IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine has unveiled its 2012 schedule and roster.
At the top of the schedule is the first annual alumni game that will take place Jan. 21 at 12:00 p.m. that will feature former water polo players from the previous water polo squads. More information will be disclosed as the event nears.
The season will get going with a flurry of invitationals at UC Santa Barbara, Cal Baptist, and UC San Diego.
UCI will matchup with LMU in Los Angeles, a team that UCI upset at home in 2011.
The UCI Invitational will serve as the home opener for the 'Eaters. The two-day tournament will be comprised of some of the best schools in the nation.
UCI will follow that up with a massive road trip to northern California. The 'Eaters will face the defending National Champion, Stanford Cardinal, and National Runner-up, Cal Golden Bears, in back-to-back matches to open March.
After a trip to the Division III-laden Convergence Tournament, the Anteaters will begin a long haul of home matches. UCI will play eight of their last 10 matches at the Anteater Aquatics Complex.
Consecutive weekends will feature doubleheaders with a top-ranked MPSF foe followed by an up-and-coming program.
Big West play begins on the road at UCSB and CSUN before returning home with a Pacific-UC Davis weekend.
The high-powered UCLA Bruins visit UCI to interrupt conference play before the Black-and-Blue rivalry is renewed against Long Beach State to end the regular season.
The season concludes with the Big West Tournament from April 27-29 on the campus of UC Davis with the winner earning the Big West's second ever bid to the NCAAs which take place on the campus of San Diego State University.
The Anteaters finished ranked seventh in 2011 tying a team record with a 23-9 record. A 5-0 Big West record gave them a second regular season title, and their third consecutive Big West Tournament title earned them their first trip to the NCAA Championship in Ann Arbor, Mich. where they finished fifth.
Three seniors graduate from the program, and they will welcome in four newcomers.
One newcomer is the highly-touted Junior transfer, Annika Bergesen (West Jordan, Utah / Golden West JC), from Golden West JC. The utility player is a native of Utah, and is joined by freshmen players Victoria Gabert (Newport Beach / Corona del Mar HS), Mary Jane O'Neill (Atherton / Menlo-Atherton HS), and goalkeeper Jillian Yocum (Riverside / Riverside Poly HS).
Along with the player additions, the coaching staff is bolstered by new Volunteer Assistant Coach, Jillian Kraus. Kraus was a four-time NCAA Champion at UCLA and will step into the role for Andrew Rowe who will assume the assistant coaching duties alongside Head Coach Dan Klatt and director of Operations Bruce Reynolds.
The 2012 'Eaters are set to play in a pair of fall tournaments at the Anteater Aquatics Complex on Nov. 5th and 19th in preparation for the beginning of the water polo season.
