Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Announces 2006 Award Winners
12/14/2006 7:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Dec. 14, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell men's water polo head coach John Zeigler announced the award winners for the 2006 Bison campaign last week at the team's annual awards dinner. Senior captain Mark Masterson (Kihei, Hawaii/Marin) took home the prestigious Scott Schulte Award for being the "individual who contributes the most to Bucknell water polo."
Six other Bison also picked up awards with junior Jason Rechel (Columbus, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) earning the Offensive Most Valuable Player honor and classmate Josh Sunday (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) being named the Defensive Most Valuable Player. Senior Sean Robinson (San Marino, Calif./San Marino) and junior Kyle Roslyn (Philadelphia, Pa./William Penn Charter) shared the Coaches Award, while sophomore Alex Lampley (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) was recognized with the Most Improved Award. Freshman Chet Eimstad (Portland, Ore./Beaverton) was named Rookie of the Year.
Masterson, who was a second-team all-conference selection, picked up the top honor in the Scott Schulte Award after earning Offensive MVP honors last year. The Kihei, Hawaii, native led the team in scoring for the second consecutive year as he tallied 62 goals and 31 assists for 93 points. In his two-year Bucknell career after transferring from UC Irvine, Masterson racked up 110 goals, 53 assists and 163 points.
Not just an offensive player, Masterson led the squad with 53 steals, nearly doubling his total from his junior season. The 53 steals tied him for 10th place on the Bison single-season list with Kevin Permisohn and Brad Roslyn. With 85 career steals Masterson stands in ninth place at Bucknell since 1996.
Masterson, who was one of four Bucknell players to start all 28 games this past year, tallied six goals in a game against Whittier earlier this fall, marking the most goals by a Bison player since 2001.
Like Masterson, Rechel was an all-conference choice. The junior driver paced the team with 35 assists. Rechel tallied career highs in every offensive category and finished the season with 163 career points, equaling Masterson for most on the squad.
Rechel, who posted a career-high eight points during a 14-11 victory over Johns Hopkins in September, was second to Masterson with 38 steals this season. He also recorded 31 ejections drawn, just two less than team leader Gabriel Heiber (Aventura, Fla./Miami Beach).
Additionally, Rechel also served as Bucknell's top sprinter, winning 48 of 102. Only 10 times all season did another Bison take part in a sprint.
As Defensive MVP Sunday was among the team leaders in steals and also ejections drawn from his center forward position. A starter in 27 games, he tallied a career-high 33 steals and drew 21 ejections, which ranked third on the squad. In addition to his defensive exploits, Sunday tallied 23 goals and eight assists to rank fifth on the team in points with 31.
Roslyn and Robinson, co-recipients of the Coaches Award, finished third and fourth, respectively, on the team in scoring with 55 and 47 points. Roslyn had a breakout campaign as a junior becoming a key cog in the Bison offense with 32 goals and 23 assists. A starter in 24 games, he ranked second on the squad to Masterson with 105 shots.
Roslyn, whose older brother, Brad, earned the Schulte Award last year, also contributed 36 steals and 24 ejections drawn, both of which were among the best on the team.
After starting just two games as a junior, Robinson, who was one of just two seniors on the team, returned to the starting lineup for all 28 games in 2006. He tallied career highs in every category with 34 goals, 13 assists, 32 steals and 21 ejections drawn.
After seeing action in just 11 games and scoring only two goals as a freshman, Lampley showed significant improvement with 10 goals and five assists in 27 games as a sophomore. He even drew four starting assignments and was a solid defensive player with 14 steals and also drew 15 ejections.
Eimstad earned Rookie of the Year honors after appearing in 26 games. A strong offensive player, he scored 12 goals and dished out nine assists. He also recorded an impressive 21 steals.
Bucknell finished the season with a 15-13 record while playing a challenging schedule that featured 15 ranked foes. It was the second time in three years the Bison finished above .500.
2006 Bucknell Men's Water Polo Award Winners
Scott Schulte Award: Mark Masterson
Offensive MVP: Jason Rechel
Defensive MVP: Josh Sunday
Coaches Award: Sean Robinson, Kyle Roslyn
Most Improved: Alex Lampley
Rookie of the Year: Chet Eimstad
