Golden West still No. 1 in CCCWPCA Top 10
Santa Cruz, Calif. – It took a power outage at the Cuesta Invitational to slow down all-gas-no-brakes Golden West, as the Rustlers were No. 1 in the California Community College Water Polo Coaches Association (CCCWPCA) week five Top 10 rankings. The top five spots in poll were unchanged as West Valley was No. 2, followed by Orange Coast, Long Beach City, and Cerritos.
The Cuesta blackout erased anticipated Golden West battles against No. 6 Cuesta, No. 8 American River, Mt. San Antonio, and San Diego Mesa. The Rustlers smacked No. 7 Saddleback, 21-3, in a September 23 OEC contest. West Valley, whose only losses are to NCAA DI's Cal (21-13) and San Jose State (13-10), improved to 12-0 against 3C2A opponents with a decisive 21-6 Coast Conference win over a solid Merced squad.
(Matt Folsom, CCCWPCA)
2026 CCCWPCA Men's Water Polo Coaches Poll (Sept. 30)
| Rank | College | Points (1st) | Record | PR | |
| 1. | Golden West | 179 (8) | 9-0 | 1 | Cuesta Blackout Wiped Out Games vs. No. 6 Cuesta, No. 8 American River, Mt. SAC, SD Mesa |
| 2. | West Valley | 172 (1) | 12-2 | 2 | Have Outscored 3 Coast Conference Opponents by a Combined 81-19 (27-6 Avg.) |
| 3. | Orange Coast | 160 | 14-3 | 3 | 7-Game Streak Includes Wins over LBCC, Saddleback, ARC, Cypress, LA Valley, Mt. SAC |
| 4. | Long Beach City | 144 | 9-3 | 4 | Big 12-10 Win over No. 8 ARC at Cuesta Invite; 2-0 in SCC after 19-4 Win over Chaffey |
| 5. | Cerritos | 141 | 17-2 | 5 | 5-0 vs. 4-Year Schools at Air Force Academy Tournament |
| 6. | Cuesta | 137 | 4-5 | 8 | 3-0 at Eponymous Tournament (Before Power Outage) |
| 7. | Saddleback | 118 | 7-6 | 6 | Tough OEC Losses to No. 1 Golden West, No. 3 Orange Coast |
| 8. | American River | 109 | 8-9 | 9 | Brutal Schedule; Losses to No. 3 OCC, No. 4 LBCC, No. 6 Cuesta; Blasted Big 8 Foe SJ Delta, 31-5 |
| 9. | Cypress | 96 | 12-4 | 7 | 18-17 OT Win vs. No. 8 ARC; Topped No. 10 Ventura, 14-9 |
| 10. | Ventura | 91 | 7-9 | 10 | Eyeing Big Game vs. No. 5 Cerritos at This Weekend's Cerritos Mini |
Others Receiving Votes: San Diego Miramar 23, San Diego Mesa, 14, Mt. San Antonio 11.