#GCCWATERPOLO — The seedings and bracket are set for the 2026 Golden Coast Conference Championships at Fresno State, April 10-12. All that remains are two games and closing out the 2026 regular season.
Today, Thursday, April 2, No. 17 San Diego State hosts No. 16 UC San Diego in the annual Harper Cup. On Friday, April 3, No. 7 LMU travels to No. 8 Long Beach State for an exhibition contest.
Then it is tournament time.
No. 7 LMU claimed its third straight outright regular-season title last weekend with a 14-7 win over No. 21 California Baptist. Anna Tarantino led the Lions with a game-high four goals and five steals. It marked the third straight season the Lions have gone undefeated in conference play, extending their conference winning streak to 22 games. They are the No. 1 seed for the third straight year and earned a bye to the semifinals of the GCC Championship.
No. 12 Fresno State secured the No. 2 seed with a 13-10 win over No. 20 Pacific, led by freshman goalkeeper Katelyn Mobley, the final GCC Player of the Week of the regular season. The Bulldogs also earned a bye to the semifinals. San Diego State is the No. 3 seed, its highest since finishing second in the 2021 championships. California Baptist is the No. 4 seed, its highest since earning the No. 3 seed in 2016. Niya Bumbaca led the Lancers with four points (three goals, one assist) and a steal against LMU.
The Aztecs enter their final game coming off a 12-7 win over No. 22 Brown. Sydney Gish filled the stat sheet in a 12-5 win over No. 23 Brown, recording two goals, two assists, two steals and two drawn exclusions. In that win, every senior scored, and the two senior goalkeepers combined for 15 saves.
Daniela Herrero Miralles recorded 12 saves and two assists against Biola, and 14 saves, including two penalty blocks, along with two steals against San Jose State. The senior now has 785 career saves, breaking the APU program record of 770 set in 2014.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Katelyn Mobley delivered another dominant performance in goal for Fresno State last weekend, totaling 13 saves and five steals in the regular-season finale to earn GCC Player of the Week honors for April 2. Her 13 saves were the most in a conference game this season and marked her second double-digit save performance in conference play. Her five steals were also a season high. She played all 32 minutes in the GCC matchup with Pacific.
2026 Player of the Week Honorees:
Apr. 2 – Katelyn Mobley, Fresno State
Mar. 26 – Emmie Ramirez, California Baptist
Mar. 19 – Mimi Stoupas, San Diego State
Mar. 12 – Laia Marsinach Ortega, Pacific
Mar. 5 – Emison Styris, LMU
Feb. 26 – Noa Sasover, LMU
Feb. 19 – Claudia Valdes, San Diego State
Feb. 12 – Emmie Ramirez, California Baptist
Feb. 5 – Anna Tarantino, LMU
Jan. 29 – Katelyn Mobley, Fresno State
Jan. 22 – Mimi Stoupas, San Diego State
2026 GCC Stat Leaders
Visit the
GCC Stats Page for full stats on all teams.
Goals
| ## |
Name |
Team |
G |
| 1. |
Mimi Stoupas |
SDSU |
71 |
| 2. |
Emmie Ramirez |
CBU |
70 |
| 3. |
Jessie Nelson |
APU |
69 |
| 4. |
Hailey Andress |
FS |
62 |
| 5. |
Bailey Hollick |
APU |
61 |
Assists
| ## |
Name |
Team |
A |
| 1. |
Sophia DeMattia |
LMU |
62 |
| 2. |
Niya Bumbaca |
CBU |
61 |
| 3. |
Claudia Valdes |
LMU |
57 |
| 4. |
Ioanna Petiki |
SDSU |
55 |
| 5. |
Emmie Ramirez |
CBU |
51 |
Points
| ## |
Name |
Team |
Pts |
| 1. |
Emmie Ramirez |
CBU |
121 |
| 2. |
Niya Bumbaca |
CBU |
105 |
| 3. |
Claudia Valdes |
SDSU |
103 |
| 4. |
Sydney Gish |
SDSU |
88 |
| 5. |
Sophia DeMattia |
LMU |
84 |
Field Blocks
| ## |
Name |
Team |
FB |
| 1. |
Anna Tarantino |
LMU |
39 |
| 2. |
Emison Styris |
LMU |
20 |
| 3. |
Sydney Maccabe |
SCU |
17 |
| 4. |
Devyn Ruffer |
CBU |
16 |
| 5. |
Lucy Bullock |
SDSU |
10 |
|
Brooke Tora Gil |
LMU |
10 |
Steals
| ## |
Name |
Team |
Stls |
| 1. |
Emmie Ramirez |
CBU |
46 |
| 2. |
Lucy Bullock |
SDSU |
43 |
| 3. |
Claudia Valdes |
SDSU |
36 |
| 4. |
Sydney Gish |
SDSU |
34 |
| 5. |
Shannon Murphy |
SDSU |
33 |
|
Mimi Stoupas |
SDSU |
33 |
Saves
| ## |
Name |
Team |
Svs |
| 1. |
Haley Tassell |
SCU |
194 |
| 2. |
Katelyn Mobley |
FS |
188 |
| 3. |
Daniela Herrero Miralles |
APU |
176 |
| 4. |
Madison Searle |
LMU |
155 |
| 5. |
Tyanna Schneider |
CBU |
130 |
Save Percentage
| ## |
Name |
Team |
Sv |
SvPct |
| 1. |
Tiaare Ahovelo |
SDSU |
92 |
.541 |
| 2. |
Madison Searle |
LMU |
155 |
.512 |
| 3. |
Katelyn Mobley |
FS |
188 |
.467 |
Goals Against Average
| ## |
Name |
Team |
Gms |
GAA |
| 1. |
Madison Searle |
LMU |
22 |
8.55 |
| 2. |
Tiaare Ahovelo |
SDSU |
17 |
8.83 |
| 3. |
Katelyn Mobley |
FS |
22 |
10.76 |
NATIONAL POLLS
The Collegiate Water Polo Association Varsity Top 25 after week 11 has LMU staying at the No. 7 spot. Following the Lions is Fresno State at a tie for 12th with Michigan and Princeton San Diego State is ranked No. 17. Pacific sits at No. 20 followed by CBU at No. 21.
Full poll >>
THE GCC CHAMPIONSHIP
The
2026 GCC Championship will run from April 10-12 at Fresno State. Tickets are on sale now. Once games begin, tickets
will also be available for purchase on site at the Fresno State Aquatics Center.
Daily ticket pricing is:
- $23 for General Admission
LIVE STREAMING
All seven (7) games of the GCC Championship will be streamed live on the internet by GCC partner Overnght Media Group. This is the third season that Overnght will be the official streaming partner of the GCC Championship. Links to all games of the championship will be posted on the
Tournament Central page. This service will require a subscription fee for viewers to watch the games for a monthly fee of $11.99 ($8.75 per month with an annual commitment). Viewers can cancel their subscription at any time. For other specific questions about Overnght and their services, please visit their website at
www.overnght.com. They can also be reached via email at
support@overnght.com.
PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL
Fresno State has been picked to win the Golden Coast Conference in the 2026 season, according to the annual Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The seven GCC head coaches gave the Bulldogs 35 points, four better than second place LMU. Rounding out the poll is Pacific (26 points) at third place, San Diego State (21) in fourth, California Baptist (17) in fifth, Azusa Pacific (9) in sixth, and Santa Clara (8) in seventh.
Full poll >>
ABOUT THE GCC
The 2026 campaign will be the 13th season for the Golden Coast Conference and will feature seven institutions competing within the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Following the 2016 season, the women's division earned an automatic bid to the National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championships, with the winner of the annual league tournament representing the GCC. In 2025, LMU knocked off four-time GCC champion Fresno State, who won the tournament in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. It was the Lions' third tournament title.
The league's seven members in 2026 are Azusa Pacific, California Baptist, Fresno State, Loyola Marymount, Pacific, San Diego State, and Santa Clara. This is the last season for the Lancers in the GCC, who will join the Big West in 2026-27. In that 2026-27 season, the GCC will consist of nine teams with Saint Mary's College, San Jose State and UC Davis joining the league.
NOTE: Santa Clara announced on March 18 they will not participate in the remainder of the 2026 season. Their final games of the season are marked as a forfeit and will be reflected in the standings when they were scheduled to play.