Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Adds Six Recruits for 2006 Season
5/16/2006 8:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
May 16, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell head men's water polo coach John Zeigler announced Tuesday the addition of six student-athletes who will compete for the Bison in the fall. The members of the Class of 2010 hail from four different states, including California, Missouri, New York and Oregon. Four of the six players are at least 6 feet 3 inches and a pair was high school teammates.
Randy Ang (Hillsborough, Calif./Sacred Heart Prep), Nick Donahue (Brooklyn, N.Y./Lawrenceville), Nick Doyle (Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes), Chet Eimstad (Portland, Ore./Beaverton), Andrew Nelson (Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes) and Johnny Stupp (St. Louis, Mo./Mary Institute & Country Day) comprise the class, which joins a team that won 14 games last year despite facing 17 ranked opponents.
"We were looking to improve our team speed this year and with this group we have achieved that with the addition of impact players," said Zeigler. "The Class of 2010 will play a major role in our continuing pursuit of the Eastern Championship."
Ang was the water polo team captain as a senior when he also earned the team's Senior Award. The winner of the Coach's Award as a junior, he was the team captain and most valuable player of the junior varsity team as a sophomore. In addition to his water polo accolades, Ang was the swimming team captain as a senior and the recipient of the Coach's Award as a swimmer during his during year. He was also receiving consideration as an All-American in swimming.
"With a great left-handed shot and incredible quickness, Randy fills a role on the right side of our offense we missed this past season," described Zeigler. "We will look to him for counterattack, passing and scoring, while he will also be a solid defensive presence with his speed and aggressiveness."
Donahue, a 6'8" goalie, led The Lawrenceville School, which is located in New Jersey, to a 24-8 record and a third-place showing at Easterns last fall. Named to the All-Prep "A" team, Donahue uses his wing span and athleticism to his advantage in the goal.
"Nick has the kind of size you want to see at the goalie position," said Zeigler. "He will need to work on his leg skills and he needs game experience in the cage, but he is hungry to improve and play at this level."
Doyle, who was a high school teammate of Nelson, earned first-team All-League and second-team All-CIF honors as a senior.
"We really like Nick's athleticism and speed at the center-defender position," commented Zeigler. "With new rules implemented this fall, the game will become faster and Nick has tremendous potential with our program not only as a dominant athlete, but as a leader with great maturity."
Eimstad was a versatile athlete in high school, earning four letters in water polo and two each in swimming and track. A two-year team captain, Eimstad was first-team All-Metro and first-team All-State as a senior when he also earned league most valuable player accolades. As a junior he was also first-team All-Metro and second-team All-State, while he picked up second-team All-Metro honors as a sophomore.
"Chet is arguably the best prospect to come out of Oregon this year," explained Zeigler. "He has size and athleticism and a great understanding of the game. His specific role will be determined in the preseason, but he can provide strong defense as well as scoring, making him a probably impact player right away."
Nelson teamed up with Doyle at Palos Verdes High School and earned second-team All-CIF honors. The recipient of the "Best Offensive Player" award, Nelson was named second-team All-Bay League, while leading his team to the state semifinals in 2005. A four-year letterwinner in both water polo and swimming, Nelson qualified for the CIF championships in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events. Nelson's sister, Kali, will be a junior on the Yale University volleyball team in 2006.
"Andrew is one of those prospects you know is just starting to reach his potential in water polo," said Zeigler. "He has all the physical attributes that we look for and has maximized every opportunity in his area to play the highest-level water polo he can. He is hungry for the next level and will challenge for a competitive role on our team."
Stupp, a native of St. Louis like 2006 graduate Nick Ferring, led his team to state championships in 2002, 2003 and 2004. The captain of the water polo team as a senior, Stupp earned first-team All-Conference, All-District and All-Metro plaudits. A four-year letterwinner in swimming as well as water polo, Stupp was an All-State selection in swimming as both a junior and senior. A two-year captain of the swimming team, Stupp also played tennis for one season in high school.
"We have consistently attracted the best players from St. Louis and Johnny is no exception," mentioned Zeigler, who has had no fewer than seven St. Louis, Mo., natives play for him in his seven years at the helm of the Bison program. "He has incredible speed and combines that with a smart water polo game sense. He is primarily a defensive player, but we will look to use him in counterattack to capitalize on his quickness."
Bucknell finished the 2005 campaign with a 14-18 record and placed fourth at the Eastern Championship. It was the second-most wins since 2000 for the Bison.
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Recruiting Class
Randy Ang - Hillsborough, Calif./Sacred Heart Prep
Nick Donahue - Brooklyn, N.Y./Lawrenceville
Nick Doyle - Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes
Chet Eimstad - Portland, Ore./Beaverton
Andrew Nelson - Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes
Johnny Stupp - St. Louis, Mo./Mary Institute & Country Day
