The Spieker Aquatics Center is a 2,500-capacity stadium in

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used by

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...

, swimming, and

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

teams. The $14-million center was built in 2009 and is named for Tod and Catherine Spieker. Tod was a student-athlete at UCLA, competing from 1968 to 1971 in swimming. The Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center is named after Carolyn Dirks. The athletic teams using the facilities have won 19 NCAA national championships. Men's swimming and diving won in 1982; men's water polo team were champions in 1969, 1971–72, 1995–96, 1999–2000, 2004, 2014–15 and 2017; and the women's water polo team captured the

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in 2001, 2003, and 2005–09. The center features a 52-meter, all deep water pool with a diving bulkhead; platform for diving as well as one-meter and three-meter boards; men's and women's locker rooms; permanent seating for 800 people, with the ability to seat 1,700 additional spectators in temporary seating; and a "Wall of Champions" showcasing accomplishments of past teams. It also has an 8'6" x 15'6" video display board.

Notable events

The 2010 MPSF Women's Water Polo Championship Tournament was held April 30-May 2, 2010 at the Spieker Aquatics Center. In 2011, the

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National Diving Championships were held at the center (August 9–14). 125 divers competed for 10 national titles and to represent the

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at the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

. Athletes also qualified for the 2012 US Olympic Team Trials.

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and Universal Sports broadcast the championships from Westwood. Olympian diver Dr. Sammy Lee was the awards presenter. The 2011 MPSF Men's Water Polo Championship Tournament was held at UCLA from November 25 through November 27. The USA Men's water polo team held a training game vs. the Hungary team at the Spieker Aquatics Center on May 31, 2012, prior to the

2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

.USA Water Polo Men's National Team To Host Pre-Olympic Competitions Throughout May In Southern California
, USAwaterpolo.org, April 17, 2012 In 2015, the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was held on December 6, 2015, and the UCLA Bruins defeated the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...

10–7 for their second consecutive national title. The 2016 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship was held at Spieker Aquatics Center. The

2016 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship The 2016 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship was the 16th annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate water polo. Tournament matches were played at the UCLA Spieker Aquatics Center in Los Angeles, California ...

was held May 13–15, 2016, with the USC Trojans defeating the Stanford Cardinal, 8–7. Also the

2021 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship The 2021 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship was the 19th edition of the NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship, the annual tournament to decide the championship of NCAA women's collegiate water polo. The tournament was held Ma ...

took place at the aquatics center. The

2021 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship The 2021 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship occurred from December 4–5, 2021 in Los Angeles, California at the Spieker Aquatics Center. This was the 53rd NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship. Seven teams participated in this championship. Opening ...

was held December 4–5, 2021, California defeated USC 13-12 for the national championship.

References

External links

* {{Swimming Venues of the Pacific-12 Conference College swimming venues in the United States Swimming venues in Los Angeles UCLA Bruins swimming and diving UCLA Bruins water polo University of California, Los Angeles buildings and structures Sports venues completed in 2009 2009 establishments in California