MWPA releases Girls Preseason Poll

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

The Girls poll is led by the teams that played for the 2019 State Championship Game. The three-time defending state champion Hudsonville Eagles sit atop the poll. The Eagles return varsity a pair of 2019 varsity regulars in Sofia Biriouk and Marley Persch to the mix under the direction of head coach Ian Hewitt.

The Rockford Rams sit narrowly behind in second out of the gate. Guided by Katie Clarin, the Rams are trying to win their first state championship since winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.

By Region, the East and West sides each have five teams in the initial poll. The West side has a combined poll score of 3,062 points, with the East side sitting at 1,884.

By district, District 1 has three teams ranked (Hudsonville, Grandville, Zeeland), District 2 has three teams (Rockford, East Grand Rapids, Grand Ledge), and District 4 has four teams seeded (Ann Arbor Skyline, Ann Arbor Huron, Ann Arbor Pioneer, Okemos).

"I'd like to thank the MWPA coaches for their participation in preseason voting and keeping up with all the new items we're doing to promote the sport," MWPA Secretary and Web Admin Harrison Watt said. "We have a really incredible sport. While it's going to be a tough year for spectating with COVID, we're looking forward to showing it off in different ways this year to grow the game."

The MWPA's composite schedules for both the boys and girls season are set to be released tomorrow (March 19) at 4 pm ET. Please note, adjustments will continually be made to the schedule as often potentially as day-to-day. Please stay tuned to our website for updates.

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.