SAN BRUNO, Calif. – For the second consecutive year, San José State was voted as the preseason favorite in the 2026 West Coast Conference Men's Water Polo coaches preseason poll.
The preseason poll and the preseason team were selected solely by a vote of the Conference’s eight head coaches. Coaches cannot vote for their own team and student-athletes.
In a close battle for first, The Spartans tallied four first-place votes and 44 total points, while conference affiliate, UC Davis, came in second with two first-place votes and 42 points. Third-place Pepperdine received 38 points and Pacific collected 35 points for fourth place with each program earning one first-place vote.
In the Collegiate Water Polo Association's 2026 Men's Preseason Poll, seven of the conference's eight teams were represented in the nation's top 20. Three teams were ranked inside the top 10, led by No. 6 UC Davis, followed by No. 8 Pepperdine and No. 9 San José State.
The winners of the 2025 West Coast Conference Men's Water Polo Championship, San José State also featured two student-athletes on the preseason team. Pepperdine, Santa Clara, Pacific, UC Davis and Air Force also placed one honoree each.
2025 Second Team All-American and West Coast Conference Men's Water Polo All-Tournament Team member, Samu Biros of San José State was selected to the preseason team. Tom Leggett of Air Force returned to the preseason team for the third year in a row after earning All-America Second Team accolades and first team all-conference honors last season. Santa Clara's Riccardo De Simon, a 2025 Third Team All-American and all-conference first team honoree from 2025, also joined the list for a second straight year. The final 2025 All-American to be voted on the preseason team was UC Davis' Thomas Kiesling, a 2025 Third Team All-American.
Jon Carcarey (Pepperdine), Borisz Kasa-Gal (Pacific) and Sam Keightley (San José State) rounded out the preseason team.
The 2026 West Coast Conference Men’s Water Polo Championship will be held from Nov. 20-22, hosted at the Sullivan Aquatic Center on Santa Clara's campus.
2026 West Coast Conference Men’s Water Polo Preseason Poll
| Place |
Team |
First Place |
Points |
| 1. |
San José State |
4 |
44 |
| 2. |
UC Davis |
2 |
42 |
| 3. |
Pepperdine |
1 |
38 |
| 4. |
Pacific |
1 |
35 |
| 5. |
LMU |
|
24 |
| 6. |
Santa Clara |
|
17 |
| 7. |
Saint Mary's |
|
16 |
| 8. |
Air Force |
|
8 |
| 2026 Men’s Water Polo Preseason All-WCC Team |
| Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
| Samu Biros |
San José State |
Jr. |
| Jon Carcarey |
Pepperdine |
Sr. |
| Riccardo De Simon |
Santa Clara |
Jr. |
| Borisz Kasa-Gal |
Pacific |
So. |
| Sam Keightley |
San José State |
So. |
| Thomas Kiesling |
UC Davis |
Jr. |
| Tom Leggett |
Air Force |
Sr. |