2023 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship
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 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | May 10–14, 2023 |
| Teams | 9 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Stanford |
| Runners-up | USC |
| Third place | Princeton, UCLA |
| Awards | |
| Best player | Aria Fischer (Stanford) |
The 2023 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship was the 22nd edition of the NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship, the annual tournament to decide the championship of NCAA women's collegiate water polo. The tournament was held from May 10 to May 14, 2023, from the Eberhardt Aquatics Center in Stockton, California. The championship game was streamed live on ESPNU.[1] Stanford defeated USC 11-9 for the program's ninth national title in this sport.[2][3]
The field of teams was revealed in a selection show held on May 1, 2023.[4] Six conferences were granted automatic qualification to the championship: the Big West Conference, Collegiate Water Polo Association, Golden Coast Conference, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, and Western Water Polo Association. Three additional teams earned entry into the tournament with at-large bids, with all of them coming from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.[5]
| Seed | Team | Conference | Bid type | Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford | MPSF | Automatic | 22nd |
| 2 | USC | MPSF | At-large | 18th |
| 3 | California | MPSF | At-large | 9th |
| 4 | UCLA | MPSF | At-large | 21st |
| Biola | WWPA | Automatic | 1st | |
| Fresno State | GCC | Automatic | 3rd | |
| Long Island | MAAC | Automatic | 1st | |
| Princeton | CWPA | Automatic | 4th | |
| UC Irvine | Big West | Automatic | 8th |
Schedule and results
| Game | Time | Matchup | Score | TV | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Round – Wednesday, May 10 | |||||
| 1 | 4:00 p.m. | LIU vs. Biola | 10–8 | NCAA.com | |
| Quarterfinals – Friday, May 12 | |||||
| 2 | 3:00 p.m. | No. 1 Stanford vs. LIU | 23–0 | NCAA.com | |
| 3 | 5:00 p.m. | No. 4 UCLA vs. UC Irvine | 14–12 | ||
| 4 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 2 USC vs. Fresno State | 12–8 | ||
| 5 | 9:00 p.m. | No. 3 California vs. Princeton | 9–11 | ||
| Semifinals – Saturday, May 13 | |||||
| 6 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 4 UCLA | 14–9 | NCAA.com | |
| 7 | 10:00 p.m. | No. 2 USC vs. Princeton | 18–8 | ||
| Championship – Sunday, May 14 | |||||
| 8 | 10:00 p.m. | No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 2 USC | 11–9 | ESPNU | 2,449 |
