‘Eaters picked for last

Coach Marc Hunt’s Anteaters, who were 18-8 and finished with a No. 5 national ranking last season and have completed the season with a No. 5 ranking four of Hunt’s six seasons at the helm, received 10 points, half as many as Santa Barbara, which was picked to finish eighth.

UCI has just one of its top seven scorers from last season on this year’s roster, after losing 2010 All-Americans Tom Cruip, Griffin Lerman and Doug Lindsey, as well as 2009 All-American Brandon Johnson from last year’s squad.

Mitch Wise, a sophomore driver, leads the UCI returners after scoring 40 goals, fourth most on the team.

Senior driver Trent Baxter had 15 goals last season.

USC and Cal, who received five and four first-place votes, respectively, tied for first with 60 points. UCLA and Stanford (45 each) tied for third, followed by Pacific (39), Pepperdine (23) and Long Beach State (22).

USC is coming off a national championship season in which the Trojans finished 28-2. Cal was 24-4 in 2010, including a loss to USC in the NCAA title game.

— From staff reports

Hunt leads way

The United States men’s water polo team coached by UC Irvine head man Marc Hunt, defeated France, 11-8, Monday to move into the medal round at the World University Games in China.

Former UCI standouts Griffin Lerman and Greg Enloe each played more than 14 minutes against France.

Hunt, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2007, is preparing for his seventh season at the UCI helm. He was captain of the U.S team that won gold at the 1993 World University Games in Buffalo, N.Y.

— From staff reports