With all NCAA conference berths decided, the Collegiate Water Polo Association’s Top-25 poll is close to being carved in stone—at least for the 2019 season. Nine of the teams in the current poll are national championship bound—this does not include a Cinderella Cal Lutheran team that did not crack the nation’s top 25 (though the Regals finished number one in the final 2019 Women’s Varsity Division III Top 10 poll).
[2019 NCAA Women’s Water Polo Tournament Bracket Announced]
Following are all 25 teams in the latest CWPA poll, and a bit of details on each of them as we say goodbye to some for the 2019 campaign.
#1 USC (26-1; MPSF Champions; top-seed in the 2019 NCAA Women’s Water Polo Tournament). What more can be said about the amazing Trojans? They lose their coach of 25 years right during the season’s toughest stretch, lose a nail-biter (and the poll’s top spot) to Stanford, then stun the Cardinals in an epic, five-overtime match to take the MPSF title and ranking at the top of polls. In the process, the overdog Trojans have morphed into sympathetic (to some) underdogs.
#2 Stanford (20-2; second seed in the NCAA tournament). What a difference a period makes. Last Sunday, the host Cardinal were on their way to a huge victory in the 2019 MPSF final, holding a two-goal lead over USC midway thought the final period. Then, the Trojan’s Paige Hauschild—who could have gone to Stanford—struck. She hammered home a goal to cut the Cardinal advantage to one, assisted on Bayley Weber’s tying score, then hit for a golden goal in sudden death. There’s still more games for Head Coach John Tanner’s squad to play, but it will be hard to forget this loss.
#3 UCLA (23-6; third seed in the NCAA tournament). The Bruins were out-played the past two weekends by arch-rival USC, leading to questions about their chances of advancing to an NCAA final. Given their seeding, UCLA likely has the toughest path of the four MPSF teams to a title, having to get past the host Cardinals for a fourth crack at beating the Trojans this season. The Bruins have lost six-straight to their rivals.
#4 California (16-8; fourth seed in the NCAA tournament). The Golden Bears saved their season with a strong—albeit losing—MPSF tournament last weekend at Stanford. Narrow losses to the Cardinal and the Bruins assured that Cal, and not UC Irvine, would be playing next week.
Hawai’i Head Coach Maureen Cole celebrates a Big West title. Photo Courtesy: Hawaii Athletics / John Fajardo
#5 Hawaii (18-5) made it to NCAAs by getting past nemesis UC Irvine in the Big West Tournament. It’s a big deal; a bigger deal will be beating Cal next week in an NCAA quarterfinal match. The Rainbow Wahine already know how to get this done, having beaten the Golden Bears a month ago.
#6 Michigan (23-8) also qualified for NCAAs, beating Princeton in the 2019 CWPA final, meaning the Wolverines will be playing next week. Unfortunately, it’s against UCLA, which Michigan has never beaten in 25 attempts. Perhaps next Friday will be the first.
#7 UC Irvine (19-9) dropped the Big West Final to Hawai’i, and will be sitting out NCAAs for the first time since 2015—and only the third time since 2011. Of consolation (of sorts); senior Mary Brooks (49 goals; 206 for her career; seventh all-time in the Big West), junior Tara Prentice (70 goals) and sophomore Morgan Jones (172saves) were all named to the 2019 All- Big West First Team
#8 Pacific (17-8) won the 2019 GCC final, and will advance to a third-straight NCAA play-in game. This latest one is next Tuesday against Cal Lutheran (21-8); it’s the Regals first NCAA appearance since 2010.
#9 UC Santa Barbara (22-8; third in The Big West) had two tough losses to UCI; an 11-7 defeat in February and then a 5-2 loss in a Big West semifinal. That ended a very promising season for the Gauchos. Noteworthy is senior Kate Pipkin (45 goals, 31 assist) who was named to the 2019 All-Big West First Team.
# 10 Arizona State (12-10) finished 2019 on an up note, beating Indiana and San Jose State to finish fifth in the MPSF tournament. Still, there’s no NCAA play for the Sun Devils this year. ASU placed senior Maud Koopman (58 goals; 180 for her career) and junior Bente Rogge (49 goals) on the All-MPSF second team; Bente’s younger sister Lieke (37 goals)—a freshman—was named to the All-MPSF Newcomer Team
#11 UC Davis (18-13) lost in the Big West tournament third place match. This is now the 11th year without an NCAA berth for the Aggies. A bright spot this season was freshman Noelle Wijnbelt (54 goals), who was selected to the 2019 All- Big West First Team.
#12 Loyola Marymount (21-10) dropped the 2019 GCC final to Pacific and will miss NCAAs for the fourth straight year. Three more wins from 2018 and back-to-back championship matches suggest the Lions are moving in the right direction; a win over Pacific—something they haven’t achieved in nine contests dating back to 2015.
#13 Long Beach State (16-15) finished fifth in the Big West Championsips; perhaps the biggest story for the 49ers was freshman Orsi Hertzka (72 goals; most in program history for a freshman).
#14 UC San Diego (21-13) made its last-ever match as a member of the Western Water Polo Association a winner—as in a victory over Fresno Pacific in the 2019 WWPA Championship. This last appearance ends an impressive string of success; seven-straight WWPA titles and an equal number of NCAA appearances. Waiting for them next Tuesday in an NCAA play-in game: Wagner.
#15 Princeton (21-9) fell short for the third consecutive time to Michigan in the CWPA title tilt, but the Tigers didn’t leave Providence empty-handed; in his first season as women’s head coach, Derek Ellingson was named 2019 CWPA Coach of the Year.
[Five Questions for Derek Ellingson, New Head Women’s Water Coach at Princeton]
#16 Fresno State (14-15) won five of its last six to finish in third in the 2019 GCC tournament while doubling it wins total from last year, the Bulldogs’ first in competition. Helping that success was Emily Nicholson (54 goals) who was named to the 2019 All-GCC First Team.
#17 Bucknell (25-12) posted a best-ever third place finish at the 2019 CWPA Tournament and posted the most wins since 2008. In addition, Ally Furano (123 goals, 44 assists). who shattered program records for goals and points in a season, was named to the 2019 All- CWPA first team.
#18 San Diego State (16-16) finished fourth at the GCC Championships. Emily Bennett earned All-GCC First Team selection for leading SDSU in virtually every statistical category: goals (40), steals (68) and ejections drawn (63).
#19 Wagner (30-9) won the MAAC title for the sixth straight year and will meet UC San Diego for the third straight time in an NCAA play-in game. The Seahawks have won the previous two postseason meetings.
[Wagner Women’s Water Polo Captures 6th Straight MAAC Title With 8-4 Win over Marist]
#20 San Jose State (10-15) finished sixth in the 2019 MPSF Tournament after edging out Arizona State in the regular season competition. Freshman Olga Descalzi Portell (57 goals) was a force for the Spartans.
#21 Harvard (21-8) finished fourth at the 2019 CWPA Tornament. Leading the way for the Crimson was senior Kristen Hong (69 goals) who set a new Harvard career record with 265 goals.
#22 California State University-Northridge (14-16) finished sixth at the 2019 Big West Championships. Tori Wilson, who transferred from Hartwick, led the Matadors with 63 goals and 38 steals, earning All-GCC Second Team honors.
Photo Courtesy: Gerry Raymonda
23 Azusa Pacific (19-14) finished fifth at the 2019 GCC Championships. In setting a program record for wins, the Cougars also finished with a winning record for the first time in their history (the program was launched in 2009). Thanks to her defense, senior Mar Pastor Alvarez was honored with an All-GCC Second Team berth. With 69 ejections drawn this season, she has surpassed 200 for her career, a program record.
#24 (T) Marist (22-16) finished second in the 2019 MAAC Championship. The Red Foxes placed Grace Doerfler, Carsen Horvatich and Katherine Tijerina on the All-MAAC First team, and Susan Cantoni was named 2019 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.
#24 (T) California Baptist (15-18) finished sixth in the 2019 GCC Championships. Senior Lizette Perez led the Lancers with 80 points on 49 goals and 31 assists, earning All-GCC First Team honors.