Saint Mary’s Water Polo Era Begins August 28 at Triton Invitational; Gaels Set for Historic Inaugural 2026 Season
Saint Mary’s College is days away from making water polo history.
After months of recruiting, roster building and preparation under head coach James Lathrop, the Gaels have officially entered the water together and are preparing for the first men’s water polo competition in school history.
Coach James Lathrop
Saint Mary’s held its first official team practice on August 13, bringing together a roster that includes 14 freshmen from six countries and eight transfers. The countdown now turns toward August 28, when Saint Mary’s will make its competitive debut at the Triton Invitational in San Diego.
The launch represents one of the more intriguing developments in collegiate water polo this fall: a completely new NCAA Division I program entering immediately into a schedule filled with nationally established opponents.
Opening Against a National-Level Schedule
The Gaels will begin their inaugural season with three games at the Triton Invitational at UC San Diego from August 28-30 before playing their first home game against Whittier College on September 6 at the Soda Aquatics Center in Moraga.
Only five days later, Saint Mary’s heads across the country for the Princeton Invitational, where the Gaels will face Princeton, Wagner, Mount St. Mary’s and Bucknell.
Then comes one of the most anticipated dates on the inaugural schedule.
On September 24 at 5 p.m., Saint Mary’s will travel to Berkeley to face Cal at Spieker Aquatics Complex. Lathrop is a former Cal captain, giving the matchup an immediate personal and regional connection as his new program faces one of college water polo’s traditional powers.
2026 Saint Mary’s Men’s Water Polo Schedule
Six Historic Home Games in Moraga
Saint Mary’s will play six home games during its first season, beginning with the September 6 meeting against Whittier.
The West Coast Conference home schedule brings LMU, Air Force, Pacific and Pepperdine to Moraga, with the October 17 matchup against Pacific standing out as one of the biggest home tests of the season.
Home games will be played at the Soda Aquatics Center at Campolindo High School while Saint Mary’s continues development of its broader aquatics program.
A New Team, But Not a Developmental Schedule
What stands out about Saint Mary’s first schedule is how quickly Lathrop is testing the program.
The Gaels will see established programs from virtually every tier of collegiate water polo, including Cal, Princeton, Pacific, UC San Diego, San José State, UC Santa Barbara, Harvard, Pepperdine and UC Davis.
That approach mirrors what Lathrop discussed with Swimming World earlier this year as he built the program from scratch: the objective was not simply to assemble a roster and gradually work into competition, but to establish the expectations and identity of Saint Mary’s water polo immediately.
The roster reflects that ambition.
Saint Mary’s has combined young players with collegiate transfers and international experience. Among the Gaels are Canadian National Team player Leo Hachem, Italian age-group national-team goalkeeper Federico Castrucci, New Zealand international Harry Irwin and Australian graduate student Mason Black.
“We are extremely proud of the roster that has come together for the inaugural season of Saint Mary’s water polo,” Lathrop said following the team’s first practice. “This group is eager to build a culture at Saint Mary’s that will put our program on a path to succeed now and into the future.”
The First Chapter Starts August 28
For Saint Mary’s, every milestone this fall will be a first: first game, first home match, first conference contest, first rivalry and first opportunity to begin establishing a program that did not exist a year ago.
The building stage is now effectively over.
Saint Mary’s men’s water polo is about to play.
Swimming World will continue following the inaugural SM season and head coach James Lathrop as the Gaels begin competition this fall.
