In 1996, he had a tremendous freshman campaign, scoring 30 goals in 46 attempts and helping guide the Bruins to back-to-back NCAA Championships. That season, he ranked fourth among the team’s top scorers and netted goals in 18 games, including eight multiple-scoring matches. At the 1996 NorCal Tournament, Bent tallied seven goals in four games. In 1997, he saw limited playing time, scoring eight goals in 14 attempts.

 

Bent came to UCLA after having graduated from Coronado High School, where he was a three-year water polo letterwinner for coach Randall Burgess. He played numerous sports as a child, but it was in high school that he discovered his true talent, water polo. Through hard work and determination, Bent progressed from a rookie freshman, learning the basics, to a co-captain as a senior. He earned prep All-America honors, was named the league’s most valuable player and garnered 1994 CIF Player of the Year accolades as a senior. That season, he helped lead Coronado to the CIF title.

 

Coronado High School originally announced construction plans for an $8.5 million state-of-the-art aquatics center to begin in Nov. 2006. The high school initially planned on selling the building’s naming rights for $1 million; however, the school board, fundraisers and community members unanimously approved naming the building the “Brian Bent Memorial Aquatics Complex.

 

Brian Christopher Bent: January 4, 1977 - April 2, 2006.