August 19, 2009

2009 Men's Varsity Preseason Polls Released; Defending Champ USC Earns No. 1 Spot

BRIDGEPORT, Pa. -- The University of Southern California, Johns Hopkins University and Princeton University will enter the 2009 season as the coaches early picks to win it all as the Trojans, Blue Jays and Tigers topped the Men's Varsity Top 20, Division III Top 10 and Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Top 10 preseason polls released today by the Collegiate Water Polo Association.

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 Varsity Top 20, Division III Top 10 and Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 10 polls are released each Wednesday during the season until the Wednesday following the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship.

 

Men's Top 20 Varsity Poll

The University of Southern California, which knocked off Stanford University 7-5 last year at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center to capture the 2008 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men's National Championship, will seek repeat in '09 as the Trojans were selected unanimously as the No. 1 team in the Men's Varsity Top 20 Preseason Poll. 

Stanford, which finished the 2008 season one point behind Pepperdine University in the final poll, moves up one place to rank second in the preseason balloting as the Cardinal garnered 95 points.  The University of California-Los Angeles, which placed fourth in the final 2008 poll, also ascends one spot as the Bruins rank No. 3, while the University of California jumps three spots to No. 4.

Pepperdine rounds out the Top Five in the fifth position, while Loyola Marymount University, University of California-Santa Barbara, University of California-Irvine, Long Beach State University and University of California-San Diego complete an All-California Top 10.

The first non-California team in the poll is Princeton University at No. 11 as the Tigers climb two spots from their final 2008 ranking, while defending CWPA Eastern Champion and NCAA fourth place finisher the United States Naval Academy fell one place to open the 2009 season at No. 12.

University of the Pacific, University of California-Davis, Santa Clara University, St. Francis College (NY), Brown University, Bucknell University, the United States Air Force Academy and California Baptist University complete the preseason Top 20, with University of Redlands, Johns Hopkins University and Whittier College receiving votes.

 

2009 Varsity Top 20 (Preseason)

Rank

Team

Final 2008 Poll

Points

1 University of Southern California 1 100
2 Stanford University 3 95
3 University of California, Los Angeles 4 88
4 University of California, Berkeley 7 83
5 Pepperdine University 2 80
6 Loyola Marymount University 5 77
7 University of California, Santa Barbara
6 71
8 University of California, Irvine 8 67
9 Long Beach State University 9 58
10 University of California, San Diego
10 54
11 Princeton University
13 48
12 US Naval Academy
11 41
13 University of the Pacific 16 40
14 University of California, Davis 12 37
15 Santa Clara University 15 32
16 St. Francis College (NY) 14 23
17 Brown University 17 19
18 Bucknell University RV 14
19 US Air Force Academy 20 12
20 California Baptist University 18 6
RV University of Redlands 19 5
RV Johns Hopkins University NR 5
RV Whittier College NR 1

 

Men's Division III Top 10 Varsity Poll

Johns Hopkins University remains No. 1 in the Division III ranks as the Blue Jays earned 96 points to outdistance University of Redlands by four points for the top position in the Men's Varsity Division III Preseason Poll.

Redlands, which retains its No. 2 position from the final 2008 poll, is followed by Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, Whittier College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Top Five, while California Lutheran University, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, Occidental College, Chapman University and University of La Verne rank No. 6-10.

 

2009 Division III Poll (Preseason)

Rank Team 2008 Final Poll Points
1 Johns Hopkins University 1 96
2 University of Redlands
2 92
3 Pomona-Pitzer Colleges 4 88
4 Whittier College 8 87
5 MIT 5 79
6 California Lutheran University
3 75
7 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges 7 71
8 Occidental College 6 67
9 Chapman University
10 65
10 University of La Verne RV 44
RV Washington & Jefferson College NR 11

 

Men's Collegiate Water Polo Association Top 10 Poll

For the first time in the recorded history of the league, the defending CWPA Eastern Champion will not enter the new season at No. 1 as Princeton University, which fell to the United States Naval Academy 9-6 at the 2008 Eastern Championship at Navy, edged the Midshipmen to rank as the confernece's preseason favorite.

The Tigers, which enter 2009 following a 19-10 season a year ago and the fifth Southern Championship in program history before falling to the Midshipmen in Annapolis, garnered 98 points.  Navy, which has claimed the last two Eastern titles and placed fourth at the NCAA Championship a year ago, slipped to second with 96 points, while Brown University, Bucknell University and Johns Hopkins University round out the Top Five.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Iona College, Fordham University, Harvard University and George Washington University complete the poll as the teams rank No. 6-10 entering the 2009 season.

 

2009 CWPA Poll (Preseason)

Rank

Team

2008 Final Poll

Points

1 Princeton University
2 98
2 US Naval Academy
1 96
3 Brown University 4 88
4 Bucknell University 5 87
5 Johns Hopkins University
6 80
6 MIT 7 73
7 Iona College 8 68
8 Fordham University 9 67
9 Harvard University NR 60
10 George Washington University
10 58

 

The next varsity polls will be released on September 9 and will continue on each Wednesday during the 2009 season.

 

 

 


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