BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The University of California-Los Angeles and University of Redlands are favored to repeat as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and USA Water Polo Division III National Champions, respectively, as the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) releases the official 2025 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.
UCLA is the favorite to raise the NCAA Championship trophy once again after knocking off the University of Southern California by an 11-8 score last year for the title, while Redlands is anticipated to defend its USA Water Polo Division III crown after stopping Chapman University by a 14-13 score for the plaque.
Defending MAWPC champion Fordham University tops the MAWPC Preseason Top Five, while defending NWPC champion Princeton University leads its league’s Top Five rankings.
Voted on by a panel of coaches, the polls are compiled and released on Wednesday during each week of the season through the week following the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship.
2025 Men’s Varsity National Top 20 (Preseason)
Coming off a 2024 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship run, the University of California-Los Angeles enters the new season ranked at No. 1 in the 2025 Preseason National Men’s Varsity Top 20 Poll.
UCLA (100 points) reigns as the undisputed preseason favorite as the Bruins hold a five-point lead over unanimous runner-up the University of Southern California (95 points).
A three-way tie occurs at No. 3 as the University of California (85 points), Stanford University (85 points) and Fordham University (85 points) share the Bronze Medal position. Fordham’s preseason ranking is the highest by a school outside California in the history of the sport for either men or women.
Long Beach State University (75 points) starts 2025 at No. 6, while Pepperdine University (61 points) and the University of California-Irvine (61 points) are deadlocked at No. 7 in front of No. 9 University of the Pacific (57 points). Princeton University (56 points) and San Jose State University (56 points) complete the Top 10 in a tie for the final position in the upper echelon of the rankings.
The University of California-San Diego (45 points), California Baptist University (39 points), the University of California-Davis (38 points), the University of California-Santa Barbara (32 points), Loyola Marymount University (25 points) and Brown University (17 points) stand at No. 12-to-17.
Santa Clara University (16 points) and Harvard University (16 points) share the No. 18 position with the United States Naval Academy (10 points) completing the Top 20 by acquiring the final berth.
2025 Men’s Varsity Top 20 (Preseason) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Final 2024 Poll | Points |
| 1 | University of California-Los Angeles |
1 | 100 |
| 2 |
University of Southern California |
2 | 95 |
| 3 (T) | University of California | 6 (T) | 85 |
| 3 (T) | Fordham University | 3 (T) | 85 |
| 3 (T) | Stanford University | 3 (T) | 85 |
| 6 |
Long Beach State University | 6 (T) | 75 |
| 7 (T) | Pepperdine University | 13 | 61 |
| 7 (T) | University of California-Irvine | 10 (T) | 61 |
| 9 |
University of the Pacific | 6 (T) | 57 |
| 10 (T) | Princeton University |
5 | 56 |
| 10 (T) | San Jose State University | 10 (T) |
56 |
| 12 |
University of California-San Diego |
12 | 45 |
| 13 |
California Baptist University |
9 | 39 |
| 14 |
University of California-Davis | 14 | 38 |
| 15 |
University of California-Santa Barbara | 15 | 32 |
| 16 |
Loyola Marymount University |
19 (T) |
25 |
| 17 |
Brown University |
16 |
17 |
| 18 (T) | Santa Clara University | 17 (T) | 16 |
| 18 (T) | Harvard University |
17 (T) |
16 |
| 20 |
United States Naval Academy | 19 (T) | 10 |
| RV | United States Air Force Academy |
NR | 2 |
2025 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Preseason)
Defending USA Water Polo Division III Champion the University of Redlands will start the 2025 season where it concluded the 2024 campaign – at No. 1 – as the squad leads the Preseason Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 Poll.
The Bulldogs (95 points) possess a four-point lead over both 2024 USA Division III Championship runner-up Chapman University (91 points) and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (91 points) as the teams share the runner-up position.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (89 points) rates at No. 4, while the duo of California Lutheran University (76 points) and Whittier College (76 points) are tied at No. 5.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (68 points), Augustana College (66 points), the University of La Verne (48 points) and Johns Hopkins University (37 points) complete the Preseason Top 10.
2025 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Preseason) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Final 2024 Poll | Points |
| 1 |
University of Redlands | 1 |
95 |
| 2 (T) | Pomona-Pitzer Colleges | 3 | 91 |
| 2 (T) | Chapman University | 2 | 91 |
| 4 | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges | 4 | 89 |
| 5 (T) | California Lutheran University |
6 | 76 |
| 5 (T) | Whittier College | 5 | 76 |
| 7 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 9 | 68 |
| 8 | Augustana College |
7 | 66 |
| 9 |
University of La Verne | 8 | 48 |
| 10 |
Johns Hopkins University |
RV | 37 |
| RV |
Occidental College | 10 | 25 |
| RV |
Austin College | NR | 13 |
2025 Men’s Varsity Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason)
Four-time (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Champion Fordham University is the preseason favorite to put a ring on their thumbs as the as the Rams top the 2025 MAWPC Preseason Top Five Poll.
A unanimous No. 1 selection, the Rams (100 points) hold a six-point lead over the United States Naval Academy (94 points) and an 11-point margin compared to George Washington University (89 points).
Bucknell University (84 points) and Wagner College (67 points) finish out the Top Five heading into the season.
2025 Men’s Varsity Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Final 2024 Poll | Points |
| 1 | Fordham University |
1 |
100 |
| 2 |
United States Naval Academy |
2 | 94 |
| 3 | George Washington University |
3 |
89 |
| 4 |
Bucknell University | 5 | 84 |
| 5 | Wagner College | 4 | 67 |
| RV | Mount St. Mary’s University |
NR | 16 |
2025 Men’s Varsity Northeast Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason)
Five-time Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) champion Princeton University commences the 2025 campaign at No. 1 in the NWPC Preseason Top Five Poll.
The 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 NWPC Champion Tigers (100 points) rate as a unanimous No. 1 selection and hold a seven-point lead over Brown University (93 points) and an eight-point spread compared to three-time (2016, 2017, 2019) NWPC Champion Harvard University (92 points).
Iona University (83 points) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (66 points) complete the NWPC Top Five.
2025 Men’s Varsity Northeast Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Final 2024 Poll | Points |
| 1 | Princeton University | 1 | 100 |
| 2 |
Brown University |
2 |
93 |
| 3 | Harvard University |
3 | 92 |
| 4 | Iona University |
4 |
83 |
| 5 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
5 | 82 |
