BRIDGEPORT, Pa. (September 10, 2008) -- The University of California-Berkeley, the University of Redlands and the United States Naval Academy, the defending NCAA, Division III and Collegiate Water Polo Association champions, retained their ranks at No. 1 from the preseason poll as the September 10 Men's Varsity Polls were released to the media.
California, which downed the University of Southern California 8-6 in the NCAA Championship Game to capture the 2007 National Championship, became a unanimous No. 1 selection after receiving 98 points in the preseason poll. Cal is seeking to finish the season at #1 for the third straight year as the Bears captured the 2006 National Title as well after ranking #1 in the preseason.
The University of Southern California, Stanford University and the University of California-Los Angeles retained their positions at No. 2, 3 and 4, respectively, from the preseason poll, while Pepperdine University jumped two spots to No. 5 after ranking seventh in the preseason.
Loyola Marymount University, the University of California-Irvine, Long Beach State University, the University of California-San Diego and the University of California-Santa Barbara ranked No. 6-10 to round out an All-California Top 10.
| 2008 Varsity Top 20 (Sept. 10) |
| Rank | Team | Preseason Poll | Points |
| 1 | University of California, Berkeley | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | University of Southern California | 2 | 95 |
| 3 | Stanford University | 3 | 89 |
| 4 | University of California, Los Angeles | 4 | 84 |
| 5 | Pepperdine University | 7 | 79 |
| 6 | Loyola Marymount University | 8 | 76 |
| 7 | University of California, Irvine | 5 | 69 |
| 8 | Long Beach State University | 9 | 65 |
| 9 | University of California, San Diego | 14 | 61 |
| 10 | University of California, Santa Barbara | 6 | 58 |
| 11 | United States Naval Academy | 10 | 51 |
| 12 | University of California, Davis | 11 | 45 |
| 13 | St. Francis College (NY) | 12 | 41 |
| 14 | University of the Pacific | 13 | 33 |
| 15 | Santa Clara University | 15 | 29 |
| 16 | University of Redlands | RV | 23 |
| 17 | United States Air Force Academy | 16 | 15 |
| 18 | Bucknell University | RV | 12 |
| 19 | Brown University | 19 | 9 |
| 20 (T) | California Baptist University | 17 | 8 |
| 20 (T) | Princeton University | 20 | 8 |
| RV | George Washington University | 18 | 3 |
| RV | Johns Hopkins University | RV | 3 |
| RV | Mercyhurst College | NR | 1 |
The University of Redlands continued a stranglehold on the No. 1 ranking in Division III as the Bulldogs garnered 99 points to hold onto the top spot in the nation.
Johns Hopkins University, which was tied with Pomona-Pitzer Colleges for second in the preseason poll at 93 points, jumped ahead of the Sagehens as the Bluejays netted 95 points to outdistance Pomona-Pitzer, which slipped back to third.
California Lutheran University experienced the biggest improvement of any team in the three varsity polls as the team moved into fourth place after being tied with Chapman University for ninth in the preseason. Massachusetts Institute of Technology moved up one place to fifth, while Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges and the University of California-Santa Cruz slipped back to sixth and seventh, respectively.
Occidental College held down eighth place from the preseason poll, while Chapman took over sole possession of ninth and Whittier College dropped back to 10th.
| 2008 Division III Poll (September 10) |
| Rank | Team | Preseason Poll | Points |
| 1 | University of Redlands | 1 | 99 |
| 2 | Johns Hopkins University | 2 (T) | 95 |
| 3 | Pomona-Pitzer Colleges | 2 (T) | 90 |
| 4 | California Lutheran University | 9 (T) | 78 |
| 5 | MIT | 6 | 76 |
| 6 | Claremont Mudd Scripps Colleges | 4 | 74 |
| 7 | University of California, Santa Cruz | 5 | 70 |
| 8 | Occidental College | 8 | 63 |
| 9 | Chapman University | 9 (T) | 56 |
| 10 | Whittier College | 7 | 52 |
| RV | University of La Verne | RV | 11 |
| RV | Washington & Jefferson College | RV | 11 |
In the Collegiate Water Polo Association, the United States Naval Academy used a strong showing in its season-opening home tournament, including a 9-8 victory over Saint Francis College (N.Y.) to remain at No. 1 from the preseason poll.
The 2006 and 2007 defending Eastern Champion Midshipmen became a unanimous No. 1 selection this week as the team earned 100 points after garnering 98 points in the preseason balloting .
The top four spots in the poll remain unchanged from the preseason as Saint Francis College (N.Y.), Princeton University and Brown University held onto first through fourth, while the next six saw dramatic changes.
Bucknell University moved up to fifth, Johns Hopkins University remained sixth, Mercyhurst College climbed to seventh, George Washington University fell to eighth, Iona College improved to ninth and Harvard University dropped to 10th.
| 2008 CWPA Poll (September 10) |
| Rank | Team | Preseason Poll | Points |
| 1 | US Naval Academy | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | Saint Francis College (N.Y.) | 2 | 94 |
| 3 | Princeton University | 3 | 87 |
| 4 | Brown University | 4 | 84 |
| 5 | Bucknell University | 8 | 80 |
| 6 | Johns Hopkins University | 6 | 75 |
| 7 | Mercyhurst College | RV | 65 |
| 8 | George Washington University | 5 | 62 |
| 9 | Iona College | 10 | 59 |
| 10 | Harvard University | 7 | 57 |
| RV | Fordham University | RV | 25 |
The Varsity Top 20, CWPA, Division III and National Collegiate Club polls will be released each Wednesday during the season by 5:00 p.m.
