ORANGE, Calif. - Thanks to victories over No. 6 Claremont and rival Occidental College at the Inland Empire Tournament last weekend, the Chapman University men's water polo team has jumped five places in this week's NCAA Division III coaches poll and are currently tied for No. 4 in the nation. It's the team's highest national ranking ever.

Chapman (3-2) also played No. 1 Redlands tight for three quarters on Sunday before falling 12-8 in the tournament. That loss, combined with convincing wins against Claremont and La Verne this season have been impressive enough to cause the pollsters to take notice.

The Panthers have been led in their first five games by junior Alex Mulé, who ranks third in the nation in scoring with 23 goals. Junior goalie Colin Gasper is also averaging 12 saves per game.

The Panthers will be tested this weekend at the Cal Lutheran Tournament where they will face two top-10 teams: No. 8 Cal Lutheran and No. 9 Whittier.