| NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship | |
| Year: | 2023 |
| Dates: | May 10–14, 2023 |
| Num Teams: | 9 |
| Winners: | Stanford |
| Second: | USC |
| Third: | Princeton, UCLA |
| Prev Season: | 2022 |
| Next Season: | 2024 |
The 2023 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship was the 21st edition of the NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship, the annual tournament to decide the championship of NCAA women's collegiate water polo. The tournament was held from May 10 to May 14, 2023, at the Eberhardt Aquatics Center in Stockton, California. The championship game was streamed live on ESPNU.[1] Stanford defeated USC 11-9 for the program's ninth national title.[2] [3]
The field of teams was revealed in a selection show on May 1, 2023.[4] Six conferences were granted automatic qualification to the championship: the Big West Conference, Collegiate Water Polo Association, Golden Coast Conference, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, and Western Water Polo Association. Three additional teams earned entry into the tournament with at-large bids, with all of them coming from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.[5]
| Seed | Team | Conference | Bid type | Appearance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford | MPSF | Automatic | 22nd | |
| 2 | USC | MPSF | At-large | 18th | |
| 3 | California | MPSF | At-large | 9th | |
| 4 | UCLA | MPSF | At-large | 21st | |
| Biola | WWPA | Automatic | 1st | ||
| Fresno State | GCC | Automatic | 3rd | ||
| Long Island | MAAC | Automatic | 1st | ||
| Princeton | CWPA | Automatic | 4th | ||
| UC Irvine | Big West | Automatic | 8th |
| Game | Time | Matchup | Score | TV | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Round – Wednesday, May 10 | ||||||
| 1 | 4:00 p.m. | LIU vs. Biola | 10–8 | NCAA.com | ||
| Quarterfinals – Friday, May 12 | ||||||
| 2 | 3:00 p.m. | No. 1 Stanford vs. LIU | 23–0 | NCAA.com | ||
| 3 | 5:00 p.m. | No. 4 UCLA vs. UC Irvine | 14–12 | |||
| 4 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 2 USC vs. Fresno State | 12–8 | |||
| 5 | 9:00 p.m. | No. 3 California vs. Princeton | 9–11 | |||
| Semifinals – Saturday, May 13 | ||||||
| 6 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 4 UCLA | 14–9 | NCAA.com | ||
| 7 | 10:00 p.m. | No. 2 USC vs. Princeton | 18–8 | |||
| Championship – Sunday, May 14 | ||||||
| 8 | 10:00 p.m. | No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 2 USC | 11–9 | ESPNU | ||