Bucknell University Athletics
No. 12 Bucknell Men's Water Polo Hosts Three Key League Games this Weekend
9/13/2007 8:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Sept. 13, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. - As has become customary in recent years, Kinney Natatorium will serve as the host venue for a number of important Bucknell men's water polo games this weekend. The Bison will entertain three league foes, including two that are ranked, on consecutive days, starting with Friday night's matchup with No. 15 Princeton.
Bucknell, which is ranked 12th nationally, will take on Princeton at 8 p.m. Friday. Saturday the Bison will host No. 20 Johns Hopkins at 12 p.m., while Sunday's 12 p.m. contest with George Washington will wrap up the busy weekend. Live video of Sunday's game against the Colonials will be broadcast live on BucknellBison.com and SportJuice.com. Coverage will begin at 11:50 a.m.
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Notebook
Bucknell Recently
- Sept. 8: W, 14-6 vs. Fordham
- Sept. 8: W, 14-6 vs. Iona
- Sept. 9: W, 12-4 vs. Mercyhurst
Bucknell's 2007 Statistics
Bucknell Notes
- Bucknell moved up to No. 12 in the latest national rankings, equaling the highest in-season ranking in program history. The highest the Bison have ever been in a national poll was No. 9 in the 1994 preseason poll.
- While Bucknell is ranked 12th in the nation, it stands third in the CWPA Top 10. Only Navy and St. Francis (N.Y.), the CWPA's representatives in the last two NCAA Championships, are ahead of the Bison in the CWPA poll.
- Bucknell has opened the season with a sparkling 5-1 record, equaling its best start since 1984 when it began 10-1. The 1985 and 2006 squads also started 5-1.
- Bucknell has won five consecutive games, marking its longest winning streak since posting eight victories in a row in 2004.
- Bucknell outscored its three opponents last weekend by a combined 40-16 score. The Bison last scored that many points in three consecutive games early last season when they tallied 44 goals in successive games against Johns Hopkins, Gannon and St. Francis (N.Y.).
- After going 3-12 against ranked foes in 2006, Bucknell is 1-1 this year with two more opportunities to face ranked opponents this weekend. The Bison defeated Pacific at the season-opening Navy Labor Day Open to snap a seven-game losing streak to ranked teams.
- Senior co-captain Jason Rechel has dominated the Bison offensive attack this year, tallying team highs in goals (20), assists (8) and points (28). The Columbus, Ohio, native had one of the best weekends of his career at the Princeton Invitational last week. He registered a career-high five goals Saturday morning against Fordham and followed that later in the day with a career-high six goals against Iona. He finished the weekend with 14 goals and three assists as Bucknell went 3-0. Rechel is already more than one-third of the way to his career-high point total of 80 he registered last fall when he ranked second on the team in that category.
- In addition to his outstanding season numbers, Rechel is piling up the career numbers. He has 191 points in his career to lead all current Bison, and his 119 career goals rank second to Mark Masterson's 121. Rechel has also amassed 89 steals in his career, including seven this year, to rank 11th on Bucknell's all-time list.
- After using Luke Belenky as the starting goalie in all 28 games last year, Bucknell head coach John Zeigler has changed his starting goalie a couple of times already this season. Belenky has been the primary starter, earning four starting nods, but sophomore Nick Donahue and freshman Miles Gilhuly have each earned one start as well. Belenky, a senior, leads the team with 23 saves. Donahue is second with 13 stops, while Gilhuly has eight. All three have a save percentage of at least .500.
About the Opponents
- With a pair of ranked opponents, and one more receiving votes in the national poll, Bucknell has three tough opponents this weekend. No. 15 Princeton (5-0), No. 20 Johns Hopkins (2-5) and George Washington (5-2) have combined for a 12-7 record this season.
- Bucknell is a combined 73-53 all-time against its three opponents this weekend. The Bison own a 26-13 mark against Johns Hopkins and a 28-9 record against George Washington. They have a 19-31 record opposite Princeton, including just 1-22 since the end of the 1998 campaign. The lone victory in that span came in 2005 at Kinney Natatorium.
Up Next
- Bucknell is idle next weekend, but will be gearing up for the ECAC Championship, which will be held at Kinney Natatorium Sept. 29-30. It is the first time the Bison will serve as hosts for the tournament. While the ECAC Championship has not been held at Bucknell, Kinney Natatorium has hosted its share of championships since opening in 2003. The 2003 and 2006 Southern Championships were held at Bucknell, while the 2004 Eastern Championship paid a visit to Kinney Natatorium.
Weekend Schedule at Kinney Natatorium
Friday, Sept. 14
Bucknell vs. No. 15 Princeton, 8 p.m.
(Fans are encouraged to wear blue-colored clothing to Kinney Natatorium)
Saturday, Sept. 15
Bucknell vs. No. 20 Johns Hopkins, 12 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 16
Bucknell vs. George Washington, 12 p.m.
(Live internet video available through BucknellBison.com and SportsJuice.com)
