ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings men's water polo team will take on the No. 1 ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday, December 2 in their home pool in the first of two semifinal contests at the USA Water Polo Division III National Tournament. 

Augustana enters the tournament with a 15-6 overall record and earned an automatic bid after winning its second straight MPSF-East title two weekends ago. The Vikings defeated Washington & Jefferson by a score of 24-14 in the East semifinal game, using an 11-point fourth quarter to pull away for good. Augie then bested the Austin 'Roos in the title game for the second time in as many seasons, winning by a score of 13-4. Declan Hutton was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player on the East side as the Vikings wrapped up a perfect 8-0 record vs. divisional teams in 2023.

Three others-- Oskar Bannister, Rhys Lomax, and Joseph Addison-- joined Hutton on the All-Tournament team.

By virtue of the latest ACWPC poll, Augustana was awarded the No. 4 seed for this upcoming tournament and will take on the No. 1 seeded CMS Staggs, who also ranked No. 1 nationally. The Staggs were the winners of the SLIAC Tournament two weekends ago, defeating fellow USA Water Polo national qualifier Redlands in the title game by a score of 9-4. CMS currently boasts a record of 22-7 overall and has won 12 of its last 13 contests.

Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between the Vikings and Stags. 

The winner will face off against the winner of the second semifinal matchup between Redlands and MIT. The Bulldogs of Redlands sit 21-9 on the season and spent a good portion of the year in the top spot in the ACWPC poll. The Engineers of MIT enter with a 13-14 overall record and earned a berth to the national stage following a 12-8 win over Johns Hopkins in the DIII Eastern Championships.

Augie fell to Redlands earlier this season in their first-ever encounter, with the Bulldogs securing a 13-6 victory. Augustana is also 0-1 all-time vs. MIT, falling 17-9 back in 2021.

All information regarding this weekend's tournament, including tickets, live stream, and stats, can be found here.