Lets Get it Started: CWPA Division III to Premiere this Weekend at Chatham, Washington & Jefferson

2010 Women's Division III Schedule

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- For the first time in nearly a decade, the ranks of collegiate water polo will have a new division as the Collegiate Water Polo Division III will begin competition this weekend (March 5-6-7) at Chatham University and Washington & Jefferson College.

Competition will commence on Friday, March 5 at Chatham in Pittsburgh for the first of four games on the inaugural day of competition in the division.  Following eight more games at Chatham on Saturday, March 6, the location of the division regular season race shifts to Washington, Pennsylvania for three games on Sunday, March 7.

Comprised of Carthage College (Ill.), Chatham University (Pa.), Connecticut College (Conn.), Grove City College (Pa.), Macalester College (Minn.), Pennsylvania State University-Behrend College, Utica College (N.Y.), Washington & Jefferson College (Pa.) and Wheaton College (Ill.), the nine-team organization will compete for a Division III Championship and a berth to the self-funded Division III National Collegiate Championship in May at Carthage College.

The creation of the CWPA Division III marked 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, Western Water Polo Association (WWPA), Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), along with three at-large selections from among the remaining eligible conference and independent teams.

"The realignment for the Division III varsity women's teams within the CWPA will be a great benefit to the student-athletes involved," notes Dan Sharadin, Commissioner of the Collegiate Water Polo Association.

"Although it will create some additional travel in some instances, the opportunity to compete against similar programs will make a huge difference in the level of enjoyment for the players and coaches. Teams on both ends of the competitive spectrum will now be able to go into their contests with a sense of excitement rather than a belief that the outcome is already established."

Unlike past seasons, the Division III teams elected not to be eligible for inclusion in the Eastern Championship, the championship event which determines the CWPA's automatic qualifier for the 8-team National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship. Rather, the Division III teams will compete at an end of year division championship before continuing on to the non-NCAA affiliated Division III National Championship Tournament.