BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The University of California-Los Angeles is favored to repeat as National Champion as the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) releases the 2021 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 Preseason Polls.
Whittier College, which captured the 2019 USA Water Polo Division III Championship prior to the COVID-19 pandemic terminating the Poets’ 2020/21 season, will commence the new season at No. 1 in the Division III Poll, while defending Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) champion Bucknell University tops the MAWPC Preseason Top Five. Harvard University and Princeton University – which both missed the 2020/21 season due to the pandemic – are tied at No. 1 in the Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) Top Five rankings.
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.
2021 Men’s Varsity National Top 20 (Preseason)
The University of California-Los Angeles will open the season on top of the sport as the squad holds the No. 1 position in the 2021 Preseason National Men’s Varsity Top 20 Poll.
The Bruins (98 points), who defeated the University of Southern California by a 7-6 score on March 21, 2021, for the delayed National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship, tops the Trojans (95 points) by three points for the No. 1 position. The University of California (90 points) and Stanford University (90 points) rate at No. 3 and 4, respectively, with Pepperdine University (72 points) rounding out the Top Five.
The remainder of the all-Golden State Top 10 consists of the University of California-Santa Barbara (71 points), University of the Pacific (65 points) and Long Beach State University (61 points) at No. 6-to-8, with the duo of the University of California-San Diego (53 points) and the University of California-Davis (53 points) tying at No. 9.
Harvard University (46 points) breaks up the all-California run at No. 11 with San Jose State University (41 points) and the University of California-Irvine (39 points) coming in at No. 12 and 13.
California Baptist University (33 points) and Princeton University (33 points) are tied at No. 14, while Loyola Marymount University (30 points), Bucknell University (23 points), Brown University (16 points), the United States Naval Academy (15 points) and Fordham University (9 points) round out the Top 20.
2021 Men’s Varsity Top 20 (Preseason) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Final Winter 2021 Poll | Points |
| 1 | University of California-Los Angeles |
1 | 98 |
| 2 |
University of Southern California |
2 | 95 |
| 3 | University of California |
3 (T) | 90 |
| 4 | Stanford University | 3 (T) | 88 |
| 5 |
Pepperdine University |
5 | 72 |
| 6 | University of California-Santa Barbara |
NR | 71 |
| 7 |
University of the Pacific |
NR | 65 |
| 8 | Long Beach State University |
NR | 61 |
| 9 (T) |
University of California-San Diego | NR | 53 |
| 9 (T) |
University of California-Davis | NR | 53 |
| 11 |
Harvard University | NR | 46 |
| 12 |
San Jose State University | 8 (T) | 41 |
| 13 |
University of California-Irvine | NR | 39 |
| 14 (T) |
California Baptist University | 6 | 33 |
| 14 (T) |
Princeton University | NR | 33 |
| 16 |
Loyola Marymount University | 7 | 30 |
| 17 |
Bucknell University | 8 (T) | 23 |
| 18 |
Brown University | NR | 16 |
| 19 | United States Naval Academy |
8 (T) | 15 |
| 20 |
Fordham University | RV | 9 |
| RV | United States Air Force Academy |
8 (T) | 8 |
| RV |
Santa Clara University |
RV | 7 |
| RV | George Washington University |
RV | 5 |
| RV | Whittier College |
NR | 2 |
| RV | Pomona-Pitzer Colleges |
NR | 2 |
| RV | St. Francis College Brooklyn |
NR | 1 |
2021 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Preseason)
The Poets of Whittier College will aim to defend their position as the best-of the-best in Division III as the squad holds the No. 1 spot in the 2021 Preseason Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 Poll.
The 2019/inaugural USA Water Polo Division III Collegiate Champion, the Poets (99 points) return to the water aiming to remain on top of the heap following a nearly two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Behind Whittier, fellow Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) institutions Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (95 points), Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (89 points), California Lutheran University (81 points) and Chapman University (79 points) rate at No. 2-to-5.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (74 points) and Johns Hopkins University (74 points) shatter the all-California run by tying at No. 6, while SCIAC schools the University of Redlands (68 points), the University of La Verne (58 points) and Occidental College (35 points) complete the Preseason Top 10.
2021 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Preseason) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Final 2019 Poll | Points |
| 1 |
Whittier College |
1 | 99 |
| 2 | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges |
2 | 95 |
| 3 |
Pomona-Pitzer Colleges |
3 | 89 |
| 4 | California Lutheran University | 5 | 81 |
| 5 | Chapman University |
7 (T) | 79 |
| 6 (T) |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4 | 74 |
| 6 (T) | Johns Hopkins University |
7 (T) |
74 |
| 8 | University of Redlands |
6 | 68 |
| 9 | University of La Verne |
9 | 58 |
| 10 | Occidental College |
10 | 35 |
| RV | Austin College | RV | 23 |
2021 Men’s Varsity Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason)
Bucknell University – which claimed the Winter 2021 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship at home – will aim to repeat as the Bison top the 2021 MAWPC Preseason Top Five Poll.
The 2016, 2019 and Winter 2021 MAWPC Champion Bison (95 points) hold a narrow one point lead over both the United States Naval Academy (94 points) and Fordham University (94 points). Both the Midshipmen and Rams did not compete at last year’s MAWPC Championship and will aim to make the mark on the title race in the new season.
Johns Hopkins University (82 points) and George Washington University (69 points) round out the Top Five heading into the season-opening National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) games this upcoming weekend.
The MAWPC features 12 teams as Bucknell, Fordham, George Washington, Navy, Johns Hopkins, Wagner College and Mount St. Mary’s University comprise the Eastern Region, with Gannon University, Mercyhurst University, Salem University, Washington & Jefferson College and McKendree University competing in the Western Region.
2021 Men’s Varsity Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Final Winter 2021 Poll | Points |
| 1 |
Bucknell University | 1 | 95 |
| 2 (T) |
United States Naval Academy | NR | 94 |
| 2 (T) |
Fordham University | NR | 94 |
| 4 | Johns Hopkins University |
NR | 82 |
| 5 | George Washington University |
3 (T) | 69 |
| RV | McKendree University | 3 (T) | 16 |
2021 Men’s Varsity Northeast Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason)
Following a one-year sabbatical due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) returns in 2021 with a pair of preseason favorites as Harvard University and Princeton University share top-billing in the 2021 Preseason Top Five Poll.
The 2018 NWPC Champion Tigers (97 points) and three-time (2016, 2017, 2019) NWPC Champion Crimson (97 points) will aim to fend off a bevy of challengers to add to their legacies and return to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship tournament in 2021.
Brown University (91 points), St. Francis College Brooklyn (67 points) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (66 points) will seek to make their own history this year in a new look NWPC.
The NWPC expands to seven teams in 2021 as former Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC)-West member Connecticut College joins Brown, Harvard, Iona College, MIT, Princeton and St. Francis Brooklyn.
2021 Men’s Varsity Northeast Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Final 2019 Poll | Points |
| 1 (T) |
Harvard University | 1 | 97 |
| 1 (T) |
Princeton University | 2 | 97 |
| 3 | Brown University | 4 | 91 |
| 4 | St. Francis College Brooklyn | 3 | 67 |
| 5 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 5 | 66 |
| RV | Iona College | NR | 32 |
