BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Stanford University continues to rate as the No. 1 team in the Women’s National Top 25 to highlight the 2017 Women’s Varsity Top 25, Division III Top 10, Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Top 10 and CWPA Division III Top Five Week 6/February 22 Polls released today by the CWPA.
It marks the seventh time in as many polls (Preseason, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6) that the Cardinal have topped the National Top 25 as Stanford continues to hold narrow leads over both the University of Southern California and the University of California-Los Angeles.
Whittier College (Division III Top 10), the University of Michigan (CWPA Top 10) and Washington & Jefferson College (CWPA Division III Top 5) also maintain their positions on top of the other national women’s water polo varsity polls this week.
Voted on by a panel of coaches from the CWPA, Western Water Polo Association (WWPA), Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), Big West Conference, Golden Coast Conference, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the Women’s Varsity polls are compiled and released on each Wednesday during the season through the week following the NCAA Championship.
2017 Women’s Varsity National Top 25 (Week 6/February 22)
Stanford University retains its position at No. 1 as the Cardinal top the Week 6/February 22 Women’s Varsity National Top 25 Poll.
Stanford (98 points), which claimed the 2014 and 2015 National Championships prior to falling to the University of Southern California at the University of California-Los Angeles last year in the quest for another crown, continues to cling to the top spot by a narrow margin as fellow Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) institutions USC (96 points), UCLA (93 points) and the University of California (88 points) remain within striking distance at No. 2-to-4, respectively, for another week.
Unlike the first five polls of the 2016 season which saw dramatic shifts, the February 22/Week 6 voting results mirror the February 15/Week 5 poll.
The first 11 positions in the Top 25 remain unchanged as Arizona State University (84 points), the University of California-Irvine (78 points), the University of Hawaii (75 points), the University of Michigan (74 points), the University of California-Santa Barbara (66 points) and Princeton University (63 points) hold on at No. 5-to-10, respectively, with the University of the Pacific (59 points) staying at No. 11 for another week.
Change finally comes to the Top 25 at No. 12 and 13 as San Diego State University (54 points) moves ahead of the University of California-Davis (50 points).
Indiana University (49 points) and Long Beach State University (45 points) follow to stay at No. 14 and 15, while the University of California-San Diego (40 points) and San Jose State University (37 points) exchange the No. 16 and 17 slots.
Hartwick College (34 points), Harvard University (28 points), Loyola Marymount University (25 points), Wagner College (20 points), California State University, Northridge (15 points), Marist College (10 points), California State University, Bakersfield (8 points) and California Baptist University (4 points) complete the Top 25.
2017 Varsity Top 25 Poll (Week 6/February 22) |
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| Rank | Team | 2017 Week 5 Poll | Points |
| 1 | Stanford University | 1 | 98 |
| 2 | University of Southern California | 2 | 96 |
| 3 | University of California-Los Angeles | 3 | 93 |
| 4 | University of California | 4 | 88 |
| 5 | Arizona State University | 5 | 84 |
| 6 | University of California-Irvine | 6 | 78 |
| 7 | University of Hawaii | 7 | 75 |
| 8 | University of Michigan | 8 | 74 |
| 9 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 9 | 66 |
| 10 | Princeton University | 10 | 63 |
| 11 | University of the Pacific | 11 | 59 |
| 12 | San Diego State University | 13 | 54 |
| 13 | University of California-Davis | 12 | 50 |
| 14 | Indiana University | 14 | 49 |
| 15 | Long Beach State University | 15 | 45 |
| 16 | University of California-San Diego | 17 | 40 |
| 17 | San Jose State University | 16 | 37 |
| 18 | Hartwick College | 18 | 34 |
| 19 | Harvard University | 19 | 28 |
| 20 | Loyola Marymount University | 20 | 25 |
| 21 | Wagner College | 21 | 20 |
| 22 | California State University, Northridge | 22 | 15 |
| 23 | Marist College | 23 | 10 |
| 24 | California State University, Bakersfield | 24 | 8 |
| 25 | California Baptist University | 25 | 4 |
| RV | Brown University | RV | 2 |
| RV | Virginia Military Institute | NR | 1 |
| RV | George Washington University | NR | 1 |
| RV | California State University, East Bay | RV | 1 |
| RV | Bucknell University | RV | 1 |
2017 Women’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Week 6/February 22)
Whittier College remains the top-ranked team as the Poets lead the Week 6/February 22 Division III Top 10 Poll.
The lead for Whittier (100 points) expands from two points last week to seven points as the Poets are now a unanimous top selection. Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (93 points) and the University of La Verne (89 points) remain at No. 2 and 3, respectively, with California Lutheran University (81 points) and Chapman University (81 points) entering into a tie at No. 4.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (77 points) slips to No. 6 after tying with California Lutheran at No. 5 last week.
The University of Redlands (70 points), Occidental College (66 points), Connecticut College (62 points) and Washington & Jefferson College (34 points) complete the Top 10 by remaining at No. 7-to-10, respectively, for another week.
2017 Division III Top 10 Poll (Week 6/February 22) |
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| Rank | Team | 2017 Week 5 Poll | Points |
| 1 | Whittier College | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | Pomona-Pitzer Colleges | 2 | 93 |
| 3 | University of La Verne | 3 | 89 |
| 4 | California Lutheran University | 5 (T) | 81 |
| 5 (T) | Chapman University | 4 | 81 |
| 5 (T) | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges | 5 (T) | 77 |
| 7 | University of Redlands | 7 | 70 |
| 8 | Occidental College | 8 | 66 |
| 9 | Connecticut College | 9 | 62 |
| 10 | Washington & Jefferson College | 10 | 34 |
| RV | California Institute of Technology | RV | 11 |
| RV | Grove City College | NR | 11 |
2017 Women’s CWPA Top 10 (Week 6/February 22)
2016 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Champion and preseason favorite the University of Michigan is once again the No. 1 selection in the Week 6/February 22 CWPA Top 10 Poll.
Princeton University (95 points) stays at No. 2 as Michigan (99 points) doubles its lead over the Tigers to four points – a two point increase over last week’s 98-to-96 differential.
Few changes occur in the CWPA league voting this week as Indiana University (90 points), Hartwick College (86 points), Harvard University (79 points) and Brown University (76 points) remain at No. 3-to-6, respectively.
The first change comes at No. 7 as George Washington University (69 points) surpasses Bucknell University (66 points) via the strength of a 9-7 head-to-head defeat of the Bison over the weekend.
Connecticut College (48 points) hangs on at No. 9, with Washington & Jefferson College (44 points) slipping in front of Saint Francis University (23 points) for the final position in the Top 10.
2017 CWPA Poll Top 10 Poll (Week 6/Februrary 22) |
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| Rank | Team | 2017 Week 5 Poll | Points |
| 1 | University of Michigan | 1 | 99 |
| 2 | Princeton University | 2 | 95 |
| 3 | Indiana University | 3 | 90 |
| 4 | Hartwick College | 4 | 86 |
| 5 | Harvard University | 5 | 79 |
| 6 | Brown University | 6 | 76 |
| 7 | George Washington University | 8 | 69 |
| 8 | Bucknell University | 7 | 66 |
| 9 | Connecticut College | 9 | 48 |
| 10 | Washington & Jefferson College | RV | 44 |
| RV | Saint Francis University (Pa.) | 10 | 23 |
2017 Women’s CWPA Division III Top 5 (Week 6/February 22)
2014, 2015 and 2016 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship runner-up Washington & Jefferson College stays at No. 1 in the Week 6/February 22 CWPA Division III Top Five Poll.
The ranking is in conflict with the CWPA Top 10 Poll for a fourth week as 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 CWPA Division III Champion Connecticut College (96 points) stands in front of the W&J Presidents (97 points) when weighing all of the league’s membership (Division I & III). The difference is partially explained due to the pollsters as the CWPA Top 10 includes primarily Division I member institutions, while the CWPA Division III Top 10 is predominantly ranked by Division III head coaches who see the league’s smaller institutions compete on a consistent basis.
Three-time CWPA Division III Champion (2010, 2011, 2012) Grove City College (84 points) and Carthage College (73 points) exchange the No. 3 and 4 spots this week with Penn State Behrend (51 points) breaking out of a three-way tie for fifth last week to acquire sole custody of the final spot in the Top Five.
Monmouth College (33 points) and Macalester College (16 points) also received votes.
2017 CWPA Division III Top 5 Poll (Week 6/February 22) |
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| Rank | Team | 2017 Week 5 Poll | Points |
| 1 | Washington & Jefferson College | 1 | 97 |
| 2 | Connecticut College | 2 | 96 |
| 3 | Grove City College | 4 | 84 |
| 4 | Carthage College | 3 | 73 |
| 5 | Penn State Behrend | 5 (T) | 51 |
| RV | Monmouth College | 5 (T) | 33 |
| RV | Macalester College | 5 (T) | 16 |
