BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) releases the 2026 Week 5/February 18 Women’s Varsity National Top 25, Division III Top 10, CWPA Top Five and CWPA Division III Top Five Polls.
Defending National Champion Stanford University remains at No. 1 in the National Top 25, while Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges retains the lead position in the Division III Top 10 Poll.
Defending CWPA Champion Harvard University and CWPA Division III Champion Augustana College stay in the premier spots of the CWPA Division I and Division III Top 5 polls, respectively.
Voted on by a panel of coaches from around the country based on the cumulative results of the season, the polls are compiled and released on Wednesday during the season.
2026 Women’s Varsity National Top 25 (Week 5)
Defending National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Champion Stanford University retains top billing in the 2026 Week 5/February 18 Women’s Varsity National Top 25 Poll.
The Cardinal (100 points), the University of California-Los Angeles (96 points), the University of Southern California (92 points) and the University of California (88 points) remain the Top Four teams in the nation, while the University of Hawaii (82 points) gains company at No. 5 from Arizona State University (82 points).
Harvard University (73 points) creeps to No. 7 with Loyola Marymount University (67 points) and Indiana University (67 points) realigning to tie at No. 8.
The University of California-Irvine (64 points) cracks the Top 10 by taking over the final position.
Long Beach State University (61 points) slips to No. 11, Princeton University (53 points) rises to No. 12 and Fresno State University (47 points) gains sole custody of No. 13 prior to the duo of the University of California-San Diego (46 points) and the University of Michigan (46 points) tying at No. 14.
San Jose State University (43 points) and Marist University (42 points) rearrange to rate at No. 16 and 17, respectively, with the University of California-Davis (38 points), San Diego State University (27 points), Brown University (24 points), Wagner College (18 points), California Baptist University (17 points), California State University-Northridge (14 points), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (6 points) and newcomer Villanova University (4 points) concluding the the Top 25.
2026 Women’s Varsity Top 25 (Week 5/February 18)
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| Rank | Team | Week 4 Poll |
Points |
| 1 |
Stanford University | 1 | 100 |
| 2 |
University of California-Los Angeles | 2 | 96 |
| 3 |
University of Southern California | 3 | 92 |
| 4 | University of California | 4 | 88 |
| 5 (T) | Arizona State University | 6 | 82 |
| 5 (T) | University of Hawaii | 5 | 82 |
| 7 | Harvard University |
8 | 73 |
| 8 (T) | Indiana University |
10 | 67 |
| 8 (T) | Loyola Marymount University | 9 | 67 |
| 10 | University of California-Irvine | 11 | 64 |
| 11 | Long Beach State University | 7 | 61 |
| 12 |
Princeton University | 18 | 53 |
| 13 | Fresno State University | 13 (T) | 47 |
| 14 (T) | University of Michigan | 13 (T) | 46 |
| 14 (T) | University of California-San Diego | 16 | 46 |
| 16 | San Jose State University | 13 (T) | 43 |
| 17 |
Marist University | 18 | 42 |
| 18 |
University of California-Davis | 12 | 38 |
| 19 | San Diego State University | 17 | 27 |
| 20 | Brown University | 19 | 24 |
| 21 | Wagner College | 20 | 18 |
| 22 |
California Baptist University | 23 | 17 |
| 23 |
California State University-Northridge | 21 | 14 |
| 24 |
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges | 25 | 6 |
| 25 | Villanova University | 24 | 4 |
| RV | University of the Pacific | RV | 3 |
| RV | Pomona-Pitzer Colleges | 22 | 1 |
2026 Women’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Week 5)
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges continues at No. 1 in the 2026 Week 5/February 18 Women’s Varsity Division III Top 10 Poll.
The poll experiences one change from the Week 4/February 11 balloting as the Athenas (100 points), Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (95 points), California Lutheran University (87 points), Chapman University (85 points), Augustana College (83 points), the University of La Verne (73 points) and Austin College (67 points) staying at No. 1-to-7.
Change comes at No. 8 as Macalester College (62 points) and Occidental College (62 points) – which rated at No. 8 and 9 last week – move into a tie with Whittier College (50 points) hanging on at No. 10.
2026 Women’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Week 5/February 18)
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| Rank | Team | Week 4 Poll |
Points |
| 1 | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges | 1 | 100 |
| 2 |
Pomona-Pitzer Colleges | 2 | 95 |
| 3 |
California Lutheran University |
3 | 87 |
| 4 | Chapman University |
4 | 85 |
| 5 |
Augustana College | 5 | 83 |
| 6 | University of La Verne | 6 | 73 |
| 7 |
Austin College |
7 | 67 |
| 8 (T) | Macalester College |
8 | 62 |
| 8 (T) | Occidental College | 9 | 62 |
| 10 | Whittier College | 10 | 50 |
| RV | Carthage College | RV | 11 |
2026 Women’s Varsity Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 5 (Week 5)
Defending Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Champion Harvard University stays locked at No. 1 in the 2026 Week 5/February 18 CWPA Division I Top Five Poll.
The 2025 champion Crimson (96 points) see their lead over 2000, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2023 and 2024 league champion Princeton University (94 points) and 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 league champion the University of Michigan (94 points) stand at one and three points, respectively, as the Tigers and Wolverines continue stalking Harvard.
Brown University (86 points) and Bucknell University (80 points) again complete the Top Five.
2026 Women’s Varsity Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 5 (Week 5/February 18)
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| Rank | Team | Week 4 Poll |
Points |
| 1 | Harvard University |
1 | 96 |
| 2 | Princeton University | 2 (T) | 95 |
| 3 | University of Michigan | 2 (T) | 93 |
| 4 | Brown University |
4 | 86 |
| 5 | Bucknell University |
5 |
80 |
2026 Women’s Varsity Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Top 5 (Week 5)
A weekend of non-conference competition between some of the teams did little to shift the Week 5/February 18 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Top Five poll as defending champion Augustana College stays steady at No. 1.
No changes occur in the voting as the Vikings (100 points) are followed by Macalester College (92 points) and Austin College (92 points) in a tie at No. 2. Carthage College (85 points) and Connecticut College (65 points) round out the Top Five.
2026 Women’s Varsity Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Top 5 (Week 5/February 18)
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| Rank | Team | Week 4 Poll |
Points |
| 1 | Augustana College |
1 | 100 |
| 2 (T) | Macalester College |
2 (T) | 92 |
| 2 (T) | Austin College | 2 (T) | 92 |
| 4 | Carthage College |
4 | 85 |
| 5 | Connecticut College |
5 | 65 |
| RV | Washington & Jefferson College |
RV | 16 |
