LA JOLLA, Calif. — The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan water polo team defeated California State University-Fullerton, 18-8, at the Canyonview Aquatic Center prior to stopping Concordia University, 21-8, at Triton Pool on the second day of the 2026 Triton Invitational hosted by the University of California-San Diego. The wins were the first of the season for the Wolverines.
Senior Maddy Scarth totaled eight goals and notched three assists for 11 points on the day. Emilia Mladjan also contributed to the Maize and Blue’s success via five goals.
Michigan, which improves to 2-6 on the season, opened the day against Cal State Fullerton by trading goals with the Titans throughout the first half. The half was highlighted by Ari Karampetsou, who scored a goal in both the first and second quarters.
The Wolverines dominated the second half by scoring 11 goals, their most in any half this year. Scarth posted three goals in the third quarter, two of which were assisted by Karampetsou with Issy Jackson also contributing a helper. In addition, the third quarter was defensively the strongest for the Wolverines as the Maize & Blue held Cal State Fullerton to a single tally.
In the fourth, freshman Ryland Smith scored three of the Wolverines’ five goals within the first four minutes, and helped secure U-M’s first win of 2026.
In the second match, the Wolverines started on a 4-0 run and were able to keep a steady lead throughout all four frames versus Concordia. After a short comeback by the Golden Eagles, the Wolverines went into the second half with a five-goal lead after back-to-back goals from Jordan Schneider and Karampetsou.
After exchanging goals throughout the third quarter, U-M pulled away in the fourth quarter with lockdown defense, holding Concordia to just two goals in the final frame. Among a plethora of U-M goals, freshman Bailee Swindells found the back of the net twice in the fourth to help Michigan win back-to-back games.
Information courtesy University of Michigan Athletics Communications
