UC Santa Barbara is the biggest story in college men's water polo these days thanks in large part to its coach, former Stanford All-American and Olympian Wolf Wigo.

Menlo School grad Tiago Bonchristiano, who did not play Friday, has also been an important part of the team's success. He was in goal when the Gauchos tied and then set a school record for best start to a season.

Second-ranked UCSB continued its amazing start, beating top-ranked host Stanford 15-10 in a nonconference match.

The Gauchos did not give themselves an easy road. What makes this run so memorable is that UCSB has beaten the No. 1 ranked team in the country on consecutive weekends and also beat No. 4 California, No. 5 Long Beach State and No. 6 Pepperdine (twice) along the way.

Gauchos' Nathan Puentes felt right at home in Avery Aquatic Center, having spent a great deal of his youth developing his water polo skills with the Stanford Water Polo Club.