USA Water Polo

Stanford, USC, & Hawaii Stay At Top Three Of Women's Varsity Poll

2/3/2010 12:00:00 AM

BRIDGEPORT, Pa. -- Stanford University, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, the University of Michigan and Washington & Jefferson College maintain their No. 1 rankings from the preseason and January 27 polls as the Cardinal, Sagehens, Wolverines and Presidents topped the Week 2 Women's Varsity Division I Top 20, Division III Top 10, CWPA Division I Top 10 and CWPA Division III Top 5 polls released today by the Collegiate Water Polo Association. and

Voted on by a panel of coaches and administrators from around the country during the preseason and each week of the season based on the cumulative results of each team, the polls are released each Wednesday during the season until the Wednesday following the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship.

Women's Varsity Top 20 Poll

Stanford University received 99 votes for a second week to hold onto its No. 1 ranking from the Preseason and January 27 Polls in the February 3 Women's Varsity Coaches Division I Top 20 Poll.  The Cardinal extended their lead over No. 2-ranked the University of Southern California to three points, an increase of a point from the January 27 poll, to fall one point shy of a unanimous selection as the top team in the country.

Unlike last week in which all 10 of the teams ranked in the Top 10 from the Preseason Poll remained among the nation's 10 best programs, change occurred at the top of the poll.

Overall, the Top Six positions in the poll remained constant as the University of Hawaii, University of California, University of California-Los Angeles and University of Michigan follow Stanford and USC in the No. 3-6 positions, respectively. for another week. 

San Jose State University moves up one position to No. 7 this week, while San Diego State University, which was tied with Michigan for sixth in the January 27 poll, fell back to No. 8.

Arizona State University moves up to No. 9 from 10th, while Loyola Marymount UniversityUniversity of California-Irvine back to No. 11. breaks into the Top 10 at 10th to push the

California State University-Northridge, Hartwick College, University of California-Santa Barbara and University of California-Davis rank No. 12-15, while Indiana University, California Baptist University, California State University-Bakersfield, Brown University and Univeristy of Maryland round out the Top 20 Poll.

Women's Varsity Division III Top 10 Poll

Another week, another No. 1 ranking for the Pomona-Pitzer Colleges as the Sagehens received 99 points to outdistance California Lutheran University and hold onto the rank as the No. 1 team in the Week 2 Women's Varsity Coaches' Division III Top 10 Poll.

Although point totals changed to a minor degree, the Top 10 teams remain constant as Occidental College, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, Chapman College, Whittier College, Washington & Jefferson College, Grove City College and Macalester College held firm at No. 3-10 behind Pomona-Pitzer and Cal Lutheran.

Women's Collegiate Water Polo Association Division I Poll

Four-time Collegiate Water Polo Association Eastern champion the University of Michigan (2002, 2005, 2008, 2009) received 100 points to rank as a unanimous selection as the No. 1 team in the Week 2 Collegiate Water Polo Association Division I Coaches' Poll.

Michigan, which was tied with Hartwick College in the CWPA Preseason Poll with 98 points, took over sole possession of the position two weeks ago due to a victory over then No. 7-nationally ranked San Diego State University during the Michigan Kick-Off Tournament.

The rest of the poll remains the same as the January 27 poll as Hartwick, Indiana University, Brown University, Princeton University, the University of Maryland, Bucknell University, Harvard University, Gannon University and George Washington University held firm at No. 2-10.

Women's Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Top 5 Poll

Washington & Jefferson College remains the No. 1 team in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III field as the Presidents received 99 points to rank No. 1 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Coaches' Division III Top 5 Poll for a third consecutive week.

W&J is follwed by Grove City College, Carthage College (Ill.), Macalester College and Wheaton College (Ill.) as the Top 5 in the poll remain unchanged from the preseason and January 27 balloting.

Comprised of Carthage, Chatham, Connecticut College, Grove City, Macalester, PSU-Behrend, Utica, Washington & Jefferson and Wheaton, the nine-team organization will competie for a Division III Championship and a berth to the self-funded Division III National Collegiate Championship in May.

The change marks the first time an NCAA conference has divided its membership based on institutional affiliation without an NCAA Division II or III championship in the sport.  Women's water polo, which is an NCAA non-divisional sport, features only one championship event with five automatic qualifiers from the Collegiate Water Polo Association, Western Water Polo Association (WWPA), Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), along with three at-large selections from among the remaining eligible conference and independent teams.

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