USC women’s water polo defeats Cal to win national championship

On Sunday, the USC women’s water polo team defeated Cal 10-9 in the NCAA championship game. With the victory, the Trojans took home the national title.

In the NCAA Tournament, USC won three games in three days to claim the trophy. The Trojans handled LMU 10-5 in the quarterfinals on Friday before knocking off rival UCLA 11-10 in the semifinals on Saturday, setting up Sunday’s championship showdown with Cal.

This marks national championship No. 139 for USC as a school. That ranks third among NCAA Division I universities, behind only West Coast foes Stanford and UCLA.

For the water polo program specifically, the Trojans now have a combined 18 national championships between the men’s and women’s teams. It also marks redemption for last season, when the Women of Troy made it to the title game but fell to Stanford.

“Congrats to @USCWaterPolo on winning their eighth national title and USC’s 139th!” USC Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen wrote on social media. “So proud of our student-athletes, coaches, and support staff.”

The title is USC’s first national championship of the 2025-2026 academic year. Prior to Sunday, the Trojans’ most recent title came last spring, when the men’s track and field team swept the indoor and outdoor national championships. With numerous USC spring teams still in season, the Trojans will have several opportunities to try and make it another year of multiple titles.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC women’s water polo defeats Cal to win national championship