CWPA Releases Revised 2009 Men's Missouri Valley Club Division Schedule

BRIDGEPORT, Pa. -- The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) has released an amended men's Missouri Valley Club Division schedule for the upcoming 2009 season.

Competition will now begin on Wednesday, September 23 as Lindenwood University "A" will face Washington University at Lindbergh High School in Saint Charles, Mo., a change from the original Friday, September 25 start date to the division schedule.

In addition, the order of games on the opening weekend at the University of Missouri on September 26-27 has been adjusted to accomodate the mid-week Lindenwood-Washington game.

The schedule will then continue in another weekend tournament at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Ill. on October 10-11.

Following a game between the Lindenwood University "A" and "B" teams at a date and time to be determined which will wrap up the regular season slate, the nine teams will converge on Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. for the Missouri Valley Division Championship.

The victor of the division tournament will earn the division's automatic bid to the National Collegiate Club Championship set for November 13-15 at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla.

However, in the five year history of the division, the champion has elected to attend the National Collegiate Club Championship only twice as Western Illinois (2004) and Miami (2007) won the title and accepted the bid. In 2005, 2006 and 2008, Lindenwood University won the division, but elected to attend the Division III National Collegiate Club Championship, and was ineligible to attend the National Collegiate Club Championship as teams can only attend one postseason championship tournament.

The streak will end this year as Lindenwood, which claimed the 2006-08 Division III National Collegiate Club titles, has elected to forgo a potential berth in the 2009 DIII Club tourney for a chance to attend and win the National Collegiate Club Championship. Washington, which is the only other Divsion III institution in the division, could attend the Division III tournament set for November 7-8 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.