UC Irvine Will Face Stanford in Water Polo

UC Irvine will meet Stanford in the first round of the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. water polo championships Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

The Anteaters (18-8) are seeded fifth. Stanford (19-3) is seeded fourth.

It will be Irvine’s 16th appearance at the NCAA Championships in the past 19 years. The Anteaters won national titles in 1970 and 1982 and have finished second six times.

California is the tournament’s top-seeded team, followed by USC, UCLA, Stanford, UCI, Pepperdine, Navy and Brown.

Semifinals begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m.. The final game is Sunday at 7:30 p.m.