Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Team Appears in National Rankings
9/23/2004 8:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Sept. 23, 2004
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Thanks to an impressive 6-2 start to its season, the Bucknell men's water polo team has appeared in the national poll for the first time since 2001 with a No. 20 ranking in this week's poll, announced by the Collegiate Water Polo Association Wednesday.
The Bison are one of just four teams from the Eastern portion of the United States listed within the Top 20. Bucknell is joined by St. Francis (t-9), Princeton (t-9) and Navy (13).
The 6-2 start to the season is Bucknell's best since it streaked out to a 9-2 start in 1999. The last time the Bison climbed into the rankings in 2001, they owned a 3-4 mark, but had upended fifth-ranked Johns Hopkins, 11-10, to earn their accolade.
Leading the way for Bucknell this year has been senior Elliot Benoist, a member of that 2001 squad. The St. Louis, Mo., native is tied with classmate Jay Danforth for the team lead in goals with 14 and has added eight assists for a team-high 22 points. Junior Bradley Roslyn and senior Aaron Platshon have been offensive forces as well, tallying 10 and nine goals, respectively. Newcomer Sean Robinson, a junior, has also registered nine goals.
In goal, junior Trevor Mullins has been solid in posting a .485 save percentage while starting all eight games. He has stopped 49 shots while allowing just 52 goals.
"Being ranked at this point of the season shows the other coaches are noticing and respecting us," commented Bucknell head coach John Zeigler. "This is just a starting point. We are focused on our competition and continue to get better each week. We hope to be in this position at the end of the season and I think we can be."
The Bison return to action this weekend at the ECAC Championships in Cambridge, Mass. They will open with a game against Queens Friday night, Sept. 24, at 9:15 p.m. Saturday will then feature contests with Navy and host Harvard.
Week Three Poll, 9/22/04
Rank School Name Last Week Total Points
1 University of Southern California 2 100
2 Stanford University 1 95
3 University of California, Berkeley 4 90
4 University of California, Los Angeles 3 85
5 University of California, Irvine 5 81
6 Pepperdine University 6 74
7 University of California, San Diego 12T 66
8 University of California, Santa Barbara 10 62
9T St. Francis College 8 60
9T Princeton University 9 60
11 Loyola Marymount University 11 51
12 Long Beach State University 7 47
13 United States Naval Academy 12T 40
14 Brigham Young University, Hawaii 14 35
15 University of California, Davis 16 31
16 University of the Pacific 15 24
17 University of Redlands 17 20
18 United States Air Force Academy 18 12
19 California Baptist University 19 11
20 Bucknell University NR 6
