Located within the heart of the hotbed of college water polo, the Western Water Polo Association continues to grow as a men’s water polo and women’s water polo conference competing at the NCAA Division I level.

4 KAP7 Becomes Official Partner of WWPA

The league began sending teams to the National Collegiate Water Polo Championships in 1981 on the men’s side and in 2001 on the women’s side when the NCAA added the sport to its long list of championships. The current structure of the WWPA includes eight teams on the women’s side and nine on the men. Heading into 2013, the WWPA membership includes:

2013-14 WWPA Men:

Air Force Academy

California Baptist

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges

Loyola Marymount

Pomona-Pitzer Colleges

Univeristy of Redlands

Santa Clara

UC Davis

UC San Diego

2012-13 WWPA Women:

Cal State East Bay

Cal State Monterey Bay

Cal state San Bernardino

Colorado State

Loyola Marymount

Santa Clara

Sonoma State

UC San Diego

Founded in 1981, the original charter members of the WWPA include current members LMU (women only, joined men in 1987), Santa Clara, UC Davis (men only), UC San Diego, Claremont (men only), Pomona-Pitzer (men only), and Air Force (men only). On the men’s side, Redlands joined in 1990 and California Baptist in 2013. On the women’s side, CSUSB joined in 2001, CSUEB in 2002, Sonoma State in 2004 and Colorado State and CSUMB in 2005.

The WWPA use to also include:

Men’s Programs

BYU-Hawaii (Withdrew 2006, Joined 2002); California Institute of Technology (Unknown, Joined 1992); Cal State Los Angeles (Withdrew 1991, Charter Member); Cal State San Bernardino (Withdrew 1991, Joined 1990); Chaminade University (Withdrew 2006, Charter Member); Chapman University (Withdrew 2013, Joined 1994); Dominican (Withdrew 1989, Charter Member); University of La Verne (Withdrew 2013, joined 1998); Loyola University – Chicago (Withdrew 1989, Charter Member); Occidental College (Withdrew 2013, joined 1988); UC Riverside (Withdrew 1994, Joined 1988); University of Utah (Withdrew 1989, Charter Member); UC Santa Cruz (Withdrew 2009, Joined 1997); Whittier College (Withdrew 2013, Joined 1992).

Women’s Programs

California Lutheran University (Withdrew 2005, Joined in 2004); California Institute of Technology (Withdrew 2005, Joined 2004); CSU Bakersfield (Withdrew in 2012, Charter Member); Claremont-Mudd Scripps Colleges (Withdrew 2005, Charter Member); Occidental College (Withdrew 2005, Charter Member); Pomona Pitzer Colleges (Withdrew 2005, Charter Member); University of La Verne (Withdrew 2005, Charter Member); University of Redlands (Withdrew 2005, Charter Member); Whittier College (Withdrew 2005, Charter Member); UC Davis (Withdrew 2005, Charter Member); UC Santa Cruz  (Withdrew 2009, Charter Member); Chapman University (Withdrew 2010, Joined 1992)

The WWPA competes within the NCAA and qualifies for the NCAA’s automaticc bid to the National Collegiate Water Polo Championships for both the men (fall sport) and women (spring). The WWPA features a championship tournament at the conclusion of both the men’s and women’s seasons, with the winner earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAAs. The men’s championships normally runs the third weekend of November while the women’s takes place the final weekend of April.

The league is governed by the Executive Committee, which includes the Director of Athletics (or a designated representative) from each WWPA Institutions. The Executive Committee then elects a President of the Association, which presides as chair for all Executive Committee meetings and supervises the WWPA Commissioner. The Commissioner is then charged with the day-to-day operation of the WWPA.

THE COMMISSIONER - Ellen Moore

In May of 2011, the Western Water Polo Association has named Ellen Moore as commissioner, beginning at the conclusion of this weekend’s National Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Championships. Moore becomes the water polo conference’s third commissioner.

"I'm excited to pursue this opportunity with the WWPA, allowing me to combine my conference administration experience with my athletics background in order to be an advocate on behalf of our membership and the student-athletes,” said Moore. “The Western region is undeniably the hot bed of college water polo and I am confident the WWPA can be an impact player.  I look forward to working with our coaches, administrators and student-athletes and am enthusiastic about the overall future of the WWPA."

Moore is taking over for Andy Takata, who is leaving to focus on his full time job as City Manager of Banning, Calif. Takata was commissioner from 2006 through 2011. Takata took over for John Montrella, who was instrumental in the formation of the WWPA. Takata

"I have enjoyed working with this fantastic organization, the administrators, coaches and the most important element the student-athletes,” said Takata. “We have progressed to a well-respected conference and the organization has gotten better every year. The WWPA has tremendous possibilities and I am happy to turn it over to the very capable hands of Ellen Moore.”

Moore takes over a league located within the heart of the hotbed of college water polo. The league began sending teams to the National Collegiate Water Polo Championships in 1981 on the men’s side and in 2001 on the women’s side when the NCAA added the sport to its long list of championships. The current structure of the WWPA includes nine teams on the women’s side and 12 on the men.

Moore was a softball player at Georgia Tech, graduating in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering. She then earned her Masters of Arts in Sports Management in 2005 from the University of San Francisco.

Following graduation, she was a marketing and promotions assistant at San Francisco and then served as a Communications Assistant for the West Coast Conference in 2004-05. She was then hired by the WCC as the Director of Championships, serving in that role from 2006 through 2009.

In 2009 she became the commissioner of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference and also runs her own design firm which includes web development for the Sacramento Running Association and the California International Marathon.

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