational title with a last-second game-winning goal against Stanford – the squad that handed UCLA its sole loss of the season nearly two weeks later and will likely return as a postseason foe.

Facing USC – which UCLA has defeated to take the title the past two years – at the Trojans’ home Oct. 17, he scored two goals in the first quarter.

Gladović’s performance has been consistently strong. He has tallied nine multi-goal games – including five with three scores or more – and found the net in all but four games. After a two-game scoreless stretch, he bounced back, scoring twice in each of the next three outings.

And although he may be an NCAA newcomer, Gladović has plenty of experience on the big stage. At age 18, he competed for the Serbian senior national team, earning Most Valuable Player honors for his contributions to Serbia’s silver-medal finish at the 2023 LEN European U17 Championships.

A fresh face will propel UCLA men’s water polo to a third victory in familiar waters.

Finn Karish
Daily Bruin staff
Pick: Ben Liechty

Senior Ben Liechty has played a key role in the Bruins’ last two national championships, and the MPSF’s leading assist-maker is poised to have the same impact this year.

The utility has 47 assists this season – three more than the conference’s second-best creator, USC driver Efe Naipoglu. Liechty’s has continued his dominance from last season, when he paced the league in assists with 63.

Beyond setting up teammates, the Newport Beach local has appeared in 72 of UCLA’s last 75 games, having not missed an outing since the 2024 season. This experience across multiple national title-winning campaigns has prepared Liechty to lead the team through tough postseason matchups.

However, the key to why Liechty is an X-factor for the Bruins heading into postseason play is his goal-scoring ability. Following a strong start to the season – with 14 goals in the Bruins’ five opening games – the senior has added 10 scores in the 13 games since.

Despite his decline in scoring volume, three of Liechty’s goals in the latter stretch came in two matches against top-three opponent Stanford. Last season, Liechty provided a key four-goal performance against the Cardinal in the MPSF Invitational semifinal, showcasing his ability to step up in big moments. If he can return to his early-season goal-scoring form and couple that with his elite ability to set up teammates, he may be just the tool that UCLA will use to return to the podium.

Liechty might not bring the overwhelming scoring threat of Dodd or the relentless energy of Gladović, but he sees the pool better than anyone else on the team.  When facing top opposition, that can make the difference.