BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Carthage College will host the 2021 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Championship with No. 25-ranked/Division III No. 3 Austin College, Grove City College, Penn State Behrend and Division III No. 5 Wittenberg University on Saturday-Sunday, April 17-18, at the Koenizter Aquatic Center in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance at the championship is limited. However, the CWPA will stream the entire six-game event on CWPATV.com at a cost of $10 per game or $25 for a weekend pass.
Seeding for the championship was conducted via a poll of the five participating teams’ head coaches with 2019 championship runner-up Austin claiming the No. 1 position. Wittenberg, Grove City, Penn State Behrend and Carthage round out the No. 2-to-5 spots, respectively.
Competition begins at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 17, as Carthage clashes with Penn State Behrend. Following a semifinal at Noon pitting Wittenberg versus Grove City, the fallen from the first two games meet at 3:00 p.m. to determine Fifth Place in the final standings. The day concludes at 6:00 p.m. at Austin meets the victor of the Carthage/Penn State Behrend game in the second semifinal with a spot in the CWPA Division III Championship title game on the line.
The weekend concludes with a pair of games on Sunday, April 18, as the victor of the Fifth Place game meets the defeated from the Austin semifinal at 9:00 a.m. The league championship is decided three hours later as the two semifinal victors square-off at Noon to determine the 2021 CWPA Division III Champion.
Historically, Grove City is the only team among 2021’s competitors to previously claim the CWPA Division III crown as the Wolverines achieved the feat in 2010 (vs. Carthage), 2011 and 2012 (vs. Washington & Jefferson College). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 champion Connecticut College and 2017, 2018 and 2019 champion Macalester College are not competing at the league championship. The 2020 event was canceled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
Overall, Grove City (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) holds the most previous title game appearances among the five 2021 competitors with four, while Carthage (2010) and Austin (2019) have both appeared in one championship. W&J (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017), Connecticut (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018) and Macalester (2017, 2018, 2019) account for the remaining title game appearances as four of the five 2021 competing teams have never claimed a previous CWPA Division III crown.
