The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), the largest single-sport athletic conference in North America, announced on Dec. 17 the creation of a women's varsity NCAA Division III structure within the organization. Comprised of Carthage College, Chatham University, Connecticut College, Grove City College, Macalester College, Penn State-Behrend, Utica College, Washington & Jefferson College and Wheaton College (Ill.), the nine-team organization will compete for a berth to the self-funded Division III National Collegiate Championship.
The change marks the first time an NCAA conference has divided its membership based on institutional affiliation without an NCAA Division II or III championship in the sport. Women's water polo, which is an NCAA non-divisional sport, features only one championship event with five automatic qualifiers from the Collegiate Water Polo Association, the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA), the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), along with three at-large selections from among the remaining eligible conference and independent teams. Carthage, Macalester and Wheaton (Ill.), which were NCAA independent institutions prior to joining the CWPA for 2009-10. "The realignment for the NCAA Division III varsity women's teams within the CWPA will be a great benefit to the student-athletes involved," noted CWPA Commissioner Dan Sharadin.
