2024 Men’s Varsity Week 1/September 11 Polls Released; The University of California-Los Angeles & Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Remain No. 1

BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The University of California-Los Angeles and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges remain favored to claim the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and USA Water Polo Division III National Champions, respectively, as the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) releases the official 2024 Men’s Varsity Week 1/September 11 National Top 20, Division III Top 10, Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) Top Five and Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Top Five Polls.

UCLA – which finished second in the final 2023 poll after dropping a 13-11 contest with the University of California for the 2023 NCAA title – retains top billing in the National Top 20, while Claremont-Mudd-Scripps – which took down the University of Redlands by a 6-5 score last year to capture the USA Water Polo Division III crown – continues as the top-ranked team in the Division III Top 10.

Defending MAWPC champion Fordham University and NWPC champion Princeton University stay locks at No. 1 in their leagues’ Top Five rankings.

Voted on by a panel of coaches, the polls are compiled and released on Wednesday during each week of the season through the week following the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship.

2024 Men’s Varsity National Top 20 (Week 1/September 11)

The University of California-Los Angeles move within a point of being a unanimous top pick in the 2024 Week 1/September 11 National Men’s Varsity Top 20 Poll.

UCLA (99 points) – which achieved a 98-to-97 lead over reigning National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Champion the University of California in the preseason balloting – widens is lead to six points as Stanford University (93 points) and the University of Southern California (89 points) rise in the rankings to take over at No. 2 and 3, respectively.

Pepperdine University (87 points) is the biggest mover of the week as the previously No. 13 Wave crashed over former No. 2 California by a 21-20 score in sudden victory overtime during the weekend to stake a claim to a Top Five berth.

Princeton University (76 points) slips back to No. 6 due to Pepperdine’s rise, while University of the Pacific (67 points) and the University of California-Davis (62 points) take over at No. 7 and 8. The University of California-Irvine (56 points) and Long Beach State University (51 points) complete the Top 10.

The University of California-San Diego (47 points) inches up to No. 11 with the duo of San Jose State University (42 points) and the University of California-Santa Barbara (42 points) tying at No. 12.

Fordham University (39 points), Harvard University (33 points) and Loyola Marymount University (30 points) hang on at No. 14-to-16 with the United States Naval Academy (18 points) rising to No. 17.

Brown University (15 points), Santa Clara University (13 points) and California Baptist University (7 points) round out the Top 20.

2024 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 (Week 1/September 11)

Preseason favorite and defending USA Water Polo Division III Collegiate Champion Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges edges the University of Redlands by a single point to stay at No. 1 in the 2024 Week 1/September 11 Men’s Varsity Division III Top 10 Poll.

The Stags (98 points) held a six-point (99-to-93) margin compared to Redlands (97 points) last week, but the Bulldogs bite a chunk out of the margin in the Week 1 voting to move within a single point of tying for the top spot in the Division III rankings.

Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (88 points) and Chapman University (87 points) continue at No. 3 and 4, respectively, with California Lutheran University (72 points) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (72 points) tied at No. 5 after rating at No. 5 and 6 in the preseason voting.

Occidental College (70 points), Whittier College (66 points), Johns Hopkins University (57 points) and the University of La Verne (45 points) account for the remainder of the Top 10.

2024 Men’s Varsity Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Week 1/September 11)

Fordam University – which claimed the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championships – remains on the path to a potential four-peat as the Rams top the 2024 Week 1/September 11 MAWPC Top Five Poll.

A unanimous No. 1 selection, the Rams (100 points) expand their lead to seven points over runner-up the United States Naval Academy (93 points) and take a 28-point margin compared to Bucknell University (72 points).

George Washington University (68 points) moves up to No. 4 with Wagner College (49 points) and Johns Hopkins University (49 points) tying at No. 5.

2024 Men’s Varsity Northeast Water Polo Conference Top 5 (Week 1/September 11)

Three-time defending Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) champion Princeton University leads the 2024 Week 1/September 11 NWPC Top Five Poll.

The 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023 NWPC Champion Tigers (100 points) rate as a unanimous No. 1 selection and expand their lead to six points over three-time (2016, 2017, 2019) NWPC Champion Harvard University (94 points).

Brown University (90 points) holds at No. 3 with Iona University (69 points) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (65 points) breaking a preseason tie at No. 4 to wrap-up the NWPC Top Five.