December 3 Varsity Top 20, Division III Top 10 and CWPA Top 10 Polls Released

BRIDGEPORT, Pa. -- The University of Southern California, Johns Hopkins University and the United States Naval Academy top the national scene as the December 3 Varsity Top 20, Division III Top 10 and Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 10 polls were released by the CWPA office.

In the Varsity Top 20 poll, the Trojans of USC held firm as the best in the nation after claiming the No. 1 ranking 10 weeks ago for the first time since 2007. Like the previous seven weeks, the Trojans garnered 100 points and are a unanimous choice as the top team in the nation.

The poll saw dramatic changes in the Top 10 as Pepperdine University climbed to second following a 2-1 record, including a 3-2 loss to USC in the title game, at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championship over the weekend.  Stanford University, which fell to Pepperdine 8-7 in overtime and was ranked second last week, slipped back to third, while the University of California-Los Angeles and Loyola Marymount University climbed to fourth and fifth, respectively. 

The University of California-Santa Barbara and the University of California-Berkeley tied for sixth, the University of California-Irvine improved to eighth, Long Beach State University fell back to ninth and the University of California-San Diego dropped to 10th. 

In the next 10, there were few changes as Brown University climbed to No. 16 and dropped the University of the Pacific back to No. 17, while the University of Redlands jumped to No. 18 and moved the United States Air Force Academy back to No. 20.

Johns Hopkins University finished the season No. 1 in the Division III poll as the Blue Jays garnered 97 points to edge out the University of Redlands by a point. 

The poll was relatively unchanged from the November 26 balloting with one adjustment as Pomona-Pitzer Colleges clamied sole possession of fourth place with 81 points after tying with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the spot last week.

California Lutheran University, Pomona-Pitzer, MIT, Occidental College, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, Whittier College, University of California-Santa Cruz and Chapman University round out the Top 10 behind Johns Hopkins and Redlands for the final standings in Division III.

The United States Naval Academy finishes the year at the top spot in the Collegiate Water Polo Association poll as the Midshipmen are a unanimous choice after capturing the 2008 Eastern Championship at home in LeJeune Hall.

Overall, the top eight spots in the poll mirror the order of finish at the Eastern Championship with Princeton University, St. Francis College, Brown University, Bucknell University, Johns Hopkins University, MIT and Iona College falling into line at No. 2-8.

Fordham University and George Washington University round out the poll, while Mercyhurst College received votes in the final CWPA poll of the year.

Voted on by coaches and administrators from NCAA Division I, III and the Collegiate Water Polo Association communities, respectively, the Varsity Top 20, Division III Top 10 and CWPA Polls are released each Wednesday during the season by approximately 5:00 p.m.