LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The Augustana Vikings men's water polo team will look to win its third straight MPSF East title when they begin the 2024 MPSF Championships against the California Golden Bears on Friday, November 22.

Augie is 13-5 on the season and will be the top seed in the East division entering the weekend after finishing a perfect 8-0 in league play during the regular season. The Vikings went 4-0 last time out in Texas, defeating Washington & Jefferson, Wheaton, Penn State Behrend, and Austin to wrap up the top spot. Rhys Lomax was named the East Player of the Week following the weekend after totaling 12 goals, eight steals, six drawn exclusions, five assists, and one field block to help the Vikings capture their third straight regular season MPSF East crown with four wins over the weekend. He had a pair of five-goal outings against Penn State Behrend and Washington & Jefferson. 

On Wednesday, the MPSF announced six Vikings as All-Conference selections this season, with Stevan Rasic named the East Player of the Year. Declan Hutton and Oskar Bannister joined Rasic on First Team, while Lomax was awarded Second Team honors. Mark Addison and Colin McDowell notched Honorable Mention recognition. 

The Vikings' first opponent in Los Angeles will be the No. 4 seed out of the Division I West side, the California Golden Bears. The Bears are ranked No. 6 in the ACWPC Division I poll and ended the regular season with an 11-1 overall record and 1-5 mark in the MPSF. Cal is looking to break a four-game losing streak, recently falling to No. 2 Stanford on the road by a score of 16-11 back on November 15. Marci Szatmary scored three times on five shots in the loss, while goalkeeper Max LaGrange had seven saves. The Bears are 4-1 this season in neutral-site contests.

Friday will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Start time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT on the campus of UCLA.