BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — For the first time since November 26, 2014, a team other than the University of California-Los Angeles ranks at No. 1 in the country as the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) releases the 2016 Week 11/November 16 Men’s Varsity National Top 20, Division III Top 10, Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) Top Five and Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Top Five Polls.
The two-time defending National Champion Bruins drop out of the No. 1 slot for the first time since the Week 12/November 26 Top 20 Poll in 2014 as the University of Southern California snap UCLA’s run of 28 consecutive polls/720 as the top-ranked team in the country as USC downed their Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) nemesis by an 8-7 count over the weekend. The victory moves USC into the No. 1 spot in the National Top 20 Poll as the Trojans rate as a unanimous top choice.
Pomona-Pitzer Colleges retains the No. 1 spot in the Division III Top 10 rankings also by unanimous consensus of the pollsters, while Bucknell University also tops the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Top Five with 100 points.
Brown University retains a narrow lead over Princeton University and Harvard University in the Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) Top Five rankings.
Voted on by a panel of coaches from the MAWPC, NWPC, Golden Coast Conference, Western Water Polo Association (WWPA), Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the polls will be compiled and released on Wednesday during each week of the season through the week following the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship.
2016 Men’s Varsity National Top 20 (Week 11/November 16)
For the first time in nearly two years, 2014 and 2015 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Champion the University of California-Los Angeles does not top the National Top 20 Poll as archrival the University of Southern California, which downed the Bruins by an 8-7 score over the weekend, acquires status at the best team in the nation through games of November 13.
The ranking marks the first time since Stanford University held the No. 1 position in the Week 12/November 26 Top 20 Poll in 2014 that UCLA has not rated as/tied for status as the best program in the country. Stanford and UCLA were tied at No. 1 in the Week 13/December 3 Poll in 2014 prior to the Bruins claiming the National Championship and sole billing on top of the final rankings for the season.
Further, it marks the first time since October 15, 2014 that USC ranks as the best of the best as the Trojans pick up 100 points this week to rate as a unanimous top choice.
UCLA (96 points) drops back to No. 2, while the University of California (90 points), the University of California-Santa Barbara (84 points), University of the Pacific (81 points), Stanford (75 points), Long Beach State University (71 points) and the University of California-Davis (64 points) hold fast at No. 3-to-8, respectively, behind the Trojans.
The first change comes at No. 9 as Pepperdine University (56 points), which was tied with Brown University for the position last week, acquires sole custody of the slot in the Top 10. Brown (54 points) slips back to No. 10.
Harvard University (48 points), which was tied at No. 11 last week with Bucknell University, follows Pepperdine’s model and hangs onto the spot. Bucknell (47 points) and Princeton University (47 points) now stand shoulder-to-shoulder at No. 12 as the No. 10-13 positions in the Top 20 are controlled by teams from the East Coast.
The University of California-San Diego (33 points) stays at No. 14 with California Baptist University (30 points) breaking out of a tie with Pomona-Pitzer Colleges to take over sole status at No. 15.
Loyola Marymount University (20 points) moves up one place to No. 16 with Pomona-Pitzer (19 points) sliding back to No. 17. George Washington University (16 points), the University of California-Irvine (11 points) and St. Francis College Brooklyn (10 points) complete the Top 20 at No. 18-to-20, respectively.
2016 Men’s Varsity Top 20 (Week 11/November 16) |
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| Rank | Team | Week 10 Poll | Points |
| 1 | University of Southern California | 2 | 100 |
| 2 | University of California-Los Angeles | 1 | 96 |
| 3 | University of California | 3 | 90 |
| 4 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 4 | 84 |
| 5 | University of the Pacific | 5 | 81 |
| 6 | Stanford University | 6 | 75 |
| 7 | Long Beach State University | 7 | 71 |
| 8 | University of California-Davis | 8 | 64 |
| 9 | Pepperdine University | 9 (T) | 56 |
| 10 | Brown University | 9 (T) | 54 |
| 11 | Harvard University | 11 (T) | 48 |
| 12 (T) | Princeton University | 13 | 47 |
| 12 (T) | Bucknell University | 11 (T) | 47 |
| 14 | University of California-San Diego | 14 | 33 |
| 15 | California Baptist University | 15 (T) | 30 |
| 16 | Loyola Marymount University | 17 | 20 |
| 17 | Pomona-Pitzer Colleges | 15 (T) | 19 |
| 18 | George Washington University | 19 (T) | 16 |
| 19 | University of California-Irvine | 18 | 12 |
| 20 | St. Francis College Brooklyn | 19 (T) | 10 |
| RV | Santa Clara University | RV | 2 |
| RV | United States Air Force Academy | RV | 1 |
2016 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Week 11/November 16)
The Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges continue at No. 1 as the team unanimously retains the top position in the 2016 National Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 Poll through games of November 13.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (93 points) remains at No. 2 behind Pomona-Pitzer (100 points) with the University of Redlands (88 points) taking over at No. 3 and dropping Whittier College (85 points) to No. 4. Johns Hopkins University (76 points) jumps four spots to tie with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (76 points) at No. 5.
Chapman University (70 points) and California Lutheran University (60 points) follow at No. 7 and 8, with the University of La Verne (57 points) and Occidental College (48 points) completing the Top 10.
Connecticut College (22 points) also received votes as the Camels drop out of the Top 10 after rating in the final position last week.
2016 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Week 11/November 16) |
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| Rank | Team | Week 10 Poll | Points |
| 1 | Pomona-Pitzer Colleges | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges | 2 | 93 |
| 3 | University of Redlands | 4 | 88 |
| 4 | Whittier College | 3 | 85 |
| 5 (T) | Johns Hopkins University | 9 | 76 |
| 5 (T) | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 5 | 76 |
| 7 | Chapman University | 7 | 70 |
| 8 | California Lutheran University | 8 | 60 |
| 9 | University of La Verne | 6 | 57 |
| 10 | Occidental College | RV | 48 |
| RV | Connecticut College | 10 | 22 |
2016 Men’s Varsity Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Week 11/November 16)
Entering this weekend’s Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship at Bucknell University on Friday-Sunday, November 18-20, the host Bison will begin play as the favorite according to the Week 11/November 16 MAWPC Top Five Poll as the squad continues as a unanimous top selection.
Overall, the Top Five does not change from the Week 10/November 9 balloting as George Washington University (95 points), Johns Hopkins University (89 points) and Fordham University (85 points) retain their positions at No. 2-to-4, respectively, behind Bucknell.
Wagner College (49 points) rounds out the Top Five in the final slot for another week.
The United States Naval Academy (16 points) and Mercyhurst University (16 points) also received votes this week.
2016 Men’s Varsity Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Week 11/November 16) |
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| Rank | Team | Week 10 Poll | Points |
| 1 | Bucknell University | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | George Washington University | 2 | 95 |
| 3 | Johns Hopkins University | 3 | 89 |
| 4 | Fordham University | 4 | 85 |
| 5 | Wagner College | 5 | 49 |
| RV | United States Naval Academy | RV | 16 |
| RV | Mercyhurst University | RV | 16 |
2016 Men’s Varsity Northeast Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Week 11/November 16)
Brown University retains the No. 1 position in the Week 11/November 16 Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) Top Five Poll.
The Bears (97 points) hold a narrow one-point lead over Princeton University (96 points) and a five-point spread versus No. 3 Harvard University as the three teams will decide which one is truly the best-of the-best this weekend at Princeton for the inaugural NWPC Championship on Friday-Sunday, November 18-20.
St. Francis College Brooklyn (67 points) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (65 points) stay at No. 4 and 5 for another week with Iona College (33 points) also receiving votes.
2016 Men’s Varsity Northeast Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Week 11/November 16) |
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| Rank | Team | Week 10 Poll | Points |
| 1 | Brown University | 1 | 97 |
| 2 | Princeton University | 2 | 96 |
| 3 | Harvard University | 3 | 92 |
| 4 | St. Francis College Brooklyn | 4 | 67 |
| 5 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 5 | 65 |
| RV | Iona College | RV | 33 |
News courtesy of Collegiate Water Polo.