Harvard’s No. 10 women’s water polo team begins its defense of the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) title as the playoffs start this weekend, according to an April 10 announcement. The Crimson will play their first game on Saturday after earning a first-round bye by defeating Brown last weekend.
The team enters the postseason as the No. 1 seed for the first time in program history, following its second consecutive regular season championship. Harvard’s opponent in the opening round will be determined by Friday’s match between Bucknell and Brown, with Harvard set to face the winner at 1:00 p.m. The game will be streamed live on BallerTV.
Last season, despite winning its first regular season championship, Harvard entered as the No. 2 seed and went on to win a program-best 26 games in 2025, including victories over nationally ranked teams Michigan and Princeton during playoffs. In those playoffs, Harvard overcame deficits in each contest and secured back-to-back overtime wins in both semifinal and championship games to claim the league crown.
This year, Harvard needs only two wins to retain its title after finishing conference play with a 5-1 record. In their final regular season game against Brown at Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatic Center, sophomore Sofia Del Villar led with seven points while junior Maya O’Dea also scored four goals.
Several players received all-conference honors: Emma Gilbert and Maya O’Dea were named first-team All-CWPA; Orli Cooper, Niki Piovan, and Heidi Heffelfinger made second team; Ella Schneider earned honorable mention. Head coach Ted Minnis was named CWPA Coach of the Year for a second straight season—the fourth time in his career—with Harvard achieving its best start ever through twenty games at a record of 19-1.
