BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — For fans attending the event in person or watching it online, the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) releases some information regarding the 2025 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship at Colby College’s Harold Alfond Athletics & Recreation Center in Waterville, Maine, on Friday-Sunday, April 11-13.
What About Tickets?: Fans attending the CWPA Division III Championship can pay for either a three-day tournament pass ($35) or a one-day pass ($15). Colby College students, faculty and staff with a valid college ID, and senior citizens 65 and older, will be admitted at discounted prices of $10 (tournament pass) and $5 (one-day pass). All children 12 and under are free of charge. All tickets are exclusively available at the door as there will be no presale in advance of the championship.
What About Streaming?: Streaming coverage of the three-day, 30-game championship will be provided at https://gols.co/ at a cost of $24.99 for access to the entire tournament weekend.
What About Live Stats?: Live digital statistics will not be provided. it is the intent of the league office to provide live statistics for future National Collegiate Club Championships.
Tournament Field: The 2025 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship field is comprised of the champions from the Atlantic, Bay Area, Big Ten, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, New England, New York, North Atlantic, Northwest, Pacific Coast, Rocky Mountain, Sierra Pacific, Southwest, Southwest and Texas Divisions along with host Colby College. The 16-team club championship tournament is the largest collegiate water polo championship in the nation.
As of Tuesday, April 1, 12 teams are known as Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech, Atlantic Division), the University of California-Santa Cruz (Bay Area Division), Pennsylvania State University (Mid-Atlantic Division), University of Washington (Northwest Division), Cornell University (New York Division), the University of California-Santa Barbara (Pacific Coast Division), the University of California (Sierra Pacific Division), Florida State University (Southeast Division), San Diego State University (Southwest Division), Texas A&M University (Texas Division) and Colby have punched their tickets to Maine. The Big Ten, Midwest, New England, North Atlantic and Rocky Mountain Division champions will be determined during the weekend of Saturday-Sunday, April 5-6.
The schedule of games for the championship is available by CLICKING HERE.
About the Harold Alfond Athletics & Recreation Center: The championship will occur in Colby’s Harold Alfond Athletics & Recreation Center which opened in October 2020. The facility’s aquatics center houses the only Olympic-sized Myrtha pool in Maine. Additional information the facility is available by CLICKING HERE.
About Colby College: Founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, it was renamed Waterville College in 1821. The donations of Christian philanthropist Gardner Colby saw the institution renamed again to Colby University before settling on its current title, reflecting its liberal arts college curriculum, in 1899. Approximately 2,000 students from more than 60 countries are enrolled annually. The college offers 54 major fields of study and 30 minors.
- Colby is the 12th oldest liberal arts college in the United States.
- Colby is home to the Colby Museum of Art, which is the largest art museum in Maine
- In the fall of 1871, Colby was the first all-male college in New England to accept female students.
About Waterville: The City of Waterville is located on the banks of the Kennebec River in Maine. Waterville is easily accessed by two exits off Interstate 95 as well as Route 201, a national, historic byway and part of the Kennebec-Chaudière Corridor.
Visitors can enjoy numerous arts and cultural amenities, including the Waterville Opera House, Colby College Museum of Art, Redington Museum, and the Railroad Square Cinema.
Shoppers will find an eclectic array of products, including upscale women’s clothing, home furnishings, jewelry, Maine-made products, toys and books, and much more. Dining options are equally as diverse, offering authentic Lebanese, southern creole, and Mexican cuisines, Asian specialties, assorted American fare, delicious pub food, and fresh seafood, not to mention bagels, sandwiches and coffee.
Why is the National Collegiate Club Championship in Maine Important: This marks the first National Collegiate Club Championship to be hosted in the state of Maine and the first Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship in an East Coast state since the University of Pittsburgh (Pa.) hosted in 2017. The event marks the third women’s and fourth overall National Collegiate Club Championship in New England as Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. (2005 Men, 2007 Women) and Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt. (2015 Women) previously hosted the event.
In the history of the league, the Division III Collegiate Club Championship has taken place in New England seven times with men’s competition occurring in New England during the 2006 (Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn.), 2009 (Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine), 2012 (Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vt.), 2014 (Bowdoin), 2017 (Middlebury) and 2018 (Wesleyan) seasons, along with the women’s championship in 2022 (Middlebury) as a total of 11 National Championships (including four National Collegiate Championships) have occurred in the region.
The pair of Division III Championships at Bowdoin mark the only times a national championship in the sport of water polo has occurred in the “Pine Tree State”.
In the history of the league, the Men’s and Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship has occurred in every corner of the United States:
Previous Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship Hosts (2000-to-Present)
2000 – University of Arizona (Tucson, Ariz.)
2001 – Miami University of Ohio (Oxford, Ohio)
2002 – Emory University (Atlanta, Ga.)
2003 – Carthage College (Kenosha, Wisc.)
2004 – California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
2005 – Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas)
2006 – Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.)
2007 – Williams College (Williamstown, Mass.)
2008 – University of Oregon (Mt. Hood Aquatic Center, Gresham, Ore.)
2009 – University of California-Davis (Davis, Calif.)
2010 – University of Arizona (Tucson, Ariz.)
2011 – University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Ind.)
2012 – Florida State University (Tallahassee, Fla.)
2013 – University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.)
2014 – The Ohio State University (SPIRE Institute, Geneva, Ohio)
2015 – Middlebury College (Middlebury, Vt.)
2016 – University of California-Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, Calif.)
2017 – University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
2018 – University of Washington (Mt. Hood Aquatic Center, Gresham, Ore.)
2019 – University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Ind.)
2020 – None (COVID-19)
2021 – None (COVID-19)
2022 – Collegiate Water Polo Association (Huntsville Aquatic Center (Huntsville, Ala.)
2023 – University of California-Los Angeles (Los Angeles, Calif.)
2024 – Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas)
Previous Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship Hosts (2000-to-Present)
2000 – University of Washington (King County Aquatic Center, Federal Way, Wash.)
2001 – University of Florida (Gainesville, Fla.)
2002 – California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
2003 – Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas)
2004 – University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Ind.)
2005 – Williams College (Williamstown, Mass.)
2006 – Miami University of Ohio (Oxford, Ohio)
2007 – University of Arizona (Tucson, Ariz.)
2008 – Ohio University (Athens, Ohio)
2009 – University of Florida (Gainesville, Fla.)
2010 – Southern Utah University (Cedar City, Utah)
2011 – Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, Ga.)
2012 – Oregon State University (Osborn Aquatic Center, Corvallis, Ore.)
2013 – University of California-San Diego (La Jolla, Calif.)
2014 – University of Utah (Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center, Kearns, Utah)
2015 – University of California-Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, Calif.)
2016 – University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Ind.)
2017 – Florida State University (Tallahassee, Fla.)
2018 – University of Arizona (Tucson, Ariz.)
2019 – University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa)
2020 – None – COVID-19
2021 – University of Alabama (Huntsville Aquatic Center, Huntsville, Ala.)
2022 – Oregon State University (Chehalem Aquatic & Fitness Center, Newberg, Ore.)
2023 – University of Utah (Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center, Kearns, Utah)
2024 – University of Florida (Gainesville, Fla.)
So Who is Favored: Due to limited crossover between the divisions, determining a favorite is a guessing game.
In the history of the championship, the University of Washington (2000), Michigan State University (2001, 2002, 2006), California Polytechnic State University (2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), Fresno State University (2007), the University of California-Davis (2012, 2013, 2017, 2018), San Diego State University (2014), the University of California (2015, 2022), the University of California-Santa Barbara (2016), the University of Florida (2019) and the University of Michigan (2023, 2024) have previously claimed Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship titles.
Previous Women’s National Collegiate Club Champions (2000-to-Present)
2000 – University of Washington def. Michigan State University
2001 – Michigan State University def. University of Florida
2002 – Michigan State University def. California Polytechnic State University
2003 – California Polytechnic State University def. Michigan State University
2004 – California Polytechnic State University def. Dartmouth College
2005 – California Polytechnic State University def. Dartmouth College
2006 – Michigan State University def. University of Florida
2007 – Fresno State University def. California Polytechnic State University
2008 – California Polytechnic State University def. University of Oregon
2009 – California Polytechnic State University def. University of Notre Dame
2010 – California Polytechnic State University def. University of Michigan
2011 – California Polytechnic State University def. University of California-Davis
2012 – University of California-Davis def. California Polytechnic State University
2013 – University of California-Davis def. University of Central Florida
2014 – San Diego State University def. University of Michigan
2015 – University of California def. University of Notre Dame
2016 – University of California-Santa Barbara def. University of Michigan
2017 – University of California-Davis def. California Polytechnic State University
2018 – University of California-Davis def. California Polytechnic State University
2019 – University of Florida def. University of California-Davis
2020 – Season terminated – COVID-19
2021 – No competition – COVID-19
2022 – University of California def. University of California-Santa Barbara
2023 – University of Michigan def. University of California-Santa Barbara
2023 – University of Michigan def. University of California-Los Angeles
Previous Men’s National Collegiate Club Champions (1993-to-Present)
1993 – Northwestern University def. University of Maryland
1994 – United States Military Academy def. University of Dayton
1995 – University of Dayton def. United States Military Academy
1996 – University of Michigan def. University of Arizona
1997 – Dartmouth College def. University of Colorado
1998 – University of Michigan def. Pennsylvania State University
1999 – California Polytechnic State University def. University of Richmond
2000 – Michigan State University def. University of Washington
2001 – California Polytechnic State University def. Villanova University
2002 – California Polytechnic State University def. University of Southern California
2003 – University of Michigan def. California Polytechnic State University
2004 – California Polytechnic State University def. University of Arizona
2005 – Grand Valley State University def. Michigan State University
2006 – Michigan State University def. Grand Valley State University
2007 – California Polytechnic State University def. Michigan State University
2008 – Michigan State University def. California Polytechnic State University
2009 – University of California-Los Angeles def. Florida International University
2010 – University of California-Los Angeles def. University of Texas
2011 – University of Southern California def. Yale University
2012 – University of Southern California def. University of California
2013 – University of California-Los Angeles def. Lindenwood University
2014 – Lindenwood University def. San Diego State University
2015 – Lindenwood University def. San Diego State University
2016 – Lindenwood University def. Long Beach State University
2017 – San Diego State University def. University of Texas
2018 – Lindenwood University def. University of Utah
2019 – Lindenwood University def. University of Southern California
2020 – No competition – COVID-19
2021 – Michigan State University def. University of California-San Diego
2022 – University of California-San Diego def. California Polytechnic State University
2023 – University of California-San Diego def. University of Florida
2024 – University of California-San Diego def. California Maritime Academy
