Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Announces Recruiting Class
3/23/2007 8:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
March 23, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell head men's water polo coach John Zeigler announced a five-person recruiting class Friday. The players will join the Bison program in the fall. The Class of 2011 has an East Coast flair with two players from New England and another from Maryland in addition to a pair from California.
Zac Cooper (Sykesville, Md./Loyola Blakefield), Jackson Crow-Mickle (Coronado, Calif./Coronado), Miles Gihuly (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte), Richie Hyden (Riverside, Conn./Greenwich) and Howie Kalter (Durham, N.H./Phillips Academy Andover) comprise the class, which joins a team that finished above .500 for the second time in three years despite playing a challenging schedule that contained 15 ranked opponents.
"The competitiveness of this class will further fuel what already is a highly competitive roster," commented Zeigler. "I am very pleased with the Class of 2011 because very specific positional needs were met. In this class we have a strong goalie prospect, two versatile left-handers, a right-handed utility player and a smart attacker. While we will graduate few from our current squad this spring, the incoming players help fill holes that we think will make us a better team this fall and into the future."
Cooper, who is the oldest of four siblings, was a four-year swimming letterwinner and a three-time letterwinner in water polo at Loyola Blakefield High School. A starter on the Northeast Zone water polo team the Bucknell's assistant coach John Abdou coached, Cooper earned All-Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) honors and was named All-East in water polo. An accomplished swimmer as well, he copped both All-America and All-MIAA plaudits in swimming while in high school. Cooper is not the only person in his family involved in college athletics as his father, Scott, played soccer at the University of Massachusetts from 1977 to 1980. His uncle, Ric, was a member of the UMass swimming team from 1973 to 1976.
"Athleticism comes to mind when talking about Zac," raved Zeigler. "He has everything a player could want with size, speed, strength and a very balanced water polo game. We have tracked Zac's progress over the last few years and seen his impact with his high school team as well as with the Northeast Zone squad, which has developed him into a great college prospect. His role for us at Bucknell may vary, but we like his prospects as a utility player specializing in center defense. The greatest thing about Zac is that he is a big kid with a very fast base speed and game quickness who should adapt well to the physical college game."
Crow-Mickle was a two-year water polo letterwinner as part of a very successful Coronado High School squad that was the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) runner-up in 2004 and 2005 and the Western League champions in 2006. Individually he was a San Diego Section Senior All-Star as a senior and was named San Diego Union Tribune All-Academic League in 2005 and 2006. In addition to playing water polo, Crow-Mickle was a three-year letterwinner in swimming. His father, David, played sprint football at Navy.
"Jackson has been guided by one of the best coaches in the country in Randy Burgess," explained Zeigler. "Burgess' programs have produced many top national players and teams over the last few decades. Learning under the tutelage of Randy, Jackson brings ingrained fundamentals and an understanding of water polo to our squad. As a right-handed driver on his high school team he had a more significant role as a senior than in previous years and answered the call as he used an aggressive defense to shut down opponents' strongest players. He is also a disciplined offensive player who is able to control the offense and set up his teammates or score when asked to do so. Jackson will provide us with heart, discipline and intelligence in the pool."
Gihuly attended Miramonte High School, the same institution as current Bison sophomore Dan Schultz, and was heavily decorated with honors at his goalie position. He was a first-team all-league performer as well as the North Coast Section MVP. The team captain as a senior, Gihuly was named third-team All-Northern California. The Miramonte squad was very successful during Gihuly's tenure, earning section and league titles in 2005 and 2006. A three-sport star during high school, Gihuly also was a member of the swimming and soccer teams in addition to water polo. His father, Morgan, was a member of the crew team at Amherst, while his brother, Devin, is a current junior at Bucknell.
"Miles is a smart, aggressive, and most importantly, hungry goalie who is just starting to reach his potential," explained Zeigler, who is second on Bucknell's all-time wins list with 114. "He has size and quickness and a passion for the sport we think will fit well with our water polo tradition."
Hyden, who was born in Australia, earned a pair of letters in both water polo and swimming at Greenwich High School. A two-time league player of the year, he was captain of the water polo team and earned First Team All-America honors as a junior. Additionally, Hyden is a member of the Australian National Youth and Junior teams. In swimming, Hyden helped lead his squad to a state championship as a junior.
"As a member of the Australian National Youth and Junior teams, Richie brings a high level of international experience to our squad," said Zeigler, who already has a member of the Venezuelan National Team in Gabriel Heiber on the Bison roster. "He is a versatile left-hander who can play both an inside and outside game. He has size and speed along with a great understanding of the game. Richie continues a long and proud tradition of Greenwich High School players attending Bucknell. He was a big part of Greenwich's remarkable success under Terry Lowe's tutelage and he saw significant time with the New York Athletic Club, coached by Bucknell graduates Scott Schulte '81 and Jeff Hilk '86. Richie brings better balance to the right side of our offense and acts as a scoring threat. He is no stranger to physical water polo and won't be intimidated by the college game."
Kalter was a three-sport star in high school, earning five letters in volleyball and swimming to go along with three in water polo. He was team captain of all three squads and was a two-time all-league player in water polo under the guidance of head coach David Fox. The graduate of the prestigious Phillips Academy Andover was a three-time all-league selection in volleyball and was under consideration for All-America honors in swimming.
"Lefthanders with size and speed don't grow on trees, and thus we are lucky to have Howie joining us in the fall," commented Zeigler. "He possesses the physical tools necessary for success at the highest levels of water polo. As a three-sport athlete, Howie knows what it takes to be successful as well as how to compete. He still needs more experience at a high level of water polo, but his potential was evident at our camp this past summer. We like the prospects of Howie as an attacker who helps in counterattack and driver responsibilities.
Bucknell had just two seniors on its 2006 roster as it posted a 15-13 record and finished fourth at the Eastern Championship. Additionally, the Bison finished the season ranked 18th in the nation.
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Recruiting Class
Zac Cooper - Sykesville, Md./Loyola Blakefield
Jackson Crow-Mickle - Coronado, Calif./Coronado
Miles Gihuly - Orinda, Calif./Miramonte
Richie Hyden - Riverside, Conn./Greenwich
Howie Kalter - Durham, N.H./Phillips Academy Andover
