The Channel Islands United 14U boys water polo team captured the 2026 USA Water Polo Junior Olympics championship last weekend in Irvine.
The team is made up of top players from the Central Coast and is coached by UCSB water polo’s James Wolff and Cal Lutheran’s Ben Brown.
“Last year at JOs the CIU 14u boys won the national title, and that championship team graduated all but two athletes,” Wolff said. “The squad this year needed to reload with a mostly new roster, and local boys stepped up into major roles and delivered.
“We do graduate a strong group of boys who will be in 16u next year, but our team retains five strong players who were first-year athletes this year on the squad, so we are already in a good place with a solid foundation. We are going to need to find some new key contributions if we want to win again.”
Channel Islands earned victories over the San Diego Dons, NorCal and Irvine Patriots to punch their ticket to the championship game against La Jolla Water Polo Club.
In the title matchup, Channel Islands battled through the early stages against La Jolla, one of the top programs in the nation, and held a slim 5-4 lead at halftime.
The Channel Islands defense then took center stage, holding the potent La Jolla offense scoreless down the stretch to pull away for a 10-4 championship win.
“The team gelled together at exactly the right time,” Wolff said. “In the final, holding La Jolla to four goals was next-level defense. La Jolla was top-ranked all year, but in the biggest game of the year, CIU showed the entire USA water polo community that our boys were a special squad.
“All year we knew we had a chance to win, and the boys’ dedication to the training was next level. Being national champions is something that this group of boys will always be! It’s a special honor that many athletes go a lifetime searching for.”
Wyatt Warkentin was in the middle of the action all tournament for Channel Islands, earning the Tournament Most Valuable Player award.
The 2026 National Champion CIU 14u boys roster includes Wyatt Warkentin, Gavin Gelman, Jan Erickson, Damien Reid, Tennyson Brine, Montgomery Prince, Maxim Zabarsky, Cullen Cozzens, Joshua Bugyik, Adrian Schiantarelli, Adrian Rubel, Stefano Focil, Aiman Zaher, Eli Kennedy and Nicholas Ignatczyk.
