BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Pepperdine water polo was selected at No. 9 in the final Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) poll of the 2025 season, announced today.
The Waves concluded the campaign with a 17-11 overall record before falling in overtime in the West Coast Conference (WCC) semifinals.
The season featured 11 victories over ranked opponents, as Pepperdine played one of the most challenging schedules in the country. Among the 17 other teams ranked in the top-18 in the final CWPA poll, Pepperdine took on 16 of the programs for a total of 21 games against the top-18 teams in the country.
The No. 9 ranking is the second-highest finish in the past five seasons, behind 2023's final ranking of No. 7. As a program, Pepperdine has finished in the top-10 in 47 of the past 50 seasons dating back to the 1976 campaign.
Pepperdine boasted one of the deepest rosters in the country this season, with a league-high seven athletes recognized in the postseason All-WCC voting. Sophomores
Erik Ionescu and
Max Smirnov were named to the All-WCC Second Team while freshman
Csanád Bella earned WCC All-Freshman Team honors. In addition, junior
Jon Carcarey, senior
Sandor Gal and graduate students
Dane Howell and
Matty Walsh received All-WCC Honorable Mention.
The Waves were ranked within the top-15 for the entirety of the season, with its highest ranking during the season being No. 7.
| Final National Rankings (Dec. 10) |
| Rank |
Team |
| 1 |
University of California-Los Angeles |
| 2 |
University of Southern California |
| 3 |
Stanford University |
| 4 |
University of California |
| 5 |
Fordham University |
| 6 |
San Jose State University |
| 7 |
University of California-Davis |
| 8 |
Long Beach State University |
| 9 (T) |
Pepperdine University |
| 9 (T) |
California Baptist University |
| 11 |
University of the Pacific |
| 12 |
Princeton University |
| 13 |
Loyola Marymount University |
| 14 |
University of California-Santa Barbara |
| 15 |
University of California-San Diego |
| 16 |
University of California-Irvine |
| 17 |
Santa Clara University |
| 18 |
Harvard University |
| 19 |
Brown University |
| 20 |
George Washington University |
| RV |
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges |
| RV |
United States Naval Academy |
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WATER POLO
Pepperdine water polo has seen success spanning decades under
Terry Schroeder who gave the reins to
Merrill Moses following the 2023 season. Highlighted by its national championship in 1997 with Moses as the starting goalie, the Waves have reached the NCAA Tournament on 13 occasions and recently won the inaugural WCC Regular Season Championship in 2023. Overall, the program has seen 60 athletes garner All-American honors while boasting a winning record in 37 of 51 seasons.
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