2026 USA Water Polo Division III Championship Tournament Site
BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Division III No. 1-ranked/Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Champion Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colelge will host the 2026 USA Water Polo Division III Women’s Collegiate Water Polo National Championship on Saturday-Sunday, April 25-26, at CMS’ Matt M. Axelrood Pool in Claremont, Calif.
The Athenas will compete against Division III No. 2/SCIAC runner-up Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, Division III No. 5/Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Champion Macalester College and Division III No. 7/CWPA Division III Championship runner-up Carthage College in a two-day, four game championship experience between the top two finishing programs from both conferences.
Tickets for the championship are available exclusively online via USA Water Polo by CLICKING HERE at a cost of $22.66 for a weekend pass (April 25-26, four games) or $14.38 for a single day pass for the Third Place and Championship game on Sunday, April 26.
Live streaming coverage is available for a fee on Overnght.com, while live statistics accessible on 6-8Sports.com.
Fans making the trip to Claremont can access information on the CMS’ campus and surrounding community by CLICKING HERE.
The championship is being contested for the fifth time in 2026 with prior championships at Pomona-Pitzer (2022, 2024) and Augustana College (2023, 2025). The championship was slated to begin in 2021 but was eliminated as only a portion of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III institutions elected to field teams due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The trip west marks the first time both the Scots and Firebirds will compete in the USA Water Polo Division III Championship. Augustana made the 2024 and 2025 championships as the CWPA Division III Champion after earning a position at the inaugural event in 2023 as the league’s runner-up, while Austin College won the league in 2023 and finished second in 2024 before Washington & Jefferson College claimed second place in 2025.
Macalester and Carthage become the seventh and eighth institutions to earn spots at the women’s event by joining Augustana (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), Austin (2022, 2023, 2024), Washington & Jefferson (2025), four-time champion Pomona-Pitzer (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (2023, 2024, 2025) and Whittier College (2022).
In the history of the women’s championship, Pomona-Pitzer (2022 – 1st; 2023 – 1st; 2024 – 1st; 2025 – 1st), Whittier College (2022 – 2nd) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (2023 – 2nd, 2024 – 2nd; 2025 – 2nd) have made the title game, while Austin (2022 – 3rd ; 2023- 4th; 2024 – 4th), Augustana (2022 – 4th ; 2023 – 3rd; 2024 – 3rd; 2025 – 3rd) and Washington & Jefferson (2025 – 4th) have competed for Third Place.
Pool Location:
Matt M. Axelrood Pool
690 N Mills Avenue
Claremont, CA 91711
Game Schedule (all times Central):
- Saturday, April 25, 2026
- 2:00 p.m. Pacific/5:00 p.m. Eastern – Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges vs. Carthage College
- 4:00 p.m. Pacific/7:00 p.m. Eastern – Pomona Pitzer Colleges vs. Macalester College
- Sunday, April 26, 2026
- 10:30 a.m. Pacific/1:30 p.m. Eastern – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (Third Place)
- 12:30 p.m. Pacific/3:30 p.m. Eastern – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 (First Place)
