BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Stanford University and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges remain at No. 1 in the Division I and III ranks after six weeks of varsity competition as the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) releases the 2023 Week 6/February 22 Women’s Varsity National Top 25, Division III Top 10, CWPA Top Five and CWPA Division III Top Five Polls.
Stanford – which claimed the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) title – and Pomona-Pitzer – which garnered the USA Water Polo Division III Collegiate Championship – in 2022 remain favorites to repeat as champions during the 2023 campaign.
The University of Michigan – which won the 2022 CWPA Division I Championship – continues at No. 1 in the group’s Top Five rankings. The CWPA Division III Top Five rankings experience a change at No. 1 as Augustana College dislodges 2022 CWPA Division III Champion Austin College to take over the lead position.
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.
2023 Women’s Varsity National Top 25 (Week 6/February 22)
The Cardinal of Stanford University remain the top team in the land by continuing to reign at No. 1 in the 2023 Women’s Varsity National Top 25 Week 6/February 22 Poll.
The Cardinal (99 points) see their lead shrink to two points over the University of Southern California (97 points) as USC chips a point off last week’s 99-to-96 deficit. The University of California-Los Angeles (92 points), the University of California (88 points), the University of Hawaii (84 points) and the University of California-Irvine (80 points) remain at No. 3-to-6, respectively, with Long Beach State University (73 points) pulling even with Arizona State University (73 points) at No. 7. The University of Michigan (68 points) and Fresno State University (66 points) once again hold down the final two positions in the Top 10.
The remainder of the Top 20 experiences significant shifts as Indiana University (59 points) and Wagner College (53 points) rise to No. 11 and 12. University of the Pacific (48 points) slips into a tie with Princeton University (48 points) at No. 13 with the quartet of the University of California-Santa Barbara (45 points), the University of California-San Diego (38 points), the University of California-Davis (36 points) and Harvard University (32 points) once again rating at No. 15-to-18.
Brown University (27 points) cracks the Top 20 at No. 19 and drops San Jose State University (24 points) back to No. 20. San Diego State University (18 points) and Long Island University (16 points) exchange the No. 21 and 22 slots with California State University-Northridge (13 points) and Loyola Marymount University (13 points) tying at No. 23.
Marist College (7 points) concludes the Top 25 by dropping back to the final position.
2023 Women’s Varsity Top 25 (Week 6/February 22)
|
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| Rank | Team | Week 5 Poll |
Points |
| 1 |
Stanford University |
1 | 99 |
| 2 |
University of Southern California |
2 |
97 |
| 3 |
University of California-Los Angeles | 3 | 92 |
| 4 | University of California |
4 |
88 |
| 5 |
University of Hawaii |
5 |
84 |
| 6 | University of California-Irvine |
6 |
80 |
| 7 (T) |
Long Beach State University |
8 |
73 |
| 7 (T) |
Arizona State University |
7 |
73 |
| 9 |
University of Michigan |
9 | 68 |
| 10 | Fresno State University |
10 |
66 |
| 11 |
Indiana University |
12 |
59 |
| 12 |
Wagner College |
13 |
53 |
| 13 (T) |
University of the Pacific |
11 |
48 |
| 13 (T) |
Princeton University |
14 |
48 |
| 15 |
University of California-Santa Barbara |
15 |
45 |
| 16 |
University of California-San Diego |
16 |
38 |
| 17 |
University of California-Davis |
17 |
36 |
| 18 |
Harvard University |
18 |
32 |
| 19 |
Brown University |
20 |
27 |
| 20 |
San Jose State University |
19 |
24 |
| 21 |
San Diego State University |
22 |
18 |
| 22 |
Long Island University |
21 |
16 |
| 23 (T) |
California State University-Northridge |
25 |
13 |
| 23 (T) |
Loyola Marymount University |
23 |
13 |
| 25 |
Marist College |
24 |
7 |
| RV | Bucknell University | NR |
1 |
| RV | Iona University | RV |
1 |
2023 Women’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Week 6/February 22)
Pomona-Pitzer Colleges continues at No. 1 in the Women’s Varsity Division III Top 10 Week 6/February 22 Poll for the 2023 season.
Pomona-Pitzer (100 points) remains a unanimous top selection with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (94 points) and the University of La Verne (84 points) retaining the No. 2 and 3 spots.
Chapman University (81 points) and Whittier College (79 points) trade the No. 4 and 5 positions with California Lutheran University (73 points) and the University of Redlands (73 points) tying at No. 6.
Augustana College (65 points) supersedes Austin College (54 points) to take over at No. 8 with Occidental College (39 points) wrapping up the Top 10.
2023 Women’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Week 6/February 22)
|
|||
| Rank | Team | Week 5 Poll |
Points |
| 1 | Pomona-Pitzer Colleges |
1 | 100 |
| 2 |
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges |
2 | 94 |
| 3 |
University of La Verne |
3 |
84 |
| 4 | Chapman University |
5 | 81 |
| 5 |
Whittier College |
4 | 79 |
| 6 (T) |
University of Redlands |
7 | 73 |
| 6 (T) |
California Lutheran University |
6 | 73 |
| 8 |
Augustana College |
9 |
65 |
| 9 | Austin College |
8 | 54 |
| 10 | Occidental College |
10 | 39 |
| RV | Macalester College |
RV | 33 |
2023 Women’s Varsity Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 5 (Week 6/February 22)
Defending Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Champion the University of Michigan is again a unanimous selection at No. 1 in the 2023 CWPA Division I Top Five Week 6/February 22 Poll.
The 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 league champion, Michigan (100 points) leads a Top Five poll which experiences no changes from last week.
2022 CWPA Championship runner-up Harvard University (92 points) and Princeton University (92 points) remain deadlocked at No. 2, while Brown University (85 points) and Saint Francis University (49 points) retain the No. 4 and 5 berths.
2023 Women’s Varsity Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 5 (Week 6/February 22)
|
|||
| Rank | Team | Week 5 Poll |
Points |
| 1 | University of Michigan |
1 | 100 |
| 2 (T) |
Harvard University |
2 (T) |
92 |
| 2 (T) | Princeton University |
2 (T) | 92 |
| 4 |
Brown University |
4 | 85 |
| 5 | Saint Francis University |
5 |
49 |
| RV | Bucknell University |
RV |
32 |
2023 Women’s Varsity Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Top 5 (Week 6/February 22)
For the first time since March 4, 2020 – a span of 1,085 days – 2021 and 2022 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III champion Austin College does not hold a share of the No. 1 position in the CWPA Division III Top Five Poll as Augustana College surpasses the Kangaroos in the 2023 Week 6/February 22 ranking.
Augustana (98 points) – which was tied with Austin (94 points) at No. 1 last week – takes sole possession of the lead. Macaelster College (94 points) – which was the last team besides Austin to hold sole custody of the No. 1 spot back in March of 2020 – also surpasses the ‘Roos to take over at No. 2.
Austin slides back to No. 3 with Washington & Jefferson College (82 points) remaining at No. 4.
Wittenberg University (50 points) is the lone newcomer to the 2023 rankings as the Tigers overcome Grove City College (16 points) and Connecticut College (16 points) to take command at No. 5.
2023 Women’s Varsity Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Top 5 (Week 6/February 22)
|
|||
| Rank | Team | Week 5 Poll |
Points |
| 1 |
Augustana College |
1 (T) |
98 |
| 2 |
Macalester College |
3 | 94 |
| 3 | Austin College | 1 (T) | 93 |
| 4 | Washington & Jefferson College |
4 | 82 |
| 5 |
Wittenberg University |
RV |
50 |
| RV | Grove City College |
5 (T) | 17 |
| RV | Connecticut College |
5 (T) |
16 |
