Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Wraps Up Regular Season Sunday vs. St. Francis (N.Y.)
10/31/2008 8:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Oct. 31, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Originally, the Bucknell men's water polo team was supposed to be home for just one weekend this year. However, a late change to the schedule helped the Bison add a sixth home game and they will host No. 12 St. Francis (N.Y.) Sunday at Kinney Natatorium. The contest will begin at 12 p.m.
Bucknell is 30-16 all-time at Kinney Natatorium, including 4-1 this year. It will look to improve on that record while also trying to snap a 17-game losing streak to the Terriers, who are ranked No. 12 nationally this week, making them the highest-ranked East Coast team. The Bison show up at No. 20 in the rankings, the third time they have been in the national poll this season.
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Notebook (14-12, 4-4 CWPA)
Bucknell Notes
• Bucknell is in the national rankings for the second consecutive week for the first time this season. The Bison are ranked No. 20 after showing up at No. 19 last week. They appeared in the rankings 14 times last year.
• Bucknell, which faced 15 ranked foes in 2007, will be playing its 15th ranked opponent of the season Sunday vs. No. 12 St. Francis (N.Y.). The Bison are 4-10 against ranked teams this year and 0-1 against the Terriers.
• Bucknell is 11-0 when scoring at least 10 goals this season. The Bison are 3-12 when failing to reach double figures in goals.
• Bucknell has lost to St. Francis (N.Y.) 17 consecutive times by an average score of 13-7. The Bison last defeated the Terriers in 1998. St. Francis defeated Bucknell 17-9 at the ECAC Championship earlier this year in the only meeting between the teams this year.
• Bucknell has outscored its opponents 64-49 in the first quarter this season.
• Junior goalkeeper Nick Donahue has claimed the starting goalie position. After starting two-third of the team's first 18 games, Donahue has earned eight consecutive starts. Over that span he has 67 saves, including five games with at least nine stops. Just 50 goals have been scored on him over those eight starts. Donahue enters Sunday's contest two saves shy of 200 in his career.
• Seniors Gabriel Heiber, Alex Lampley and Alex Lovell will be playing their final home game on Sunday. The trio was honored with a Senior Day ceremony prior to the Navy game two weeks ago.
• Richie Hyden enters Sunday's contest with 71 goals, 40 assists and 111 points. The goal total is the most since Ryan McCarty netted 72 in 2000, while Elliot Benoist's 41 assists in 2002 mark the last time a Bison had more assists than Hyden's team-leading total. Kevin Permisohn, who totaled 112 points in 2000, was the last Bucknell player with more points.
• Junior Johnny Stupp remains the only Bison player to start all 26 games this season. Howie Kalter, Andrew Nelson and Lovell have joined Stupp as the only players to appear in all 26 contests.
Bucknell's Weekly Awards in 2008
CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week
- Sean Coghlan (Sept. 22)
- Nick Donahue (Oct. 20)
- Richie Hyden (Oct. 27)
CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week
- Beau Caillouette (Oct. 20, Oct. 27)
Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week
- Nick Donahue (Oct. 20)
About St. Francis (N.Y.)
• St. Francis enters the weekend having won six consecutive games.
• Three of the Terriers' five losses on the season have come to teams based in California. The other two have come to Brown and Navy.
• St. Francis enters the weekend with a solid 14-5 record and a No. 12 national ranking.
Up Next
• Bucknell will start postseason play next weekend at the Southern Championships, which will be played at Princeton's DeNunzio Pool. The third-seeded Bison will take on sixth-seeded Gannon. With a win in that first game Bucknell will guarantee its ninth consecutive top-four finish at the event and its ninth straight berth in the Eastern Championship. The top four teams at the Southern Championships automatically advance to the Eastern Championship.
