NCAA Women’s Water Polo 2025: Full Conference Championship Recap and NCAA Tournament Outlook
The road to Indianapolis is now officially set after an action-packed Sunday across NCAA Women’s Water Polo. Conference champions punched their tickets, top players delivered heroic performances, and NCAA Tournament seeding has started to take shape.
Conference Results
MPSF (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation)
No. 3 Stanford (22-1) captured the MPSF title with an 11-9 overtime win over top-seeded UCLA (19-5). Stanford built an early lead and then weathered a fourth-quarter rally from the Bruins before dominating in overtime. UCLA goalkeeper Lauren Steele recorded a stunning 21 saves but couldn’t overcome defensive breakdowns late. Head coach Adam Wright reflected: “Too many counter goals, too many free goals,” on the loss. USC edged Cal 13-12 to finish third.
Big West Conference
Top-seeded Hawaiʻi (21-4) repeated as Big West champions, defeating Long Beach State 8-6. The Rainbow Wahine stormed out to a 7-2 lead before fending off a late push by LBSU. Sophomore goalkeeper Daisy Logtens delivered 14 saves to earn Big West Tournament MVP honors. Head coach James Robinson said: “Come Tuesday morning, we have our sights set on Indianapolis… The goal is always to represent UH on the national level, and now we’re able to do that.”
Golden Coast Conference (GCC)
Loyola Marymount University (LMU) won the GCC title with a 14-12 victory over Fresno State. Senior attacker Ruth Arino Ruiz, named Tournament MVP, led the Lions with clutch goals, while freshman goalie Alyssa Barnuevo tallied 10 saves to help secure LMU’s NCAA berth.
CWPA (Collegiate Water Polo Association)
Harvard made history, capturing its first-ever CWPA championship by defeating Princeton 10-8 in overtime. Sophomore Maya O’Dea scored two crucial goals during the overtime period, and senior goalie Orli Cooper stood tall with 13 saves, including nine in the second half. The Crimson will make their inaugural NCAA Tournament appearance.
MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)
Wagner clinched the MAAC title with a 14-11 win over Marist. Junior Carlota Alonso and junior goalie Francesca Sena, both major award winners for the season, helped secure the Seahawks’ spot in the NCAA field.
SCIAC (Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – DIII)
Pomona-Pitzer defeated Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 12-7 to win the SCIAC championship. The Sagehens earned a spot in the NCAA Division III Championships.
Top Performers
- Goalkeeping Dominance:
- Lauren Steele (UCLA) – 21 saves in the MPSF final
- Daisy Logtens (Hawaiʻi) – 14 saves, Big West Tournament MVP
- Orli Cooper (Harvard) – 13 saves in CWPA final, including nine second-half saves
- Alyssa Barnuevo (LMU) – 10 saves in GCC final
- Offensive Standouts:
- Taylor Smith (UCLA) – 4 goals in MPSF semifinal
- Anna Pearson (UCLA) – Drew 7 exclusions in MPSF final
- Maya O’Dea (Harvard) – 2 OT goals to win CWPA final
- Ruth Arino Ruiz (LMU) – Multiple key goals in GCC final
NCAA Tournament Seeding Impact
The following teams secured automatic bids:
- Stanford (MPSF Champion)
- Hawaiʻi (Big West Champion)
- Loyola Marymount (GCC Champion)
- Harvard (CWPA Champion)
- Wagner (MAAC Champion)
One final automatic spot will be awarded to the WWPA champion.
Stanford is likely to be the No. 1 overall seed, followed closely by UCLA and USC, despite USC finishing third in the MPSF tournament. Hawaiʻi, LMU, Harvard, and Wagner will fill out the field.
The NCAA Selection Show will take place Monday, April 28, at 8 pm ET on NCAA.com, officially setting the bracket for the NCAA Tournament beginning May 7 in Indianapolis.
Quotes from the Pool
- Adam Wright (UCLA Head Coach):
“Too many counter goals, too many free goals.” - Lauren Steele (UCLA Goalkeeper):
“It’s great but just makes me a little angry that I could have had just one more [save]… but it’s good to know that it’s a goal that hopefully I can reach one day and win the game.” - James Robinson (Hawaiʻi Head Coach):
“Come Tuesday morning, we have our sights set on Indianapolis… The goal is always meant to be to represent UH on the national level, and now we’re able to do that in the NCAA Tournament.”
Thank you to the following sources for quotes and comments in this article:
Official Athletics Websites of UCLA, USC, Stanford, Hawaiʻi, Harvard, LMU, Wagner, Pomona-Pitzer; MPSF Sports; Big West Conference; CWPA; GCC; NCAA.com