The 2002 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship was the third annual tournament to determine the national championship of NCAA women's collegiate water polo. The single-elimination tournament was played at Canyonview Pool at the University of California, San Diego in La Jolla, San Diego, California from May 10–11, 2003.[1]
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | May 10–11, 2003 |
| Teams | 4 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | UCLA (2nd title) |
| Runner-up | Stanford (3rd title game) |
| Third place | Loyola Marymount |
| Fourth place | Indiana |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 4 |
| Goals scored | 36 (9 per match) |
| Attendance | 4,276 (1,069 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Jessica López, UCLA Kelly Rulon, UCLA Lauren Boreta, Stanford Hannah Luber, Stanford Katie Hicks, LMU (3) |
| Best player | Robin Beauregard, UCLA |
UCLA, in a rematch of the previous two years' finals, defeated Stanford in the final, 4–3, to win their second NCAA championship. The Bruins (23–4) were coached by Adam Krikorian.
UCLA's Robin Beauregard was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Five different players (2 from UCLA, 2 from Stanford, and 1 from Loyola Marymount) tied as the tournament's leading scorer, with 3 goals each.
Qualification
Since there has only ever been one single national championship for women's water polo, all NCAA women's water polo programs (whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III) were eligible. A total of 4 teams were invited to contest this championship.
| Team | Appearance | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Loyola Marymount | 3rd | 2002 |
| Indiana | 1st | Never |
| Stanford | 3rd | 2002 |
| UCLA | 3rd | 2002 |
Tournament bracket
| Semifinals May 10, 2003 | Championship May 11, 2003 | ||||||||
| Stanford | 13 | ||||||||
| Indiana | 2 | ||||||||
| Stanford | 3 | ||||||||
| UCLA | 4 | ||||||||
| UCLA | 8 | ||||||||
| Loyola Marymount | 2 | Third Place May 11, 2003 | |||||||
| Indiana | 2 | ||||||||
| Loyola Marymount | 5 | ||||||||
All tournament teams
First Team
- Robin Beauregard, UCLA (Most Outstanding Player)
- Natalie Golda, UCLA
- Jessica López, UCLA
- Jackie Frank, Stanford
- Julie Gardner, Stanford
- Hannah Luber, Stanford
- Kelty Luber, Stanford
- Brenda Villa, Stanford
- Katie Hicks, Loyola Marymount
- Krista Peterson, Indiana
Second Team
- Maureen Flanagan, UCLA
- Jamie Hipp, UCLA
- Kelly Rulon, UCLA
- Teresa Guidi, Loyola Marymount
- Devon Wright, Loyola Marymount
- Kristin Stanford, Indiana