2022 Men’s Collegiate Club Great Lakes Division Schedule
BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) releases a revised 2022 Men’s Collegiate Club Great Lakes Division schedule.
Due to Lewis University electing not to compete during the 2022 season, the division membership decreases to 10 teams as Grand Valley State University, Illinois State University, Loyola University Chicago, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Miami University (Ohio), the University of Cincinnati, the University of Dayton, Washington University in St. Louis and Xavier University merge into one grouping. Previously, the teams were divided into Northern and Southern Regions. However, additional pool time at Notre Dame on Saturday-Sunday, October 1-2, will allow a complete schedule with the Great Lakes Division Championship now based on overall record rather than regional finish.
Overall, the Great Lakes Division will contest its 22nd season as part of the Collegiate Water Polo Association. In the history of the division, Iowa State University (1997), Western Illinois University (1998), Grand Valley State (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2016), the University of Illinois-Chicago (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015), The Ohio State University (2013, 2014, 2017, 2018), Notre Dame (2019) and Washington (Mo.) (2021) have all claimed at least one championship. The 2020 season was not contested due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Competition begins on Saturday-Sunday, September 24-25, as Notre Dame now hosts a 10-game tournament with Loyola, Grand Valley State, Illinois State and Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Notre Dame, Ind., while Dayton is the site of a 10-game event in Dayton, Ohio, with Cincinnati, Washington (Mo.), Miami and Xavier.
The 10 division teams will now crossover on Saturday-Sunday, October 1-2, at Notre Dame as the Irish host a 20-game event. Due to time constraints, games will use six-minute quarters with no overtime and teams limited to one 30-second timeout per half.
The 10 Great Lakes Division teams will meet again on Saturday-Sunday, October 22-23, at the division championship tournament hosted by Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. The victor of the now 15-game division championship earns an automatic berth to the 2022 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship slated to be hosted by an institution in the Northwest Division on Friday-Sunday, November 11-13. Further, the team which finishes in the middle of the final Great Lakes Division standings will have the opportunity to compete at the inaugural National Invitational on a date and at a site to be determined against teams that claimed the top spot in the lower half of their divisions. One final championship opportunity remains as Washington in St. Louis could compete at the Division III National Collegiate Club Championship on Saturday-Sunday, October 29-30, at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.
