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BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The University of California and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges are favored to repeat as National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and USA Water Polo Division III National Champions, respectively, as the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) releases the 2022 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 Preseason Polls.

California, which topped the University of Southern California by a 13-12 score to claim the 2021 NCAA crown, and Pomona-Pitzer, which captured the 2021 USA Water Polo Division III Championship via a 13-12 margin against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in overtime, will open the 2022 season seeking to repeat as National Champions. 

Defending MAWPC champion Fordham University tops the MAWPC Preseason Top Five, while defending NWPC champion Princeton University leads its league’s 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), 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.

2022 Men’s Varsity National Top 20 (Preseason)

The University of California opens the season where it concluded the 2021 campaign – at No. 1 – as the Golden Bears lead the 2022 Preseason National Men’s Varsity Top 20 Poll.

California (98 points) will commence the season this weekend with a three point lead over the University of Southern California (95 points) – a team which the Golden Bears topped by a 13-12 margin to capture the 2021 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship. 

The top four in the preseason voting remains the same as the final 2021 voting as the University of California-Los Angeles (92 points) and Stanford University (84 points) again rate at No. 3 and 4, respectively, behind Cal and USC.

University of the Pacific (75 points) and Long Beach State University (75 points) both improve on their final 2021 positions as the duo are tied at No. 5.  The University of California-Davis (70 points) – which rated at No. 5 in the final balloting of last year – commences the new campaign at No. 7 with the University of California-Santa Barbara (65 points), San Jose State University (55 points) and Pepperdine University (52 points) retaining their final spots from last year to round out an All-California Top 10.

Princeton University (49 points) and the University of California-Irvine (42 points) stand at No. 11 and 12, respectively, with the duo of the University of California-San Diego (35 points) and California Baptist University (35 points) tying at No. 13.

Loyola Marymount University (34 points), Harvard University (27 points), Fordham University (21 points), Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (15 points), Brown University (11 points) and St. Francis College Brooklyn (8 points) conclude the Top 20 heading into the 2022 season.

2022 Men’s Varsity Top 20 (Preseason)

Rank  Team 2021 Final Poll Points
1  University of California 1 98
2
 University of Southern California 2 95
3  University of California-Los Angeles
3 92
4  Stanford University 4 84
5 (T)
 University of the Pacific
7 75
5 (T)  Long Beach State University
6 75
7  University of California-Davis 5 70
8  University of California-Santa Barbara
8 65
9  San Jose State University 9 55
10  Pepperdine University 10 52
11
 Princeton University
12 49
12
 University of California-Irvine
11 42
13 (T)
 University of California-San Diego
15
35
13 (T)
 California Baptist University
13 35
15
 Loyola Marymount University
14 34
16
 Harvard University
20
27
17
 Fordham University
17
21
18
 Pomona-Pitzer Colleges
16
15
19  Brown University
19 11
20
 St. Francis College Brooklyn
18
8
RV  George Washington University
NR 5
RV  Santa Clara University
RV 4
RV  Bucknell University
NR 4
RV  United States Naval Academy
RV 3
RV  United States Air Force Academy
RV 1

 

2022 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Preseason)

Pomona-Pitzer Colleges will start the 2022 season where it concluded the 2021 campaign  – as a unanimous No. 1 selection – in the 2022 Preseason Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 Poll.

The 2021 USA Water Polo Division III Collegiate Champion, the Sagehens (100 points) possess a five-point lead over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (95 points) – a team which Pomona-Pitzer topped by a 13-12 score in overtime for the Division III National Championship – with Whittier College (88 points) opening the new season at No. 3.

California Lutheran University (82 points) and Johns Hopkins University (78 points) complete the Top Five with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (76 points), the University of Redlands (60 points), Chapman University (57 points), the University of La Verne (49 points) and Austin College (39 points) rounding out the Preseason Top 10.

2022 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Preseason)

Rank  Team 2021 Final Poll Points
1  Pomona-Pitzer Colleges 1 100
2  Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges
2 95
3  Whittier College 4 88
4  California Lutheran University 3 82
5
 Johns Hopkins University
5
78
6  Massachusetts Institute of Technology
8 76
7  University of Redlands
9
60
8  Chapman University
6 57
9  University of La Verne
10 49
10  Austin College
RV 39
RV  Occidental College
7 28
RV  Washington & Jefferson College
NR 12
RV  Augustana College
NR 11

 

2022 Men’s Varsity Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason)

Fordam University – which claimed the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship – will aim to repeat as the Rams top the 2022 MAWPC Preseason Top Five Poll.

The Rams (97 points) hold a narrow one point lead over George Washington University (96 points) for the top spot with the United States Naval Academy (87 points) and Bucknell University (87 points) tying at No. 3.

Wagner College (49 points) completes the Top Five.

The MAWPC features 11 teams with Bucknell, Fordham, George Washington, Navy, Wagner, Johns Hopkins University, Mount St. Mary’s University, Gannon University, Mercyhurst University, Salem University and McKendree University competing for the conference crown in 2022.

2022 Men’s Varsity Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason)

Rank  Team 2021 Final Poll Points
1  Fordham University 1 97
2  George Washington University
3 96
3 (T)
 United States Naval Academy 2 87
3 (T)  Bucknell University 5 87
5  Wagner College 4 49
RV  Johns Hopkins University RV 34

 

2022 Men’s Varsity Northeast Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason)

Defending Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) champion Princeton University earns top-billing in the 2022 NWPC Preseason Top Five Poll.

The 2018 and 2021 NWPC Champion Tigers (99 points) hold a seven-point lead over both three-time (2016, 2017, 2019) NWPC Champion Harvard University (92 points) and St. Francis College Brooklyn (92 points) as the Crimson and Terriers are tied at No. 2.

Brown University (86 points) and Iona University (81 points) complete the Top Five.

The NWPC features seven institutions in 2022 with Brown, Connecticut College, Harvard, Iona, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Princeton and St. Francis Brooklyn competing for the league championship.

2022 Men’s Varsity Northeast Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Preseason)

Rank  Team 2021 Final Poll Points
1  Princeton University 1 99
2 (T)
 St. Francis College Brooklyn
2 92
2 (T)  Harvard University
3 (T) 92
4  Brown University
3 (T)
86
5  Iona University
5 81
Collegiate Water Polo Association