The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) has announced the addition of the Wheaton College Men’s Water Polo team to the conference, beginning with the 2024 season. Located in Norton, Massachusetts and primarily affiliated with the NCAA Division-III New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), Wheaton made its first appearance in the MPSF in artistic swimming in 2022. The Lyons are currently in their inaugural season competing in men’s and women’s water polo.
"Wheaton is excited to join the MPSF for Men's Water Polo for many reasons, including the fact that our varsity artistic swimming team is already competing in the MPSF,” said Wheaton Associate Vice President for Athletics & Strategic Programs Gavin Viano. “From a competitive standpoint as well as a recruiting standpoint, the MPSF is synonymous with a high-quality scholar-athlete experience. We have benefitted for this conference affiliation over the past few years, and we are excited to join the MPSF for an additional varsity sport in 2024."
Alana Burgess, the first-ever water polo head coach at Wheaton, is no stranger to the MPSF. Burgess was a four-year member of the nationally-ranked San Diego State Women's Water Polo team during the Aztecs’ MPSF years from 2008-12, and later helped San José State to 17 wins as an assistant coach in 2016.
"As a previous student-athlete who competed in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, I am thrilled to return, this time as a coach,” Burgess said. “The MPSF has always provided a great competitive environment as well as championship opportunities. Wheaton Water Polo is honored to be the newest addition to this conference."
The 2024 MPSF Men’s Water Polo Championship Tournament is scheduled to feature nine teams—California, Stanford, UCLA, and USC in the western division, along with Augustana, Austin College, Penn State Behrend, Washington & Jefferson, and Wheaton in the eastern division. Next year’s championship, which will be in its third-year of crowning a champion in each division, will be held at UCLA’s Spieker Aquatics Center (Nov. 22-24, 2024).
Wheaton represents the all-sports combined 17th team added in the MPSF since the 2021 arrival of Executive Director Foti Mellis.
“We are excited to welcome another member of Wheaton College Athletics to the MPSF,” Mellis said. “The addition of Wheaton Men’s Water Polo continues to strengthen our Division-III membership and will enrich an already exciting MPSF postseason tournament. I would like to thank Wheaton AD Gavin Viano for his continued support of the MPSF. We look forward to Wheaton’s inaugural MPSF season in 2024.”
Further MPSF information can be found on the conference website
www.mpsports.org as well as on social media @MPSFSports. Learn more about Wheaton Athletics at
wheatoncollegelyons.com and @WheatonLyons. The MPSF has captured all 31 NCAA D-I Championships in men’s water polo since its inaugural season of 1992.