The nine Division III women’s programs competing in the Collegiate Water Polo Association are forming a separate competitive level within the conference.

As a result, those programs will compete for a division title in the conference and are giving up eligibility for participation in the College Water Polo Association Eastern Championship that determines the conference’s automatic qualifier into the National Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Championship. They also are eligible for a non-NCAA national-championship tournament offered at the end of the spring season for Division III programs sponsoring the sport.

The College Water Polo Association’s Division III members have been competing in the league against schools that can offer athletics scholarships, including 10 programs from Division I and two from Division II.

“The realignment for the Division III varsity women’s teams within the CWPA will be a great benefit to the student-athletes involved,” said Dan Sharadin, the association’s commissioner.

“Although it will create some additional travel in some instances, the opportunity to compete against similar programs will make a huge difference in the level of enjoyment for the players and coaches. Teams on both ends of the competitive spectrum will now be able to go into their contests with a sense of excitement rather than a belief that the outcome is already established.”

The Division III members are Carthage, Chatham, Connecticut College, Grove City, Macalester, Penn State-Behrend, Utica, Washington & Jefferson and Wheaton (Illinois). Carthage, Macalester and Wheaton are new to the league this year after competing as independents.

The schools retain full membership in the conference, including voting privileges at the league’s annual meeting and eligibility for all-conference and all-academic awards. The division they will compete in will be structured similarly to the conference’s three existing divisions, in which the Division I programs will continue to play.

The College Water Polo Association believes the change could encourage more Division III schools to consider sponsoring the sport.

“Looking forward, the realignment also provides greater growth potential at the Division III level, with new teams having the opportunity to compete against opponents similar in philosophy and size,” Sharadin said.

The reorganization has no bearing on the CWPA’s 17 men’s programs, which will continue to compete in Northern and Southern divisions. All remain eligible to compete for automatic qualification to the National Collegiate Men’s Water Polo Championship.

The other 12 women’s programs in the CWPA will remain divided into the conference’s Northern, Southern and Western divisions, with the top two teams in each four-team division qualifying for berths in the Eastern Championship, along with two teams chosen at large by a league selection panel.