Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Back in National Rankings
10/22/2008 8:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Oct. 22, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. – For the second time this year, and the first time since mid-September, the Bucknell men's water polo team is nationally ranked. The Bison are listed No. 19 in the latest national poll, which was released Wednesday.
Bucknell, which was No. 18 in the Sept. 10 poll after opening the season 3-1 at the Navy Open, has won five of its last six games to stand at 13-11 overall this year. The Bison went 4-1 during a busy home slate this past weekend. Highlighting the list of victories was an 11-6 win over then-No. 12 Princeton last Friday night at a standing-room-only Kinney Natatorium.
Three of Bucknell's victories this past weekend were over fellow CWPA Southern Division league foes and the Bison are 4-3 against conference competition this season.
Bucknell is no stranger to being listed in the national rankings, having shown up in them for 14 weeks in 2007. The Bison climbed as high as No. 11 last year, marking the highest they had ever been in an in-season poll.
The national ranking is the latest in an accolade-filled week for Bucknell. Junior goalkeeper Nick Donahue (Brooklyn, N.Y./Lawrenceville) was named both the Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week and the CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week after posting three double-figure save performances over the weekend and totaling 47 stops in five games. Freshman Beau Caillouette (Newport Beach, Calif./Sage Hill School) was also honored by the CWPA as the division's Rookie of the Week after registering two goals and two assists while coming off the bench in five games last weekend.
The Bison, who have faced 14 ranked opponents this season, will wrap up their league slate Friday night at No. 15 Princeton. They will also play No. 18 Brown and No. 13 St. Francis (N.Y.) on Saturday at Princeton in their final two regular-season contests.
