BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — For the first time in six years a team other than the “Big Four” of the University of Southern California, the University of California-Los Angeles, the University of California and Stanford University stands as the No. 1 team as the University of California-Santa Barbara becomes the premier program in the nation per the 2019 Men’s Varsity National Top 20, Division III Top 10, Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) Top Five and Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Top Five Week 3/September 25 Polls.
Pomona-Pitzer Colleges holds on at No. 1 in the Division III Poll, while Fordham University assumes command of the MAWPC rankings. Further, Harvard University sticks in the top spot of the NWPC Top Five.
Voted on by a panel of coaches from the MAWPC, NWPC, Golden Coast Conference, Western Water Polo Association (WWPA), Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), SCIAC and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the polls will be compiled and released on Wednesday during each week of the season through the week following the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship.
2019 Men’s Varsity National Top 20 (Week 3/September 25)
History is made this week as the University of California-Santa Barbara becomes the first program in six years outside the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation quartet of the University of Southern California, the University of California-Los Angeles, the University of California and Stanford University to rank at No. 1 as the Gauchos stand on top the mountain in the Week 3/September 25 National Men’s Varsity Top 20 Poll.
UCSB (99 points) snaps the MPSF’s dominance of the rankings dating back to when the University of the Pacific rated as the best team in the nation for four weeks in 2013 during the November 6, 13, 20 and 27 polls. Pacific finished the year at No. 2 in the country as the Tigers fell to USC by a 12-11 score in overtime at Stanford in the National Collegiate Athletic Assocaition (NCAA) Championship title game.
Historically, no team outside USC, UCLA, Stanford and California has captured the NCAA Men’s Water Polo National Championship since Pepperdine University achieved the feat by an 8-7 score versus USC in 1997 at the International Swimming Hall of Fame Aquatics Complex in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
UC-Santa Barbara, which was tied with UCLA (94 points) at No. 2 behind former No. 1 Stanford last week prior to upending the Cardinal by a 15-10 count over the weekend, holds a five-point margin over the Bruins this week. Stanford (91 points) slips to No. 3 with the trio of Pacific (84 points), USC (82 points) and Pepperdine (73 points) retaining the No. 4-to-6 spots, respectively.
California (71 points) and Long Beach State University (65 points) inch past the University of California-Davis (62 points) to take over at No. 7 and 8, while UC-Davis and the University of California-Irvine (53 points) complete the Top 10.
The University of California-San Diego (51 points) and Harvard University (46 points) remain locks at No. 11 and 12, while a four-way tie at No. 14 from last week breaks up with Loyola Marymount University (32 points), Princeton University (30 points) and St. Francis College Brooklyn (25 points) rearranging to stand at No. 13-to-15.
Fordham University (20 points) breaks into the Top 20 at No. 16 following a win against previously No. 13 Bucknell University as California Baptist University (19 points) and the Bison (19 points) are now tied at No. 17.
George Washington University (16 points), which was involved in the four-way tie at No. 14 seven days back, and San Jose State University (12 points) slip to No. 19 and 20.
2019 Men’s Varsity Top 20 (Week 3/September 25) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Week 2 Poll | Points |
| 1 | University of California-Santa Barbara |
2 (T) | 99 |
| 2 |
University of California-Los Angeles | 2 (T) |
94 |
| 3 |
Stanford University |
1 |
91 |
| 4 | University of the Pacific |
4 | 84 |
| 5 |
University of Southern California |
5 | 82 |
| 6 | Pepperdine University |
6 | 73 |
| 7 |
University of California |
8 | 71 |
| 8 | Long Beach State University | 9 | 65 |
| 9 |
University of California-Davis |
7 | 62 |
| 10 | University of California-Irvine | 10 |
53 |
| 11 | University of California-San Diego |
11 | 51 |
| 12 |
Harvard University |
12 |
46 |
| 13 |
Loyola Marymount University |
14 (T) |
32 |
| 14 |
Princeton University | 14 (T) |
30 |
| 15 |
St. Francis College Brooklyn |
14 (T) |
25 |
| 16 |
Fordham University | RV |
20 |
| 17 (T) |
California Baptist University |
19 | 19 |
| 17 (T) |
Bucknell University | 13 | 19 |
| 19 | George Washington University |
14 (T) | 16 |
| 20 |
San Jose State University | 18 | 12 |
| RV | United States Air Force Academy |
RV | 4 |
| RV |
Brown University |
20 | 3 |
| RV | University of Redlands |
NR | 2 |
| RV | United States Naval Academy |
RV | 2 |
| RV | Santa Clara University |
NR | 1 |
| RV | Pomona-Pitzer Colleges |
RV | 1 |
2019 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Week 3/September 25)
The Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges continue as the unanimous No. 1 team in the Week 3/September 25 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 Poll.
Pomona-Pitzer (100 points) holds a nine-point lead over both Whittier College (91 points) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (91 points) as the pair are now tied at No. 2.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (83 points) remains at No. 4, while the University of Redlands (76 points) and California Lutheran University (74 points) improve to No. 5 and 6, respectively.
Chapman University (62 points), Occidental College (61 points), Johns Hopkins University (55 points) and the University of La Verne (55 points) complete the Top 10.
2019 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Week 3/September 25) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Week 2 Poll | Points |
| 1 |
Pomona-Pitzer Colleges | 1 | 100 |
| 2 (T) |
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges |
3 | 91 |
| 2 (T) |
Whittier College |
2 | 91 |
| 4 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
4 | 83 |
| 5 | University of Redlands |
6 | 76 |
| 6 | California Lutheran University |
7 | 74 |
| 7 | Chapman University |
5 | 62 |
| 8 | Occidental College |
8 | 61 |
| 9 | Johns Hopkins University |
10 | 55 |
| 10 | University of La Verne |
9 | 48 |
| RV | Connecticut College |
NR | 23 |
| RV | Penn State Behrend |
RV | 11 |
2019 Men’s Varsity Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Week 3/September 25)
Fordham University ascends to the top spot in the Week 3/September 25 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Top Five Poll on the strength of a 3-0 run in league play over the weekend at the Bucknell University Invitational.
The Rams (99 points) downed the host Bison (17-15 W), La Salle University (15-9 W) and Wagner College (13-9 W) in MAWPC-East Region play at Bucknell’s Kinney – in addition to upending Salem University (11-8 W) of the MAWPC-West Region – to dislodge their hosts from the No. 1 position in the league Top Five rankings.
Bucknell (93 points) and two-time defending MAWPC Champion George Washington University (93 points) follow the Rams in a tie for the runner-up spot, while the United States Naval Academy (85 points) and Wagner College (80 points) complete the Top Five for another week.
The MAWPC features 14 teams as Bucknell, Fordham, George Washington, Navy, Wagner, Johns Hopkins University and La Salle University comprise the Eastern Region, with Gannon University, Mercyhurst University, Monmouth College, Salem University, Washington & Jefferson College, Connecticut College and McKendree University competing in the Western Region.
2019 Men’s Varsity Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Week 3/September 25) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Week 2 Poll | Points |
| 1 |
Fordham University |
3 |
99 |
| 2 (T) |
Bucknell University | 1 | 93 |
| 2 (T) |
George Washington University | 1 | 93 |
| 4 | United States Naval Academy | 4 | 85 |
| 5 | Wagner College | 5 | 80 |
2019 Men’s Varsity Northeast Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Week 3/September 25)
Harvard University holds off Princeton University to remain at No. 1 in the Week 3/September 25 Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) Top Five Poll.
The Crimson (99 points) and Tigers (95 points) remain in the top two spots of the NWPC rankings with St. Francis College Brooklyn (91 points) and Brown University (85 points) trading the No. 3 and 4 berths.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (64 points) wraps-up the Top Five for another week.
2019 Men’s Varsity Northeast Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Week 3/September 25) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Week 2 Poll | Points |
| 1 | Harvard University | 1 | 99 |
| 2 |
Princeton University | 2 | 95 |
| 3 | St. Francis College Brooklyn |
4 | 91 |
| 4 | Brown University |
3 | 85 |
| 5 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 5 | 64 |
| RV | Iona College |
NR | 16 |
