USA Water Polo

USC Holds Down Top Spot Heading Into Conference Tournament

11/25/2009 12:00:00 AM

BRIDGEPORT, Pa. -- The University of Southern California remains at No 1 in the National Top 20, while Whittier College and Princeton University assumed the top spots in the Division III and Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Top 10 Polls as the November 25 Men's Varsity Polls were released by the Collegiate Water Polo Association.

Voted on by a panel of coaches and administrators from around the country during each week of the season and based on the cumulative results of each team, the Varsity Top 20, Division III Top 10 and Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 10 polls are released each Wednesday during the season until the Wednesday following the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship hosted by Princeton University in early December.

Men's Top 20 Varsity Poll

The University of Southern California earned its seventh consecutive week, and ninth overall, as the No. 1 team in the nation as the Trojans were previously ranked in the top spot in the Preseason, September 9, September 16, October 14, October 21, October 28, November 4, November 11 and November 18 polls.

Further, for a fifth consecutive week the Trojans are a unanimous selection as the nation's best earning 100 points.

Unlike last week in which the Top Five teams remained unchanged, Stanford University used an 8-6 victory over former No. 2-ranked University of California to take over the runner-up position in the November 25 poll.  Cal slips to third this week, while University of California-Los Angeles and Pepperdine University held firm at No. 4 and 5, respectively.

University of California-Irvine, Loyola Marymount University, Long Beach State University, University of California-Santa Barbara and University of California-San Diego round out this week's Top 10.

Loyola Marymount, which fell to Long Beach State two weeks ago to drop back to No. 8, jumps back ahead of the LBSU this week due to a 9-8 loss by Long Beach to lower-ranked University of the Pacific during the past seven days.

Concordia University (Calif.) remains at No. 11, while Santa Clara University and Pacific are tied for 12th place in the poll.

Princeton University, which stunned former No. 12 the United States Naval Academy 5-4 over the weekend for the Collegiate Water Polo Association Eastern Champinoship, jumps four spots this week to No. 14, while the Midshipmen drop back to No. 15 with University of California-Davis, California Baptist University, the United States Air Force Academy, St. Francis College (N.Y.) and Bucknell University completing the Top 20.

Men's Division III Top 10 Poll

Whittier College returns to the No. 1 position in the Division III Top 10 poll this week as the Poets defeated the United States Air Force Academy 10-9, while former No. 1 University of Redlands fell 15-12 to Air Force last week.

The ranking marks the fourth time in five weeks that the Poets have garnered the top position in the Division III poll as Redlands took over the spot in the November 11 poll due to a 6-5 loss by Whittier to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps the week prior.

Johns Hopkins University, which placed fourth at the Eastern Championship, takes over sole possession of third place, while Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges rank fourth and fifth.

Chapman University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are tied at sixth this week, with California Lutheran University, Occidental College and Washington & Jefferson College rounding out the Top 10.

Men's Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 10 Poll

Pri nceton University, which defeated the United States Naval Academy 5-4 over the weekend to win the Collegiate Water Polo Association's Eastern Championship, garnered 100 points to rank as a unanimous selection as the top program in the CWPA Top 10 poll.

It marks the first time since October 14 that Princeton has ranked No. 1 in the CWPA Poll as Navy assumed the No. 1 position in the October 21 poll and did not relinquish it until this week's poll.  Overall, it marks the third week Princeton has ranked No. 1 in the CWPA as the Tigers previously rated No. 1 in the October 7 poll as well.

The Top Eight positions in the poll mirror the order of finish at the Eastern Championship as Navy, Bucknell University, Johns Hopkins University, Fordham University, Brown University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Iona College are followed by George Washington University and Harvard University to account for the Top 10 teams in the league.

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