Collegiate Water Polo Association Releases 2018 Women’s Varsity Preseason Polls; Defending National Champion Stanford University to Open at No. 1

BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Defending National Champion Stanford University is favored to repeat as the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) releases the 2018 Women’s Varsity National Top 25, Division III Top 10, CWPA Top 10 and CWPA Division III Top Five Polls.

Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (Division III), the University of Michigan (CWPA Top 10) and Macalester College (CWPA Division III Top Five) also retain top-billing in their respective rankings

Voted on by a panel of coaches from the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA), the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), the Golden Coast Conference, the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the Big West Conference, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and the CWPA based on the cumulative results of the season, the polls are compiled and released on Wednesday during the season through the week following the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship.

2018 Women’s Varsity National Top 25 (Preseason)

Stanford University, which captured the 2017 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship, will open the 2018 season as the top-ranked team in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Women’s Varsity National Top 25 Poll.

The Cardinal (99 points), who fall one point shy of rating as a unanimous top selection, lead a National Top 25 Poll in which nine of the teams that rated among the Top 10 at the conclusion of the 2017 season remain in the upper echelon of the ratings.

The University of California-Los Angeles (93 points) and the University of Southern California (93 points) start the latest season tied at No. 2 following a 2017 season which saw the Bruins and Women of Troy finish at No. 2 and 3 in the final Top 25 poll.  The University of California (91 points) equals its finish from 2017 by coming in at No. 4, while Arizona State University (82 points) and the University of Hawaii (76 points) both improve their berths by starting 2018 at No. 5 and 6 after placing No. 6 and 11, respectively, last year.

The University of California-Irvine (75 points), the University of Michigan (74 points), University of the Pacific (73 points) and Long Beach State University (62 points) round out the Top 10 by rating at No. 6-10, respectively.

The University of California-Davis (56 points) and San Diego State University (50 points) stand at No. 11 and 12, while Indiana University (46 points) and Hartwick College (46 points) are tied at No. 13.  The University of California-San Diego (39 points) and San Jose State University (39 points) rate in a tie at No. 15 with Harvard University (35 points), Princeton University (34 points), the University of California-Santa Barbara (32 points), Wagner College (29 points), California State University-Northridge (23 points), Loyola Marymount University (18 points), Marist College (11 points), Iona College (5 points) and Brown University (4 points) rounding out the Top 25 at No. 17-to-25.

2018 Women’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Preseason)

Pomona-Pitzer Colleges will begin the 2018 season where the Sagehens concluded the 2017 campaign – as the No. 1-ranked team in Division III – by topping the 2018 Women’s Varsity Division III Top 10 Preseason Poll.

The Sagehens (99 points) fall one vote shy of ranking as the unanimous top Division III team in the land as Whittier College (91 points) garnered a first-place nod.  Whittier, California Lutheran University (89 points), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (82 points) and Chapman University (79 points) complete the Top Five after rating at No. 2, 4, 6 and 5 in the final 2017 rankings, respectively.

The University of La Verne (78 points), Occidental College (69 points), the University of Redlands (67 points), Macalester College (37 points) and Washington & Jefferson College (33 points) complete the Top 10.

2018 Women’s Varsity Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 10 (Preseason)

Two-time defending Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Champion the University of Michigan enters the 2018 season as the favorite to notch a third consecutive league crown as the Wolverines are a unanimous top pick in the Women’s Varsity CWPA Top 10 Poll.

Michigan (100 points) will aim to equal the league’s modern-era (2000-to-present) record for most consecutive league titles of three previously established by the Maize & Blue from 2008-to-2010.  However, Indiana University (94 points) – the team that snapped the 2008-to-2010 run and Princeton University‘s attempt for three consecutive crowns from 2012-to-204 by capturing the 2014 title – stands at No. 2 with eyes on playing spoiler once again in 2018.

Hartwick College (90 points), Harvard University (82 points) and Brown University (76 points) rate at No. 3-to-5, while Bucknell University (74 points), Princeton (65 points) and George Washington University (64 points) come in at No. 6-to-8.

Saint Francis University (50 points) completes the league’s Division I representation at No. 9, while Macalester College (36 points) comes in at No. 10.

2018 Women’s Varsity Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Top 10 (Preseason)

Macalester College, which captured the 2017 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Championship at home, will begin the 2018 season as the hunted as the Scots rate at No. 1 in the CWPA Division III Top Five Poll.

Macalester (97 points), which joined Grove City College (2010-2012) and Connecticut College (2013-2016) as the sole teams to ever claim the CWPA Division III league crown, will need to hold off a challenge from Carthage College (95 points) and five-time (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016) league runner-up Washington & Jefferson College (89 points) to bring another league title back to Saint Paul, Minn.

Connecticut (70 points) and Monmouth College (66 points) complete the Top Five.