San Diego State University announced on March 12 that its women’s water polo team, ranked No. 19 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association national poll, will host the 18th Aztec Invitational from March 13 to March 15 at the Aztec Aquaplex.
The tournament is significant as it brings together top-ranked teams and provides an opportunity for San Diego State to compete against strong opponents, including No. 14 Princeton, Bucknell, No. 24 Pomona-Pitzer, and No. 12 Harvard.
San Diego State has a history of strong performances at its home tournament, holding a record of 47-20 in previous Aztec Invitationals and finishing with a sub-.500 record only twice since the event began in 2007. The team has been ranked in the top 25 of every weekly and preseason CWPA poll this season.
Recent matchups show competitive histories between San Diego State and its upcoming opponents. Against Princeton, SDSU leads the all-time series but lost their last meeting by one goal. The Aztecs have never lost to Bucknell or Pomona-Pitzer at home. Senior players such as Claudia Valdes and Tiaare Ahovelo have reached individual milestones this season, with Valdes earning Golden Coast Conference Player of the Week honors and surpassing career records in goals and assists.
Head coach Dana Ochsner is leading the team for her fourth season after previously serving as interim head coach. Since joining the Golden Coast Conference in 2014, San Diego State has maintained a winning league record each year and consistently finished among the top four teams in conference tournaments.
Looking ahead, San Diego State is predicted to finish fourth in this year’s GCC coaches’ preseason poll and returns most of its top scorers from last season.
