The ball drops on 2024 men's and women's water polo seasons as first rankings released
SARATOGA - The ball dropped for a handful of 3C2A men’s and women’s water polo teams last weekend, igniting the long sprint to the state championships at Long Beach City Nov. 21-12.
As the season unfurls, two questions come immediately to mind for polo enthusiasts across California: Can anyone prevent the Santa Barbara City College women’s team from a championship three-peat, and is there a squad out there that can deny the Golden West men an eight-peat (if that’s even a word)?
Week two features men’s tournaments at Cypress and West Valley and women’s events at Cypress, Cuesta and Palomar, and, by Sept. 15, every 3C2A team will have hit the water at least once.
The usual NorCal and SoCal powerhouses look to be locked and loaded. At least that’s what the California Community College Water Polo Coaches Association (CCCWPCA) thinks with its preseason/week one Top Ten rankings:
| 2024 CCCWPCA MEN'S RANKINGS (Sep. 2) | 2024 CCCWPCA WOMEN'S RANKINGS (Sep. 2) | |||||
| RK | School | Record | RK | School | Record | |
| 1. | Golden West | 0-0 | 1. | Santa Barbara City | 0-0 | |
| 2. | West Valley | 0-0 | 2. | Riverside City | 0-0 | |
| 3. | Cuesta | 4-0 | 3. | Long Beach City | 0-0 | |
| 4. | Long Beach City | 0-0 | 4. | West Valley | 0-0 | |
| 5. | American River | 2-0 | 5. | Sierra | 2-0 | |
| T6. | Orange Coast | 0-0 | 6. | Orange Coast | 0-0 | |
| T6. | Mt. San Antonio | 3-1 | 7. | Fullerton | 0-0 | |
| 8. | L.A. Valley | 0-0 | 8. | San Joaquin Delta | 0-0 | |
| T9. | Saddleback | 0-0 | 9. | Ventura | 0-0 | |
| T9. | Cerritos | 0-0 | 10. | Golden West | 0-0 | |
| Others: Riverside City, Citrus, Grossmont, | Others: Saddleback, Cuesta, Citrus, Mt. | |||||
| Ventura, Cypress, Sierra, San Joaquin Delta, | San Antonio, Grossmont, San Diego Miramar, | |||||
| Palomar, Modesto, Southwestern, San Diego | Merced, Cypress, Marin, L.A. Valley, Cerritos, | |||||
| Mesa, San Diego Miramar, Merced, Santa | Modesto, Palomar, Fresno City, Cabrillo, | |||||
| Monica, Diablo Valley, Chaffey. | American River, Diablo Valley, East L.A., | |||||
| Southwestern. | ||||||
(Matt Folsom, CCCWPCA SID)