NCAA and World Water Polo Trivia Quiz

Answer: The shot clock

The 4-meter shot has been replaced with a 5-meter shot. The length of a period has also been increased. During a power play (and the rest of the game for that matter), a player may only have one arm out of the water to block a shot, with the exception of the goalie, greatly altering the way a player may play defense.

A five-meter penalty shot is now awarded to a player who puts both arms out of the water to block a shot. It was proposed to shorten the shot clock to 30 seconds, but it was eventually ruled out.

Answer: True

Up until the 1998 season, any shot converted outside of the 7-meter mark was worth two points. This rule was only enforced in the NCAA.

Answer: Peter J. Cutino

Peter J. Cutino was one of the all-time winning coaches in U.S. water polo history. He took over the California water polo team in 1963, and coached until 1988. The Peter J. Cutino award is issued every year to the top male collegiate water polo player and is the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. He passed away in September of 2004.

Answer: 1988

The U.S. team has not won a gold medal since the 1904 games in St. Louis. After that, they have have won 3 bronze medals: 1924, 1932, and 1972. Most recently, the United States lost the gold medal matches in the 1984 Los Angeles games and the 1988 Seoul games to a very stacked Yugoslavia team.

Answer: Hungary

In the gold medal game, Hungary defeated Serbia and Montenegro 8-7. In a well-battled bronze medal game, Russia defeated Greece 6-5.

Answer: UCLA

UCLA won the first team title in 1969 by defeating California 5-2. Both teams have gone on to win numerous titles since that time.

Answer: Hungary and the Soviet Union

This game is widely known as one of the most legendary games in water polo history, with Hungary defeating the Soviets 4-0. This matched stemmed from the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and was the subject of a 2006 documentary titled "Freedom's Fury."

Answer: France

Kazakhstan and Egypt battled it out for 11th place, with Kazakhstan prevailing 15-7. Australia beat Croatia for 9th place.

Answer: Jeff Powers

Azevedo played for Stanford from 2001-2004, earning First Team All-American all four years. Wigo earned First Team All-American all four years during his tenure as a Cardinal from 1991-94. Wigo and Azevedo are two of only nine athletes in the history of Stanford University to earn All-American honors four years in a row. Hudnut is a 3-time All-American from 1999-2002. Jeff Powers is a two-time All-American from 1999-2002, but with UC Irvine.

Answer: 4

Three teams earn an automatic berth to the tournament every year: The winners of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) conference, the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) conference, and the College Water Polo Association Eastern Division conference. The fourth participant is an at-large berth, which is usually the runner-up of the MPSF conference.