Water Polo - 2011

Joseph Axelrad forever cemented his place in UCLA history with his stellar performance throughout the 2004-2005 campaign to the NCAA Water Polo Championship, bottling up opponents to guide the Bruins to the school’s historic 95th national title.

A Studio City native, Axelrad was lauded with awards for his defense, earning first team All-America and All-Pac 10 honors in leading the Bruins to their best record in nearly 40 years (25-3) that included a near-record 18-game winning streak. Moreover, the senior goalkeeper was heralded as the finest amongst all UCLA male athletes for 2004-2005 with the prestigious Pacific-10 Conference Medal, awarded annually to each member institution's outstanding studentathlete based on the exhibition of the greatest combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics and leadernship. As a junior, Axelrad was an Academic All-American, a MPSF All-American, and Honorable Mention All-American. The graduate of Harvard-Westland School achieved similar success as a prep, twice being honored as the Mission League Most Valuable Player, as well as receiving back-to-back All-American and All-CIF recognition.