MWPA Releases 2021 Boys Preseason Poll

The Michigan Water Polo Association (MWPA) has announced the result of the 2021 Boys preseason coaches poll ahead of the March 22nd start to the dual-Spring MWPA campaign.

On the Boys Side, the defending State Champion Hudsonville Eagles sit atop the preseason poll with a near-perfect score. The Eagles return seniors Colin McDowell, Gabe Ecenbarger, Nate Chalmers, Eli Boonstra and Tyler Bayle to the mix per head coach, Josh Ahrendt.

The Dexter Dreadnaughts, the State Runners Up from the 2019 campaign, sit second place following their 10-7 Championship game loss. The Dreads return to action under the direction of long-time head coach, Brian Semple.

By Region, East and West regions each have five teams in the preseason top 10. The West side opens the poll with a combined total poll-score of 2,679. The East side has a combined total poll-score of 2,280.

By District, District 1 has three teams ranked (Hudsonville, Grand Haven Zeeland), District 2 has two (Rockford, East Grand Rapids), District 3 has one team (Birmingham Seaholm) and District 4 has a state-best four teams ranked (A.A. Huron, A.A. Pioneer, A.A. Skyline, Dexter).

The MWPA's boys season is scheduled to kick-off with a 5:30 pm tilt between Lake Orion and Mason/Grand Ledge on Monday, March 29, 2021.

"The next poll will not be released until Monday, April 12," MWPA Secretary and Web Admin Harrison Watt said. "This will allow us to get a number of games that will give the voters a clearer picture."

Understanding the Poll: The poll, open to all MWPA Head Coaches, is ranked via a point-percentage scoring model. The points column is percentage of points scored by voters against the maximum total, which is based on number of voters. The period that would signify percentage has been dropped off the beginning of each number.

Unanimous first place ranking nets a score of 1,000 points.

Coaches vote weekly during the season. Polls will be updated Monday afternoons at 3 pm ET. Inquiries on the poll can be directed to the chat feature on the MWPA website. Answering times may vary.