2009 Men's Missouri Valley Championship Schedule Revised

BRIDGEPORT, Pa. -- The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) has announced that the Missouri Valley Division Championship schedule has been revised due to pool availability constraints at host Washington University (Mo.). The tournament will begin on Friday, October 16 and run through Sunday, October 18.

Competition will commence at 7:15 p.m. on October 16 as the 8th and 9th seeds from the regular season standings will take to the pool.  Following an 8:25 p.m. game on the 16th between the No. 2 and 7 seeds, Saturday will bring nine games beginning at 9:00 a.m. and running through the final contest with a 9:10 p.m. start-time.

On Sunday, October 18, the third (8:20 a.m.), first (9:30 a.m.), fifth (10:40 a.m.) and seventh (11:50 a.m.) games will take place to conclude the division season.

Comprised of University of Missouri, Lindenwood University "A", Northern Illinois University, Lindenwood University "B", Washington University, Miami University (Ohio), Illinois State University, Western Illinois University and Saint Louis University, the victor of the Missouri Valley 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.