BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The University of Southern California remains the top-ranked team in women’s water polo as the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) releases the 2021 Week 10/April 14 Women’s Varsity National Top 25, Division III Top 5, CWPA Top 4 and CWPA Division III Top 5 Polls.
The University of Michigan, Austin College and California Lutheran University maintain top billing in the CWPA Division I Top Four, CWPA Division III Top Five and Division III Top Five Polls, respectively.
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.
2021 Women’s Varsity National Top 25 (Week 10/April 14)
The University of Southern California stays at No. 1 in the Week 10/April 14 Women’s Varsity Top 25 Poll.
USC (100 points) retains its status as a unanimous No. 1 pick, while Stanford University (95 points) reacquires sole possession of the No. 2 position after tying with the University of California-Los Angeles (92 points) last week. UCLA, the University of California (88 points) and Arizona State University (84 points) stick at No. 3-to-5, respectively.
The first major change comes at No. 6 as the University of Hawaii (78 points) ascends two spots with the University of California-Irvine (75 points) and the University of Michigan (73 points) backing up to No. 7 and 8.
The University of California-San Diego (68 points) and the University of California-Davis (64 points) complete the Top 10 with the quartet of Fresno State University (57 points), University of the Pacific (54 points), Indiana University (52 points) and San Diego State University (50 points) assuming the No. 11-to-14 spots following the decision of the University of California-Santa Barbara to not compete during the remainder of the season.
Long Beach State University (44 points), San Jose State University (43 points), California Baptist University (36 points), Loyola Marymount University (30 points), Azusa Pacific University (28 points) and Bucknell University (20 points) stand at No. 16-to-20, while Marist College (19 points), Santa Clara University (12 points) and Iona College (10 points) comprise the No. 21-to-23 placeholders.
The final position in the Top 25 belongs to Saint Francis University (6 points) and La Salle University (6 points) as the Red Flash and Explorers rate in a tie at No. 25.
2021 Women’s Varsity Top 25 (Week 10/April 14)
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| Rank | Team | Week 9 Poll |
Points |
| 1 |
University of Southern California |
1 | 100 |
| 2 |
Stanford University |
2 (T) |
95 |
| 3 |
University of California-Los Angeles | 2 (T) | 92 |
| 4 | University of California |
4 | 88 |
| 5 |
Arizona State University | 5 |
84 |
| 6 | University of Hawaii |
8 (T) |
78 |
| 7 |
University of California-Irvine |
6 |
75 |
| 8 |
University of Michigan |
7 |
73 |
| 9 |
University of California-San Diego |
8 (T) | 68 |
| 10 | University of California-Davis |
10 |
64 |
| 11 |
Fresno State University |
12 |
57 |
| 12 |
University of the Pacific |
13 |
54 |
| 13 |
Indiana University |
15 |
52 |
| 14 |
San Diego State University |
14 |
50 |
| 15 |
Long Beach State University | 16 (T) |
44 |
| 16 |
San Jose State University |
16 (T) |
43 |
| 17 |
California Baptist University |
18 |
36 |
| 18 |
Loyola Marymount University | 19 | 30 |
| 19 |
Azusa Pacific University |
20 | 28 |
| 20 |
Bucknell University |
21 (T) |
20 |
| 21 |
Marist College | 21 (T) |
19 |
| 22 |
Santa Clara University |
23 |
12 |
| 23 |
Iona College |
24 |
10 |
| 24 (T) |
La Salle University |
25 (T) |
6 |
| 24 (T) |
Saint Francis University |
25 (T) |
6 |
| RV | Salem University |
25 (T) |
5 |
| RV | California Lutheran University | NR | 2 |
| RV | Concordia University | 25 (T) | 2 |
| RV | Long Island University |
RV | 2 |
| RV | Villanova University |
RV | 1 |
| RV | Austin College |
25 (T) | 1 |
2021 Women’s Varsity Division III Top 5 (Week 4/April 14)
California Lutheran University retains its ranking at No. 1 in the Week 4/April 14 Women’s Varsity Division III Top 5 Poll.
The Division III rankings are unique for 2021 as Cal Lutheran, Chapman University and the University of Redlands of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) elected to compete, while the California Institute of Technology, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, Occidental College, the University of La Verne, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges and Whittier College are taking off the season due to the pandemic. In the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), Connecticut College, Macalester College, Utica College and Washington & Jefferson College are competing in minimal schedules and Monmouth College is taking off the season prior to eliminating women’s water polo following the 2020-21 academic year. Austin College, Carthage College, Grove City College, Penn State Behrend and Wittenberg University will contest full CWPA Division III league seasons.
Due to the number of teams competing, the normally Division III Top 10 poll was cut down to five teams to maintain proportionality between the number of competing programs and national ranking size.
Cal Lutheran (99 points) hangs on at No. 1 for another seven-day run, while Austin (91 points) rises into a tie with Redlands (91 points) at No. 2.
Chapman (54 points) drops back to No. 4 with Macalester (50 points) cracking the Top Five by assuming the final spot.
2021 Women’s Varsity Division III Top 5 (Week 4/April 14)
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| Rank | Team | Week 3 Poll |
Points |
| 1 | California Lutheran University |
1 | 99 |
| 2 (T) |
Austin College |
3 | 91 |
| 2 (T) |
University of Redlands |
2 |
91 |
| 4 | Chapman University |
4 |
54 |
| 5 | Macalester College |
NR | 50 |
| RV | Wittenberg University |
5 | 49 |
| RV | Connecticut College |
NR | 16 |
2021 Women’s Varsity Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 4 (Week 10/April 14)
Four-time defending Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Champion the University of Michigan remains the top team in the league as the Wolverines lead the 2021 CWPA Division I Week 10/April 14 Top Four Poll as a unanimous No. 1 selection.
The 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 league champion, Michigan (100 points) holds a five point lead over runner-up Bucknell University (95 points).
Saint Francis University (90 points) and first-year varsity program Mount St. Mary’s University (85 points) complete the Top 4.
2021 Women’s Varsity Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 4 (Week 10/April 14)
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| Rank | Team | Week 9 Poll |
Points |
| 1 | University of Michigan |
1 | 100 |
| 2 |
Bucknell University |
2 | 95 |
| 3 | Saint Francis University |
3 | 90 |
| 4 | Mount St. Mary’s University |
4 |
85 |
2021 Women’s Varsity Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Top 5 (Week 5/April 14)
2019 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III runner-up Austin College maintains its preseason, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4 rankings as the Kangaroos stand at No. 1 in the Week 5/April 14 CWPA Division III Top 5 Poll.
The ‘Roos (97 points) no longer rate as a unanimous No. 1 selection heading into this weekend’s CWPA Division III Championship at Carthage College in Kenosha Wisconsin. Wittenberg University (93 points) pulls to within four points of Austin, while previously No. 5 Macalester College (90 points) rises up to No. 3.
Penn State Behrend (86 points) slides back to No. 4 and Grove City College (49 points) cracks the Top 5 by taking over the final position.
2021 Women’s Varsity Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Top 5 (Week 5/April 14)
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| Rank | Team | Week 4 Poll |
Points |
| 1 | Austin College |
1 | 97 |
| 2 |
Wittenberg University |
2 | 93 |
| 3 | Macalester College | 5 | 90 |
| 4 | Penn State Behrend |
3 | 86 |
| 5 | Grove City College |
RV | 49 |
| RV | Connecticut College |
RV | 19 |
| RV | Washington & Jefferson College |
4 | 16 |
