Collegiate Water Polo Association Releases 2017 Women’s Collegiate Club Midwest Division Schedule

BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) releases the 2017 Women’s National Collegiate Club Midwest Division schedule of games.

Comprised of Grand Valley State University, Illinois State University, Lindenwood University, Miami University (Ohio), Saint Louis University, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Notre Dame and newcomer McKendree University, the Midwest Division schedule will have 32 regular season games prior to the 12-contest division championship tournament on Saturday-Sunday, April 22-23, at Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Competition begins on Saturday-Sunday, February 11-12, at Hudsonville High School Aquatics Center in Hudsonville, Mich., as Grand Valley State hosts 16-games.  Following a 13-game event at the St. Peters RecPlex in St. Peters, Mo., hosted by Lindenwood, the regular season concludes with three games during the Miami (Ohio) Invitational on Saturday-Sunday, April 8-9, at the Nixon Aquatic Center in Oxford, Ohio.

The results of the regualar season will establish the seeds for the Midwest Division Championship at Notre Dame with the division’s victor earning a berth to the 2017 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship at the University of Pittsburgh on Friday-Sunday, May 5-7.

The oldest women’s collegiate club division in the CWPA, with competition dating back to 1996, the Midwest Division has been dominated by a few teams during the duration of the grouping.

In the history of the division, Notre Dame and Miami (Ohio) have accounted for the majority of the champioships with the Irish holding 12 crowns (1999, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) and the RedHawks claiming seven titles (1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) to account for all the previous Midwest championships prior to Grand Valley State taking the 2016 title.

In addition, Notre Dame has reached the division title game 19 times (1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016), with Miami (1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011), Grand Valley State (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016), Lindenwood (2015) and former division member Bowling Green State University (1996) accounting for the other championship game berths. There was no competition in the Midwest Division during the 1998 season.

Lindenwood will aim to earn a return trip to the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship as the Lady Lions captured the 2011-to-2013 Heartland Division crowns before taking home the gold in the Great Plains Division in 2014 before joining the Midwest Division when the Great Plains was eliminated prior to the 2015 season.  Illinois State holds one previous division title (2010 – Heartland), while Saint Louis, Cincinnati and McKendree will aim for their first trips to the National Collegiate Club Championship in 2017.