The NCAA women's water polo championship is the annual tournament that is hosted by the NCAA to determine the team national champion of women's collegiate water polo among its members in the United States, held each year since 2001. UCLA won the first title by defeating Stanford 5–4.

Unlike most NCAA sports, only one National Collegiate championship is held each season with teams from Division I and Division II. Division III received their own in the sport starting in 2022.

Stanford has been the most successful program, with 10 championships; UCLA has the second most (8), followed by USC (7). One of these three California schools has won the championship every year since the tournament began in 2001.

While the tournament often includes teams from around the country, most programs are located within the state of California, and no school from outside California has ever surpassed third place or participated in the NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship game. Indeed, only four times has a school other than Stanford, UCLA, or USC participated in the championship game: Loyola Marymount lost to USC in 2004 and California lost to Stanford in 2011, lost to UCLA in 2024, and lost to USC in 2026.

Format Seven conferences have teams competing in women's water polo: the Big West Conference, the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), the single-sport Golden Coast Conference, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) and the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). Some teams compete at Division III, either as members of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference or as an independent. Teams qualify by either winning their respective conference tournament or receiving one of the few at large bids available.

Champions Year National Champion Score Runner-up Host or site 2001 UCLA 5–4 Stanford Stanford University, Avery Aquatic Center, Stanford, California 2002 Stanford 8–4 UCLA USC, McDonald's Swim Stadium, Los Angeles, California 2003 UCLA 4–3 Stanford UC San Diego, Canyonview Pool, La Jolla, California 2004 USC 10–8 Loyola Marymount Stanford University, Avery Aquatic Center, Stanford, California 2005 UCLA 3–2 Stanford University of Michigan, Canham Natatorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan 2006 UCLA 9–8 USC UC Davis, Schaal Aquatics Center, Davis, California 2007 UCLA 5–4 Stanford Long Beach State, Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, California 2008 UCLA 6–3 USC Stanford University, Avery Aquatic Center, Stanford, California 2009 UCLA 5–4 USC University of Maryland, Eppley Recreation Center Natatorium, College Park, Maryland 2010 USC 10–9 Stanford San Diego State, Aztec Aquaplex, San Diego, California 2011 Stanford 9–5 California University of Michigan, Canham Natatorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan 2012 Stanford 6–4 USC San Diego State, Aztec Aquaplex, San Diego, California 2013 USC 10–9 5OT Stanford Harvard University, Blodgett Pool, Cambridge, Massachusetts 2014 Stanford 9–5 UCLA USC, Uytengsu Aquatics Center, Los Angeles, California 2015 Stanford 7–6 UCLA Stanford University, Avery Aquatic Center, Stanford, California 2016 USC 8–7 Stanford UCLA, Spieker Aquatics Center, Los Angeles, California 2017 Stanford 8–7 UCLA IUPUI, Indiana University Natatorium, Indianapolis, Indiana 2018 USC 5–4 Stanford USC, Uytengsu Aquatics Center, Los Angeles, California 2019 Stanford 9–8 USC Stanford, Avery Aquatic Center, Stanford, California 2020Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic University of the Pacific, Chris Kjeldsen Pool Complex, Stockton, California 2021 USC 18–9 UCLA UCLA, Spieker Aquatics Center, Los Angeles, California 2022 Stanford 10–7 USC Michigan, Canham Natatorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan2023 Stanford 11–9 USC University of the Pacific, Chris Kjeldsen Pool Complex, Stockton, California2024 UCLA 7–4 California California, Spieker Aquatics Complex, Berkeley, CA2025 Stanford 11-7 USCIUPUI, Indiana University Natatorium, Indianapolis, Indiana2026 USC 10–9 CaliforniaUC San Diego, Canyonview Aquatic Center, La Jolla, CA UCLA defeats USC, claims NCAA women's water polo title , Los Angeles Daily News, May 10, 2009

Team titles

Team # Years 10 2002, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2025 8 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2024 7 2004, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2026

Result by school and year 28 teams have appeared in the NCAA Tournament in at least one year starting with 2001 (the initial year that the post-season tournament was under the auspices of the NCAA). The results for all years are shown in this table below.

The code in each cell represents the furthest the team made it in the respective tournament: Opening/Play-in Round (since 2014) Quarterfinals (since 2005) Semifinals National Runner-up National Champion

School Conference # SF CG CH MPSF 25 25 18 10 MPSF 24 23 13 8 MPSF 22 21 15 7 MPSF 12 10 3 - GCC 11 5 1 - Big West 10 6 - - CWPA 11 2 - - Big West 8 1 - - CWPA 5 1 - - MPSF 3 1 - - defunct 3 1 - - GCC 3 1 - - MPSF 3 1 - - GCC 2 1 - - CWPA 1 1 - - Metro 12 - - - SCIAC 8 - - - Big West 8 - - - Metro 5 - - - GCC 4 - - - SCIAC 3 - - - Metro 3 - - - GCC 3 - - - CWPA 2 - - - SCIAC 2 - - - WWPA 2 - - - WWPA 2 - - - SCIAC 1 - - - SCIAC 1 - - - Big West 1 - - - Metro 1 - - - WWPA 1 - - - WWPA 1 - - -

Tournaments

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2019

2018 The NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship was held on May 8–13, 2018 at the USC Uytengsu Aquatics Center, Los Angeles, California. Ten teams were selected to participate in the annual event. Conference champions from the Big West, CWPA, Golden Coast Conference, MAAC, MPSF, SCIAC and WWPA are represented with the seven automatic bids. They were joined by three at-large teams, with play-in games ahead of the tournament.

Conference Champions: Big West - UC-Irvine CWPA - Michigan Golden Coast - Pacific MAAC - Wagner MPSF - USC SCIAC - Pomona-Pitzer WWPA - UC-San Diego at-large teams - Stanford, UCLA, California

Opening Round (May 8): Wagner def. UC-San Diego 10–7, UC Irvine def. Pomona-Pitzer 16–2

First Round (May 11): No. 1 USC def. Wagner 12–5; No. 4 UCLA def. Pacific 8–4; No. 2 Stanford def. UC Irvine 14–8; No. 3 California def. Michigan 13–6

Semi-finals (May 12): No. 1 USC def. No. 4 UCLA 10–6; No. 2 Stanford def. No. 3 California 11–7

Championship (May 13): No. 1 USC def. No. 2 Stanford 5-4

2017 The NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship was held on May 12–14, 2017 at the IU Natatorium; Indianapolis, IN. Ten teams were selected to participate in the annual event. Conference champions from the Big West, CWPA, Golden Coast Conference, MAAC, MPSF, SCIAC and WWPA are represented with the seven automatic bids. They are joined by three at-large teams, with play-in games ahead of the tournament.

Conference Champions: Big West - UC-Irvine CWPA - Michigan Golden Coast - Pacific MAAC - Wagner MPSF - UCLA SCIAC - Pomona-Pitzer WWPA - UC-San Diego

Opening Round (May 6): Wagner def. UC-San Diego 6–5, Pacific def. Pomona-Pitzer 11–5

First Round (May 12): No. 1 UCLA def. Wagner 17–2; California def. No. 4 UC Irvine 9–7; No. 2 Stanford def. Pacific 13–6; No. 3 USC def. Michigan 12–6

Semi-finals (May 13): No. 1 UCLA def. Cal 14–11; No. 2 Stanford def. No. 3 USC 11–10

Championship (May 14, 3:00 PM ET): No. 2 Stanford def. No. 1 UCLA 8-7

Maggie Steffens of Stanford, who scored the winning goal against UCLA with 9 seconds left, was named the tournament's most valuable player.Women's water polo: Stanford wins sixth national title, defeating UCLA 8-7, May 14, 2017

2016 The NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship was held on May 13–15, 2016 with UCLA, Los Angeles hosting. Eight teams were selected to participate in the annual event. Conference champions from the Big West, CWPA, Golden Coast Conference, MAAC, MPSF, SCIAC and WWPA were represented with the seven automatic bids. They were joined by three at-large teams, with play-in games conducted on May 10, 2016.

Play-in games (May 10, 2016, Canyonview Aquatic Center at the University of California, San Diego): San Diego State def. Wagner 7–4, UC San Diego def. Whitter 11–7

Tournament First Round games (May 13, 2016): UCLA def. UC San Diego 17–4, Stanford def. UC Santa Barbara 12–5, Southern California def. San Diego State 12–3, Michigan def. Arizona State 5-4

Semi-finals (May 14, 2016): Southern California def. Michigan 9–6, Stanford def. UCLA 7-4

Championship (May 15, 2016): Southern California def. Stanford 8–7

2015 The NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship was held on May 8–10, 2015 with Stanford, Stanford, CA hosting. Eight teams participated in the event. As has been the case since 2011, conference champions from the MPSF, WWPA, SCIAC, CWPA, MAAC, and Big West represented the six automatic bids. They were joined by four at-large teams, with play-in games being conducted on May 2: UC San Diego (18-18) def. Whittier (21-14) 17–11, Princeton (29-3) def. Wagner (25-8) 12–2.

Tournament First Round games (May 8, 2015): UCLA (24-2) def. UC San Diego 9–2, California (19-7) def. UCI (19-8) 6–5, Southern Cal (22-5) def. Hawaii (18-9) 14–7, Stanford (23-2) def. Princeton (30-4) 7–2.

Semi-finals (May 9, 2015): UCLA def. California 9–5, Stanford def. Southern Cal 9–8

Championship (May 10, 2015): Stanford def. UCLA, 7–6

2014 The NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship was held on May 9–11, 2014 with USC, Los Angeles hosting. Eight teams participated. Play-in games among four at-large teams were conducted May 3 on the campuses of the higher-seeded teams, with No. 8 seed Indiana defeating No. 9 seed Wagner 11–6, and No. 7 seed UC San Diego defeating No. 10 seed Pomona Pitzer 13–9.

Tournament First Round games (May 9, 2014): No. 1 seed Stanford def. No. 8 seed Indiana 18–2, No. 2 seed UCLA def. No. 7 seed UC San Diego 12–8, No. 3 seed USC def. No. 6 seed UCI 14–11, No. 4 seed Cal def. No. 5 seed ASU 7–4

Semi-finals (May 10, 2014): Stanford def. California 12–8, UCLA def. USC 5–3

Championship (May 11, 2014): Stanford def. UCLA 9–5

Annika Dries of Stanford was named the tournament's most outstanding player.

2013 The NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship was held on May 10–12, 2013 with Harvard University, Cambridge, MA hosting. Eight teams participated. Conference champions from the MPSF, WWPA, SCIAC, CWPA, MAAC, and Big West were joined by two at-large teams.

Tournament First Round games (May 10, 2013): No. 2 seed Stanford (27-2) def. No. 7 seed Iona (21-8) 20–3; No. 3 seed UCLA (26-6) def. No. 6 seed Princeton (26-5) 8–6; No. 1 seed Southern California (24-1) def. Pomona-Pitzer (18-16) 27–1; No. 4 seed Hawaii (21-9) def. No. 5 seed UC San Diego (25-13) 13–6

Semi-finals (May 11, 2013): No. 2 seed Stanford def. No. 3 seed UCLA 5–3; No. 1 seed Southern California def. No. 4 seed Hawaii 16–9

Championship (May 12, 2013): No. 1 seed Southern California def. No. 2 seed Stanford, 10-95OT

2012 The tournament was held at the SDSU's Aztec Aquaplex in San Diego, California with automatic bids for the MPSF, CWPA, Big West, MAAC, WWPA and SCIAC conferences. The three-day championships on May 11–13, 2012, also had two at-large teams.

Tournament First Round games (May 11, 2012): No. 1 Stanford (23-2) def. No. 8 Pomona-Pitzer (21-16) 17–5; No. 2 UCLA (21-3) def. No. 7 Iona (24-11) 14–3; No. 3 Southern California (21-5) def. No. 6 Princeton (28-4) 14–2; No. 4 UC Irvine (24-6) def. No. 5 Loyola Marymount (20-9) 8–6.

Semi-finals (May 12, 2012: No. 1 Stanford def. No. 4 UC Irvine 12–3; No. 3 Southern California def. No. 2 UCLA 12–10.

Championship (May 13, 2012): No. 1 Stanford def. No. 3 Southern California 6–4.

2011 The tournament was held at the University of Michigan's Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan with automatic bids for the MPSF (Stanford), CWPA (Indiana), Big West (UCI), MAAC (Iona), WWPA (UC San Diego) and SCIAC (Redlands). The three-day championships on May 13–15, 2011, also had two at-large teams.