BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The University of California-Los Angeles and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges rate at No. 1 in the National Top 20 and Division III Top 10 rankings, 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 Polls for Week 1/September 3.
The defending National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Champion, UCLA remains the unanimous pick at No. 1, while Pomona-Pitzer dislodges defending USA Water Polo Division III Champion the University of Redlands for top billing in Division III.
Defending MAWPC champion Fordham University and defending NWPC champion Princeton University retain their preseason status in their leagues’ 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 (Week 1/September 3)
2024 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Champion the University of California-Los Angeles retains its preseason status as a unanimous top selection in the Week 1/September 3 2025 National Men’s Varsity Top 20 Poll.
UCLA (100 points) remains five points in front of runner-up the University of Southern California (95 points).
A three-way tie at No. 3 in the preseason balloting is broken this week as the University of California (88 points) acquires sole custody of the position, while Stanford University (83 points) and Fordham University (83 points) drop into a tie at No. 4.
San Jose State University (74 points) moves up to No. 6 with the duo of Long Beach State University (66 points) and the University of California-Irvine (66 points) tying at No. 7. Princeton University (55 points) rises to No. 9 with University of the Pacific (53 points) and the University of California-Davis (53 points) tying at No. 10.
Pepperdine University (51 points), the University of California-San Diego (44 points), California Baptist University (33 points) and Loyola Marymount University (27 points) rearrange to rate at No. 12-to-15, respectively, prior to Brown University (18 points) and Harvard University (18 points) tying at No. 16.
The University of California-Santa Barbara (14 points) drops back to No. 18 with the United States Naval Academy (11 points) and previously unranked George Washington University (11 points) tying at No. 19 to complete the Top 20.
2025 Men’s Varsity Top 20 (Week 1/September 3) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Preseason Poll | Points |
| 1 | University of California-Los Angeles |
1 | 100 |
| 2 |
University of Southern California |
2 | 95 |
| 3 | University of California | 3 (T) | 88 |
| 4 (T) | Fordham University | 3 (T) | 83 |
| 4 (T) | Stanford University | 3 (T) | 83 |
| 6 |
San Jose State University | 10 (T) | 74 |
| 7 (T) | University of California-Irvine | 7 (T) | 66 |
| 7 (T) | Long Beach State University | 6 | 66 |
| 9 |
Princeton University | 10 (T) | 55 |
| 10 (T) | University of the Pacific | 9 | 53 |
| 10 (T) | University of California-Davis | 14 | 53 |
| 12 |
Pepperdine University | 7 (T) | 51 |
| 13 |
University of California-San Diego | 12 | 44 |
| 14 |
California Baptist University | 13 | 33 |
| 15 |
Loyola Marymount University | 16 | 27 |
| 16 (T) | Brown University |
17 | 18 |
| 16 (T) | Harvard University |
18 (T) | 18 |
| 18 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 15 | 14 |
| 19 (T) | George Washington University |
NR | 11 |
| 19 (T) | United States Naval Academy | 20 | 11 |
| RV | Santa Clara University | 18 (T) | 7 |
| RV | United States Air Force Academy |
RV | 4 |
| RV | Bucknell University | NR | 1 |
2025 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Week 1/September 3)
Pomona-Pitzer Colleges dislodges defending USA Water Polo Division III Champion the University of Redlands from the lead position to take over at No. 1 in the Week 1/September 3 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 Poll.
The Sagehens (96 points) edge out the Bulldogs (95 points) by a point in the aftermath of the first weekend of varsity competition.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (89 points) improves to No. 3 with 2024 USA Division III Championship runner-up Chapman University (84 points) – which was tied with Pomona-Pitzer at No. 2 last week – settles back to No. 4.
Whittier College (74 points) and California Lutheran University (72 points) break a preseason tie at No. 5 to rate at No. 5 and 6 this week, while the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (71 points) and Augustana College (66 points) remain at No. 7 and 8.
Johns Hopkins University (55 points) and the University of La Verne (45 points) exchange the No. 9 and 10 spots to complete the Week 1 rankings.
2025 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Week 1/September 3) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Preseason Poll | Points |
| 1 |
Pomona-Pitzer Colleges | 2 (T) | 96 |
| 2 | University of Redlands | 1 | 95 |
| 3 | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges | 4 | 89 |
| 4 | Chapman University | 2 (T) | 84 |
| 5 | Whittier College | 5 (T) | 77 |
| 6 | California Lutheran University | 5 (T) | 72 |
| 7 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 7 | 71 |
| 8 | Augustana College |
8 | 59 |
| 9 |
Johns Hopkins University | 10 | 55 |
| 10 |
University of La Verne | 9 | 45 |
| RV |
Occidental College | RV | 35 |
2025 Men’s Varsity Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Week 1/September 3)
Four-time (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Champion Fordham University continues at No. 1 in the Week 1/September 3 2025 MAWPC Top Five Poll.
A unanimous No. 1 selection, the Rams (100 points) extend their lead to seven points over new runner-up George Washington University (93 points). The Revolutionaries climb to No. 2 and drop preseason runner-up the United States Naval Academy (89 points) back to No. 3.
Bucknell University (70 points) and Wagner College (66 points) remain at No 4 and 5.
2025 Men’s Varsity Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Week 1/September 3) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Preseason Poll | Points |
| 1 | Fordham University |
1 |
100 |
| 2 |
George Washington University | 3 | 93 |
| 3 | United States Naval Academy | 2 | 89 |
| 4 |
Bucknell University | 4 | 70 |
| 5 | Wagner College | 5 | 66 |
| RV | Mount St. Mary’s University |
RV | 32 |
2025 Men’s Varsity Northeast Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Week 1/September 3)
Five-time Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) champion Princeton University retains its preseason status at No. 1 in the Week 1/September 3 NWPC 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 (82 points) complete the NWPC Top Five.
2025 Men’s Varsity Northeast Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Week 1/September 3) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Preseason 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 |
