BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The University of California-Los Angeles and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges are favored to claim 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 2024 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 – which finished second in the final 2023 poll after dropping a 13-11 contest with the University of California for the 2023 NCAA title – is the favorite to raise the NCAA Championship trophy at the conclusion of the 2024 campaign. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps – which took down the University of Redlands by a 6-5 score last year to capture the USA Water Polo Division III crown – enters the 2024 season with top-billing once again.
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.
2024 Men’s Varsity National Top 20 (Preseason)
The University of California-Los Angeles will seek to complete some unfinished business as the 2023 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship runner-up Bruins enter the new season ranked at No. 1 in the 2024 Preseason National Men’s Varsity Top 20 Poll.
UCLA (98 points) holds a one-point lead over reigning NCAA Champion the University of California (97 points) as the Golden Bears slip back to No. 2 heading into the new season. Stanford University (88 points) slips past the University of Southern California (87 points) as the Cardinal commence the next race to the championship at No. 3 and force the Trojans back to No. 4.
Princeton University (79 points) breaks up an All-West Coast Top 10 by coming in at No. 5, while the University of California-Irvine (71 points), University of the Pacific (66 points), the University of California-Davis (65 points), San Jose State University (56 points) and Long Beach State University (54 points) round out a new look Top 10 with two of the squads (Pacific/Long Beach State) cracking the upper echelon of the Top 20 after rating at No. 18 and 11, respectively, in the final 2023 voting.
The University of California-Santa Barbara (51 points), the University of California-San Diego (47 points), Pepperdine University (40 points), Fordham University (39 points) and Harvard University (33 points) take over at No. 11-to-15, while Loyola Marymount University (27 points), California Baptist University (18 points), the United States Naval Academy (15 points), Santa Clara University (12 points) and Brown University (7 points) complete the Top 20.
2024 Men’s Varsity Top 20 (Preseason) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Final 2023 Poll | Points |
| 1 | University of California-Los Angeles |
2 | 98 |
| 2 |
University of California |
1 | 97 |
| 3 |
Stanford University |
4 | 88 |
| 4 |
University of Southern California |
3 | 87 |
| 5 |
Princeton University |
5 |
79 |
| 6 |
University of California-Irvine |
6 |
71 |
| 7 |
University of the Pacific |
18 (T) | 66 |
| 8 | University of California-Davis |
7 (T) |
65 |
| 9 |
San Jose State University |
7 (T) | 56 |
| 10 | Long Beach State University |
11 | 54 |
| 11 |
University of California-Santa Barbara |
7 (T) |
51 |
| 12 |
University of California-San Diego |
14 (T) |
47 |
| 13 |
Pepperdine University |
7 (T) |
40 |
| 14 |
Fordham University |
12 (T) |
39 |
| 15 |
Harvard University |
12 (T) |
33 |
| 16 |
Loyola Marymount University |
14 (T) |
27 |
| 17 |
California Baptist University |
16 |
18 |
| 18 |
United States Naval Academy |
17 |
15 |
| 19 |
Santa Clara University |
18 (T) |
12 |
| 20 |
Brown University |
20 |
7 |
| RV | United States Air Force Academy |
RV | 3 |
| RV | Wagner College |
NR | 1 |
| RV | Bucknell University |
NR | 1 |
| RV | Pomona-Pitzer Colleges |
NR | 1 |
2024 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Preseason)
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges will start the 2024 season where it concluded the 2023 campaign – at No. 1 – as the squad leads the 2024 Preseason Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 Poll.
The 2023 USA Water Polo Division III Collegiate Champion, the Stags (99 points) possess a six-point lead over the University of Redlands (93 points) with Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (91 points) opening the new season at No. 3.
Chapman University (84 points), California Lutheran University (73 points) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (72 points) account for the No. 4-to-6 spots, respectively, with the duo of Occidental College (57 points) and Whittier College (57 points) tying at No. 7.
Augustana College (45 points) and Johns Hopkins University (39 points) round out the Preseason Top 10.
2024 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Preseason) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Final 2023 Poll | Points |
| 1 |
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges |
1 |
99 |
| 2 | University of Redlands |
2 | 93 |
| 3 | Pomona-Pitzer Colleges |
4 | 91 |
| 4 | Chapman University |
3 | 84 |
| 5 |
California Lutheran University |
7 |
73 |
| 6 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
5 (T) |
72 |
| 7 (T) |
Occidental College |
5 (T) |
57 |
| 7 (T) |
Whittier College |
NR | 57 |
| 9 |
Augustana College |
10 |
45 |
| 10 |
Johns Hopkins University |
9 | 39 |
| RV |
University of La Verne |
8 | 25 |
| RV |
California Institute of Technology |
NR | 14 |
| RV |
Austin College |
NR | 11 |
2024 Men’s Varsity Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason)
Fordam University – which claimed the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championships – will aim to four-peat as the Rams top the 2024 MAWPC Preseason Top Five Poll.
A unanimous No. 1 selection, the Rams (100 points) hold a five-point lead over the United States Naval Academy (95 points) and a 12-point margin compared to Bucknell University (88 points).
Wagner College (67 points) and George Washington University (66 points) finish the Top Five for a league which expands to eight teams in 2024 to consist of Bucknell, Fordham, George Washington, Johns Hopkins University, Mount St. Mary’s University, Navy, Wagner and returning member Mercyhurst University.
2024 Men’s Varsity Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Final 2023 Poll | Points |
| 1 | Fordham University |
1 |
100 |
| 2 |
United States Naval Academy |
2 | 95 |
| 3 | Bucknell University |
3 |
88 |
| 4 |
Wagner College |
4 | 67 |
| 5 | George Washington University |
5 | 66 |
| RV | Johns Hopkins University |
NR | 34 |
2024 Men’s Varsity Northeast Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason)
Three-time defending Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) champion Princeton University commences the 2024 season with the target once again upon the Tigers as the squad leads the NWPC Preseason Top Five Poll.
The 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023 NWPC Champion Tigers (100 points) rate as a unanimous No. 1 selection and hold a five-point lead over three-time (2016, 2017, 2019) NWPC Champion Harvard University (95 points).
Brown University (90 points) stands at No. 3 with the duo of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (66 points) and Iona University (66 points) tied at No. 4 to wrap-up the NWPC Top Five.
The NWPC features seven institutions in 2024 with Brown, Connecticut College, Harvard, Iona, Long Island University, MIT and Princeton comprising the active membership.
2024 Men’s Varsity Northeast Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason) |
|||
| Rank | Team | Final 2023 Poll | Points |
| 1 | Princeton University | 1 | 100 |
| 2 |
Harvard University |
2 |
95 |
| 3 | Brown University |
3 | 90 |
| 4 (T) |
Iona University |
4 |
66 |
| 4 (T) | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
5 | 66 |
| RV | Long Island University |
RV | 33 |
