Gauchos Beat Fullerton 10-7 to Share the Big West Regular Season Title
Santa Barbara won 10-7 at Cal State Fullerton on Sunday, on the last day of conference play. The win gives the Gauchos a share of the Big West regular season championship with California Baptist, their first Big West crown of any kind since 1990.
The UC Santa Barbara men's water polo team beat Cal State Fullerton 10-7 on Sunday at the Titan Aquatics Center, a result that gives the Gauchos a share of the Big West regular season championship, according to The Big West, which records the win on the official schedules of both schools.
The title was decided on the last day of conference play. Santa Barbara went to Fullerton knowing that a win would earn it a share of the regular season crown, its first Big West crown of any kind since 1990, UC Santa Barbara Athletics said before the match. The Gauchos had lost their final home match a day earlier, 13-6 to No. 4 USC on Senior Day, and the Fullerton trip carried the whole season with it.
The other share belongs to California Baptist. The Lancers beat UC San Diego 15-13 in Riverside on Friday night to clinch their share, in their first season as a Big West member, California Baptist Athletics reports. Cal Baptist led 14-9 after three quarters and held off a late UC San Diego rally that cut the margin to two goals with 1:40 left, according to UC San Diego Athletics.
For Fullerton, the loss was a fifth straight in Big West play. The Titans are still looking for their first conference win since reviving the program in 2023, and they entered Sunday at 7-4 at home, UC Santa Barbara Athletics said before the match.
Both co-champions now turn to the Big West Championship, which runs November 20 to 22 at Long Beach State. The top two seeds at the championship receive first-round byes, The Big West says.
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