It was a second-straight strong season for the Cardinal, as Stanford men's water polo finished the season 18-8 with a Big Splash win and NCAA Championship appearance in 2025.
Last December marked the first time the Card earned a spot in the NCAA Championship and won the Big Splash in the same season since 2019. A year later, the Cardinal has done it again.
Veterans offered key contributions, with fifth-year senior Gianpiero Di Martire recording an All-America season in his first year on The Farm. Di Martire finished third on the team in points (96), goals (56) and assists (40) after transferring from UCLA. Senior West Temkin joined him in earning All-America honors, starting every game in the cage and finishing second in the MPSF with 213 saves.
Sophomores showed out on the scoresheet as well, with the class accounting for four of the top five point contributors on the team. Sophomores Botond Balogh (119) and Ben Forer (111) led the category with each breaking the century mark.
The Cardinal finished the 2025 schedule perfect in non-conference play, going 15-0 against teams outside the MPSF West. In MPSF play, the Card continued a strong run against California, going a perfect 3-0 against the Bears.
Stanford's final win against California proved to be the most exciting. Down 10-6 in the third period of the MPSF Championship's third-place game, the Cardinal ripped off a 9-2 run to win 15-12 and all but clinch the team's at-large bid to the NCAA Championship.
In the NCAA Championship, hosted in the friendly confines of Avery Aquatic Center, Stanford dominated No. 8 UC Davis in the first round to advance to the semifinal for a second-straight season.
The Card's season came to a close with a tightly contested 9-7 loss to the eventual champion UCLA Bruins.