BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Club Spotlight series shifts to the West Coast with the current women’s Northwest Division of Oregon State University, Portland State University, the University of Oregon “A”, the University of Oregon “B”, the University of Washington and Western Washington University.
HISTORY: The third oldest women’s collegiate club division in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) behind only the Midwest (1996) and Southwest Divisions (1997), the Northwest Division was formed in 1997. The lone division to include an international team that captured a division title as Simon Fraser University of Burnaby, British Columbia, won the 2004 Northwest Division Championship and notched runner-up finishes in 1998, 1999 and 2003, the Northwest Division membership has remained relatively consistent over time with the presence of Oregon State, Portland State, Oregon, Washington and Western Washington.
In the history of the division, Oregon and Washington have reigned as the dominant presence with the Ducks and Huskies combining for 20 of the 22 league championships captured between 1998 and 2019. Oregon holds 11 crowns (2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015) with five runner-up finishes (2001, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019), while Washington has taken home the big plaque nine times (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) with seven second place marks (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009). Overall, the two programs have racked up 32 of a possible 44 division championship game berths in the history of the Northwest Division – including nine head-to-head title game clashes between the Ducks and Huskies.
Portland State is the only other active team in the division with a title as the Vikings claimed with 2003 championship with runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2015. Oregon State has appeared in the division title game five times (2000, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017), while former division member Simon Fraser holds one title (2004) and a trio of runner-up placements (1998, 1999, 2003).
On the National level, the Northwest Division holds a special distinction as Washington knocked off Michigan State University in 2000 to claim the inaugural Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship. Oregon has also played for the National Championship as the Ducks dropped the 2008 title tilt to California Polytechnic State University.
Northwest Division Champion/Runner-Up
- 1998 – University of Washington / Simon Fraser University
- 1999 – University of Washington / Simon Fraser University
- 2000 – University of Washington / Oregon State University
- 2001 – University of Washington / University of Oregon
- 2002 – University of Oregon / University of Washington
- 2003 – University of Washington / Simon Fraser University
- 2004 – Simon Fraser University / University of Washington
- 2005 – University of Oregon / University of Washington
- 2006 – University of Oregon / University of Washington
- 2007 – University of Oregon / University of Washington
- 2008 – University of Oregon / University of Washington
- 2009 – University of Oregon / University of Washington
- 2010 – University of Oregon / Oregon State University
- 2011 – University of Oregon / Oregon State University
- 2012 – University of Oregon / Oregon State University
- 2013 – Portland State University / University of Oregon
- 2014 – University of Oregon / Portland State University
- 2015 – University of Oregon / Portland State University
- 2016 – University of Washington / University of Oregon
- 2017 – University of Washington / Oregon State University
- 2018 – University of Washington / University of Oregon
- 2019 – University of Washington / University of Oregon
National Collegiate Club Champion/Runner-Up
- 2000 – University of Washington / Michigan State University
- 2008 – California Polytechnic State University / University of Oregon
THE TEAMS: A division of four Division I institutions (Oregon State, Portland State, Oregon, Washington) and one Division II school (Western Washington), the Northwest Division holds an automatic berth to the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship.
Oregon State University
A five-time Northwest Division runner-up (2000, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017), the Beavers of Oregon State University are one of four programs in the division located in the State of Oregon.
Located in Corvallis, Ore. – the 10th largest city in the state, the university offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. With a student enrollment approaching 32,000, it is Oregon’s largest university.
OSU is one of 73 land-grant universities in the United States. The school is also a sea-grant, space-grant, and sun-grant institution, making it one of only four U.S. institutions to obtain all four designations. (University of Hawaii at Manoa, Cornell University and Pennsylvania State University are the only others with similar designation.)
Founded in 1856, the school’s 420-acre main campus is located in Corvallis, in the Willamette Valley, is considered one of the safest in the nation.
Oregon State University is one of the few universities to have ROTC detachments for each branch of the US Military. Oregon State University Army ROTC is a distinguished program and has been taught regularly since 1873. After the Second World War ended in 1945, a Department of Naval Science was added at Oregon State. Providing officer training for the both the US Navy and the US Marine Corps, it is now one of the largest in the nation and has earned the unofficial title “Naval Academy of the Northwest.” The Oregon State Air Force ROTC draws more freshmen scholarships than any other AFROTC unit in the nation and has had over 1,000 officers commissioned.
In Fall 2019, total student enrollment was 31,719, the largest among all Oregon universities, as the school holds a 78.4% admission rate.
For more information on the Oregon State women’s collegiate club team, contact either Eden Vanderhoek (vanderhe@oregonstate.edu) or the team’s general email account (womens.waterpolo@oregonstate.edu).
- Facebook (@oregonstatewomenswaterpolo)
- Instagram (@osuwomenswaterpolo)
- Twitter (@OSUwwaterpolo)
- Website (https://webapp.getrecdapp.com/osurecsports/club/191/)
Portland State University
The 2013 Northwest Division Champion and a two-time runner-up (2014, 2015), Portland State University is one of three active division members to previously claim the division title joining the University of Oregon and the University of Washington.
Founded in 1946 in Portland, Ore., as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans, the school evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades and was granted university status in 1969. It is the only public urban university in the state of Oregon that is located in a large city.
Portland State is composed of seven constituent colleges, offering undergraduate degrees in 123 fields and postgraduate degrees in 117 fields. Schools at Portland State include the School of Business Administration, College of Education, School of Social Work, College of Urban and Public Affairs, College of the Arts, Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The university has increasingly added more doctoral programs as it has grown from its original mission as a liberal arts undergraduate college into a more broad-based research university. Recently added fields where doctorates are awarded are mathematics, biology, chemistry, applied physics, computer science, applied psychology, engineering & technology management, mechanical engineering, and sociology. Graduate education is now offered in more than 70 master’s degree programs, more than 30 graduate certificate programs and 20 doctoral programs.
For more information on the Portland State women’s collegiate club team, contact Hannah Tschudin (ladyvikswaterpolo@gmail.com).
- Facebook (@ladyvikswaterpolo)
University of Oregon
An 11-time Northwest Division Champion (2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015) and five-time runner-up (2001, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019), the Ducks of the University of Oregon have appeared in 16 of the 22 division championship games held since 1998. The mark ties Oregon with the University of Washington for the most title game appearances as the Huskies hold nine titles and seven second place finishes.
Currently fielding both “A” and “B” teams in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), the school is located in Eugene, Ore., and was founded in 1876 on a 295-acre campus along the Willamette River.
Oregon is organized into five colleges (Arts and Sciences, Business, Design, Education, and Honors) and seven professional schools (Accounting, Architecture and Environment, Art and Design, Journalism and Communication, Law, Music and Dance, and Planning, Public Policy and Management) and a graduate school. Furthermore, UO offers 316 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Most academic programs follow the 10 week Quarter System with the exception of the law school, which operates on the Semester System.
The current UO student body is composed of students from all 50 of the United States, the District of Columbia, two U.S. territories, and 89 countries around the world. Pre-Business Administration is the most popular undergraduate major at UO (12.3% of all majors), followed by Psychology (6.4%), Human Physiology (5.3%), Economics (4.8%) and Business Administration (4.4%).
For students entering Fall 2019, 22,329 freshmen were accepted out of 27,358 applicants, an 81.6% acceptance rate, and 4,525 enrolled for a yield of 20.3%.
The school’s Duck mascot is unique for a college. The popular Disney character Donald Duck has been the mascot for decades, thanks to a handshake agreement between then-Athletic Director Leo Harris and Walt Disney in 1947. The mascot has been challenged more than a few times in its lifetime. The first came in 1966 when Walt Disney died and the company realized there was no formal contract written for the use of Donald’s image. A formal contract was written up in 1973. It is one of two schools with permission to use a Disney character as its mascot – joining J.W. Hallahan High School in Philadelphia which holds rights to Mickey Mouse.
For more information on the Oregon women’s collegiate club team, contact either Anna Neufeld (annan@uoregon.edu) or the team’s general email account (duckpolo@uoregon.edu).
- Facebook (@uowwp)
- Instagram (@uowwp)
- Twitter (@OregonWaterPolo)
- Website (https://clubsports.uoregon.edu/clubs/water-polo-women)
University of Washington
The inaugural women’s National Collegiate Club Champion thanks to besting Michigan State University in 2000, the Huskies of the University of Washington hold nine Northwest Division Championships (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019).
A seven-time division runner-up (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), Washington is tied with the University of Oregon for the most Northwest Division title game appearance at 16 as the Ducks hold 11 titles and five second place marks.
Washington – which ran off 12 title game berths in the first dozen years of Northwest Division competition (1998-to-2009) – remains the four-time defending division champion as the Huskies claimed the 2006, 2017, 2018 and 2019 crowns prior to the COVID-19 terminated 2020 season. In addition, Washington is one of two schools located in the State of Washington competing in the Northwest Division joining Western Washington University.
Founded in 1861 in Seattle, Wash., Washington offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees through 140 departments in various colleges and schools, sees about 46,000 in total student enrollment every year, and functions on a quarter system.
For Fall 2019, 23,606 (51.8%) were accepted out of 45,584 applications. The University uses capacity constrained majors, a gate-keeping process that requires most students to apply to an internal college or faculty. New applications are usually considered once or twice annually, and few students are admitted each time. The screening process is often stringent, largely being based on cumulative academic performance, recommendation letters and extracurricular activities.
University of Washington had 47,571 total enrollments as of Autumn 2019, making it the largest university on the West Coast by student population in spite of its selective admissions process. It also boasts one of the most diverse student bodies within the US, with more than 50% of its undergraduate students being members of minority groups.
For more information on the Washington women’s collegiate club team, contact Karli Stone (info@uwwaterpolo.com; karlistevenson7@gmail.com).
- Facebook (@uwwwaterpolo)
- Instagram (@uwwaterpolo)
- Twitter (@UW_WaterPolo)
- Website (https://www.uwwaterpolo.com/)
Western Washington University
Western Washington University is the northernmost university in the contiguous United States and was founded in 1893.
The third third largest college/university in Washington after Washington State University and the University of Washington, WWU offers a variety of bachelor’s and master’s degrees for a student body of over 16,000 – with over 84% from the State of Washington.
WWU is located in Bellingham, a city of about 90,000 people, overlooking Bellingham Bay and many of the San Juan Islands. The university is 90 miles north of Seattle, 55 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia, and an hour’s drive from 10,778-foot Mount Baker.
Academic programs at Western Washington are unique as the school boasts one of the nation’s best philosophy departments among colleges and universities that offer only a B.A. in the discipline. Further, WWU’ss Vehicle Research Institute (VRI) strives to offer the best total car design curriculum in the world. The program focuses on complete vehicle design and fabrication with special emphasis on: power plants, including alternative fuels; transmissions; chassis design; and component materials. Finally, the Center for Canadian American Studies at Western Washington is one of only two U.S. Department of Education designated National Resource Centers for the study of Canada in the United States.
For more information on the Western Washington women’s collegiate club team, contact Sarah Schweinler (western.womens.waterpolo@gmail.com).
- Website (https://wp.wwu.edu/womenswaterpolo/)