University of Redlands Men’s Water Polo Tops Division III Preseason Poll

The Bulldog men’s water polo team will start this season from the same place it left off its 2007 campaign as the No. 1-ranked Division III team in the country, according to a release today by the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA). In addition, Redlands received votes for the Varsity Top 20 poll, which includes all NCAA divisions. The Varsity Top 20, CWPA and Division III polls are released every Wednesday during the season by 5 p.m. EST.

Redlands earned a No. 1 ranking on the Division III poll with 98 points, edging conference foe Pomona-Pitzer Colleges and Johns Hopkins University (MD), both of which received 93 points. Other Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) schools to crack the preseason top 10 include No. 4 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, No. 7 Whittier College and No. 9 Cal Lutheran University.

On the Varsity Top 20 poll, defending NCAA Champion University of California, Berkeley retained the top spot with 98 points. The Bulldogs nearly missed a numerical ranking, bringing in three points to sit five behind No. 20 Princeton University (NJ).

Compiling a 2007 overall record of 22-14 and a 9-1 SCIAC tally, the Bulldogs finished No. 1 in the nation among Division III institutions. Redlands finished sixth in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) tournament, defeating Pomona-Pitzer Colleges but falling at the hands of eventual champion Loyola Marymount University and UC San Diego.

The Bulldogs travel to San Diego in September to start the 2008 season where they will compete in the UC San Diego Triton Invitational. Redlands squares off against Long Beach State at 10:30 a.m. and UC San Diego at 1:30 p.m. to open the invitational on Sept. 6.

For complete ranking information, please visit www.collegiatewaterpolo.org.