NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The University of Maryland, University of Michigan, Princeton University, Mercyhurst University and Harvard University of the Collegiate Water Polo Association institutions rate among the 100 programs ranked in the final standings for the 2012 Capital One Cup.

The Capital One Cup was launched in 2010 and is annually awarded to one men's and one women's NCAA Division I athletics program for their cumulative on-field performance across multiple sports during the fall, winter and spring seasons.

Schools earn Capital One Cup points throughout the year based on Top 10 finishes in NCAA Championships and in the final standings of official coaches’ polls for 39 sports. The men’s and women’s programs with the highest point totals after the NCAA Division I championships, concluding with outdoor track & field for the women and baseball for the men, are each crowned as the Capital One Cup winners and are awarded a combined $400,000 in student-athlete scholarships as well as the prestigious Capital One Cup trophy.

In women's water polo, the selections are based on the final Top 10 standings from the season-concluding CWPA National Top 20 Varsity Poll which ranked Stanford University, the University of Southern California, University of California-Los Angeles, University of California, Arizona State University, University of California-Irvine, Loyola Marymount University, San Diego State University, San Jose State University and Princeton from No. 1-to-10.

Stanford, which received the 2012 Capital One Cup with a total of 152 points and garnered the 2012 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Women's Water Polo Championship, received 20 points for finishing No. 1 in the final poll.  Positions No. 2-to-10 in the rankings garnered 12, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point, respectively.

Among conferences that sponsor water polo, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) placed seven teams among the Top 100 with Stanford (No. 1), UCLA (No. 2), USC (No. 7), California (No. 8), University of Hawaii (T-No. 36), San Diego State (No. 54) and San Jose State (T-No. 85) leading the way.  The CWPA is second with five teams as Maryland (No. 10), Michigan (T-No. 36), Princeton (No. 40), Mercyhurst (No. 77) and Harvard (T-No. 82) rate among the Top 100. 

Villanova University (No. 49) of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), UC-Irvine (T-No. 64) of the Big West Conference and Loyola Marymount (No. 69) of the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) round out the institutions that sponsor women's varsity water polo.

The Capital One Cup is supported by an Advisory Board made up of college sports broadcasters and former collegiate athletes, including: ESPN broadcaster Rece Davis, former Ohio State University basketball standout Clark Kellogg, former Boston College quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie, University of Southern California (UCS) basketball legend and former NCAA Player of the Year Lisa Leslie, former Universitty of Arizona softball pitcher and NCAA Player of the Year Jennie Finch, former Santa Clara University soccer player and Women’s World Cup champion Brandi Chastain and former University of Michigan baseball player and two-time NCAA All-America selection Barry Larkin.

More information on the award is available on the Capital One Cup website, http://www.capitalonecup.com

2012 Capital One Cup Standings - Final (Women's Water Polo Programs w/ Points)
1. Stanford University (152.5)
2. University of California-Los Angeles (110)
7. University of Southern California (77)
8. University of California-Berkeley (72)
10. University of Maryland (62)
T-36. University of Hawaii (18)
T-36. University of Michigan (18)
40. Princeton University (17)
T-49. Villanova University (10)
54. San Diego State University (9)
T-64. University of California-Irvine (5)
T-69. Loyola Marymount University (4)
T-77. Mercyhurst University (3)
T-82. Harvard University (2.5)
T-85. San Jose State University (2)