GAINESVILLE, Fla. — TJ Turner (Jr., Escondido, Calif.) scored three times to net Player of the Game recognition as Southwest Division Champion/2022 & 2023 National Champion/No. 1-ranked the University of California-San Diego managed Pacific Coast Division Champion/No. 2 California Polytechnic State University, 11-4, in the semifinals of the 204 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship hosted by the University of Florida at the Ann Marie Rogers Swimming & Diving Pool.
Courtesy the win, UC-San Diego returns to an old stomping ground – the Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship title game – as the Tritons will return to the water at 12:45 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, November 10, to face the winner of a semifinal matching Sierra Pacific Division Champion/No. 3 California Maritime Academy and New England Division Champion/No. 14 Boston University.
UC-San Diego has a storied recent history at Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship:
- Last year at the Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center in Kearns, Utah, UCSD rolled past the University of Utah (18-8 W), Dartmouth College (15-10 W), the University of California (15-9 W) and the University of Florida (12-8 W) to repeat as Men’s National Collegiate Club Champion.
- In 2022 at the Chehalem Aquatics & Fitness Center in Newberg, Ore., UC-San Diego defeated Dartmouth (15-5 W), California (11-7 W), the University of Michigan (14-6 W) and California Polytechnic State University (7-6 W) to claim the National Championship.
- The Tritons topped Oregon State University (20-5 W), the University of Pennsylvania (18-5 W) and Washington University in St. Louis (16-5 W) prior to suffering a 12-11 setback against Michigan State University in the 2021 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship title game at the Huntsville Aquatic Center in Huntsville, Ala.
- In 2019 at the University of Pittsburgh, the Tritons battled the United States Military Academy (19-7 W), Cal Maritime (10-7 W) and Lindenwood University (11-9 L) before stopping the University of Utah by a 15-13 score in overtime to claim Third Place.
- The team finished in Fifth Place at the 2018 Championship hosted by the University of Arizona as the Tritons faced Oregon State University (14-3 W), Lindenwood (7-3 L), The Ohio State University (11-7 W) and the University of Texas (7-6 W).
- Prior to 2018, UC-San Diego made the field as the No. 16 seed for the 2013 event by way of serving as host…In their first appearance at the National Championship tournament, the Tritons fell to the University of California-Los Angeles (10-7 L), stopped the University of Oregon (10-6 W) and Cornell University (16-12 W OT) prior to upending the University of Maryland (11-7 W) in the Ninth Place game.
In the history of the championship, only one team has claimed three consecutive National Championships—Lindenwood (2014, 2015, 2016)—prior to the run coming to an end in 2017 when San Diego State University took home the big plaque.
The all-time leader in National Collegiate Club Championships with five (1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007) in eight title game appearances (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2022), the Mustangs of California Polytechnic will face the fallen from the Cal Maritime-Boston University game on Sunday, November 10 for Third Place.
Historically, in addition to the Mustangs’ National Championships, the squad has also finished Second (2003, 2008), Third (2000, 2017, 2018) and Fifth (2006) at the Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship since 2000 as the program is guaranteed to notch another Top Four finish in 2024.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 2 California Polytechnic State University |
1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 4 |
| No. 1 University of California-San Diego | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 | – | 11 |
| UCSD Goals: | TJ Turner (3); Joseph Holoway (2); Peter Olson (2); Graham McClone (2); Luke Childs; Andrew Cagney | |||||
| Cal Poly Goals: | Bennett Steiger (2); Owen Taylor; Jackson Geiger | |||||
| Saves: | UCSD – Bryce Elsner (9), Winston Loh (2) ; Cal Poly – Tristan Linder (6) | |||||
| Exclusions: | UCSD – 12 ; Cal Poly – 6 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | UCSD – for-6 ; Cal Poly – for-12 | |||||
| Sprints: | UCSD – 0-for-4 ; Cal Poly – 4-for-4 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Jorge Villalobos, Stephanie Villalobos | |||||
California Polytechnic State University’s Owen Taylor (#4) shoots over the University of California-San Diego’s Braden Clark (#13)
California Polytechnic State University’s Reed Perkins (#20) attempts to elude the University of California-San Diego’s Connor Stauffer (#10)
The University of California-San Diego’s Nikolai Haines (#2) chases down California Polytechnic State University’s Bo Clemens (#21)
