Courtesy: Collegiate Water Polo
BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Stanford University and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges remain at No. 1 in the Division I and III ranks following the first weekend of competition as the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) releases the 2023 Week 1/January 18 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 early season favorites to repeat as champions.
The University of Michigan and Austin College – which won the CWPA Division I and III Championships, respectively, last year – remain at No. 1 in the CWPA Top Five and CWPA Division III Top Five Polls.
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 1/JANUARY 18)
Stanford University remains at No. 1 in the 2023 Women’s Varsity National Top 25 Week 1/January 18 Poll.
The Cardinal (98 points) – which held a two-point lead at 99-to-97 in the preseason voting – see their lead shrink to a single point over the University of Southern California (97 points) as USC closes in on Stanford. The University of California-Los Angeles (92 points) breaks out of a tie at No. 3 with the University of California (88 points) from last week as the Bruins and Golden Bears rate at No. 3 and 4 after the opening weekend of competition.
The University of California-Irvine (84 points), the University of Hawaii (80 points), the University of Michigan (76 points), Fresno State University (70 points), Long Beach State University (66 points) and Arizona State University (64 points) remain at No. 5-to-10 to account for the remainder of the Top 10.
The University of California-San Diego (60 points) and the University of California-Davis (55 points) hang on at No. 11 and 12, while San Jose State University (49 points) pulls away from Indiana University (46 points) after the duo were tied at No. 13 last week.
Wagner College (40 points), Harvard University (40 points) and Princeton University (40 points) move into a three-way tie at No. 15 with University of the Pacific (34 points) taking over at No. 18.
The University of California-Santa Barbara (30 points), Long Island University (21 points), San Diego State University (17 points), California State University-Northridge (14 points), Marist College (13 points), Loyola Marymount University (11 points) and Brown University (7 points) compete the Top 25.
2023 WOMEN’S VARSITY TOP 25 (WEEK 1/JANUARY 18) |
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| Rank | Team | 2023 Preseason Poll |
Points |
| 1 | Stanford University | 1 | 98 |
| 2 | University of Southern California | 2 | 97 |
| 3 | University of California-Los Angeles | 3 (T) | 92 |
| 4 | University of California | 3 (T0 | 88 |
| 5 | University of California-Irvine | 5 | 84 |
| 6 | University of Hawaii | 6 | 80 |
| 7 | University of Michigan | 7 | 76 |
| 8 | Fresno State University | 8 | 70 |
| 9 | Long Beach State University | 9 | 66 |
| 10 | Arizona State University | 10 | 64 |
| 11 | University of California-San Diego | 11 | 60 |
| 12 | University of California-Davis | 12 | 55 |
| 13 | San Jose State University | 13 (T) | 49 |
| 14 | Indiana University | 13 (T) | 46 |
| 15 (T) | Princeton University | 17 (T) | 40 |
| 15 (T) | Wagner College | 15 | 40 |
| 15 (T) | Harvard University | 16 | 40 |
| 18 | University of the Pacific | 17 (T) | 34 |
| 19 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 19 | 30 |
| 20 | Long Island University | 21 | 21 |
| 21 | San Diego State University | 22 | 17 |
| 22 | California State University-Northridge | 23 | 14 |
| 23 | Marist College | 25 | 13 |
| 24 | Loyola Marymount University | 20 | 11 |
| 25 | Brown University | 24 | 7 |
| RV | Iona University | RV | 3 |
| RV | California Baptist University | RV | 2 |
| RV | Azusa Pacific University | RV | 1 |
2023 WOMEN’S VARSITY DIVISION III TOP 10 (WEEK 1/JANUARY 18)
Pomona-Pitzer Colleges continues at No. 1 in the Women’s Varsity Division III Top 10 Week 1/January 18 Poll for the 2023 season.
Pomona-Pitzer (100 points) remains a unanimous top selection with Whittier College (93 points) inching in front of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (92 points) to take over at No. 2.
California Lutheran University (84 points), Chapman University (77 points), the University of Redlands (74 points), the University of La Verne (72 points), Occidental College (65 points), Austin College (60 points) and Augustana College (47 points) round out the Top 10.
2023 WOMEN’S VARSITY DIVISION III TOP 10 (WEEK 1/JANUARY 18) |
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| Rank | Team | 2023 Preseason Poll |
Points |
| 1 | Pomona-Pitzer Colleges | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | Whittier College | 3 | 93 |
| 3 | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges | 2 | 92 |
| 4 | California Lutheran University | 4 | 84 |
| 5 | Chapman University | 5 (T) | 77 |
| 6 | University of Redlands | 5 (T) | 74 |
| 7 | University of La Verne | 7 (T) | 72 |
| 8 | Occidental College | 7 (T) | 65 |
| 9 | Austin College | 9 | 60 |
| 10 | Augustana College | 10 | 47 |
| RV | Macalester College | RV | 11 |
2023 WOMEN’S VARSITY COLLEGIATE WATER POLO ASSOCIATION TOP 5 (WEEK 1/JANUARY 18)
Defending Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Champion the University of Michigan remains favored to capture another title in 2023 as the Wolverines stay at No. 1 in the 2023 CWPA Division I Top Five Week 1/January 18 Poll.
The 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 league champion, Michigan (98 points) expands its lead to three points over 2022 CWPA Championship runner-up Harvard University (95 points) and achieves a six-point spread compared to No. 3 Princeton University (92 points).
Brown University (85 points) and Saint Francis University (66 points) wrap-up the Top Five as the Bears and Red Flash break a tie at No. 4 to stand at No. 4 and 5, respectively.
2023 WOMEN’S VARSITY COLLEGIATE WATER POLO ASSOCIATION TOP 5 (WEEK 1/JANUARY 18) |
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| Rank | Team | 2023 Preseason Poll |
Points |
| 1 | University of Michigan | 1 | 98 |
| 2 | Harvard University | 2 | 95 |
| 3 | Princeton University | 3 | 92 |
| 4 | Brown University | 4 (T) | 85 |
| 5 | Saint Francis University | 4 (T) | 48 |
| RV | Bucknell University | RV | 32 |
2023 WOMEN’S VARSITY COLLEGIATE WATER POLO ASSOCIATION DIVISION III TOP 5 (WEEK 1/JANUARY 18)
2021 and 2022 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III champion Austin College retains the title of the top-ranked program in the 2023 CWPA Division III Top Five Week 1/January 18 Poll.
The Kangaroos (97 points) stay a single point in front of 2022 CWPA Championship runner-up Augustana College (96 points).
Macalester College (91 points), Washington & Jefferson College (66 points) and Connecticut College (48 points) remain at No. 3-to-5 as the poll experiences no changes from the preseason voting.
2023 WOMEN’S VARSITY COLLEGIATE WATER POLO ASSOCIATION DIVISION III TOP 5 (PRESEASON) |
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| Rank | Team | 2023 Preseason Poll |
Points |
| 1 | Austin College | 1 | 97 |
| 2 | Augustana College | 2 | 96 |
| 3 | Macalester College | 3 | 91 |
| 4 | Washington & Jefferson College | 4 | 66 |
| 5 | Connecticut College | 5 | 48 |
| RV | Grove City College | RV | 34 |
| RV | Wittenberg University | NR | 18 |