Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Looks to Extend Winning Streak vs. Two League Opponents this Weekend
10/1/2009 8:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Oct. 1, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Days after rejoining the national rankings, the Bucknell men's water polo team will have two more tough tests this weekend. The Bison, who are ranked 18th nationally and defeated a pair of ranked opponents last weekend, will host No. 10 Navy on Saturday at 12 p.m. at Kinney Natatorium. On Sunday they will travel to Princeton to face the 19th-ranked Tigers in a game that also begins at noon.
Weekend Schedule
Saturday, Oct. 3
No. 18 Bucknell vs. Navy, 12 p.m. (Kinney Natatorium)
Sunday, Oct. 4
No. 18 Bucknell at No. 19 Princeton, 12 p.m. (DeNunzio Pool, Princeton, N.J.)
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Notebook (9-5, 3-0 CWPA)
• Bucknell will wrap up a four-game homestand Saturday vs. Navy. The Bison won three games over league opponents last weekend and own a 33-17 (.660) all-time record at Kinney Natatorium.
• Bucknell is in the middle of a streak where it will play six consecutive league games. The Bison, who are 3-0 in CWPA Southern Division play, are currently in first place. Princeton (2-1) and Navy (1-0) are not far behind.
• Bucknell has played seven ranked opponents in its first 14 games. The Bison will add two more to that list this weekend with No. 10 Navy and No. 19 Princeton. Bucknell is 2-5 against ranked opponents this year and undefeated (7-0) opposite unranked foes.
• Bucknell's five-game winning streak equals its longest since reeling off nine in a row in 2007.
• Howie Kalter has scored at least one goal in each of Bucknell's 14 games this season. Dating back to last year he has tallied a goal in 27 consecutive contests. Kalter has 69 career goals, placing him second among current Bison to Richie Hyden's 158.
• Nick Donahue became the second Bison to earn CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week honors on Monday. He was cited after his 28-save, 16-goals against weekend performance against league opponents Johns Hopkins, George Washington and Princeton. Donahue recorded a season-high 13 saves against the Blue Jays and 12 more against the Tigers.
• Brian Barron earned his first CWPA Southern Division Rookie of the Week award on Monday. The freshman totaled two goals, one assist and two steals in three games. He also won 5 of 6 sprints and leads the team with 13 sprints won this season. The Oak Park, Ill., native is tied for 10th on Bucknell's single-season sprints won list with Aaron Platshon.
• Junior Richie Hyden crossed the 100-assist plateau for his career last week and now has 158 goals, 101 assists and 259 points in his three-year career. He leads the Bison in goals (31), assists (19) and points (50) this year.
• Bucknell, which lost to Johns Hopkins 11-10 earlier this year, is 39-1 in its last 40 games where it nets at least 10 goals.
• Bucknell was originally scheduled to play Queens on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. That contest has been cancelled and the Bison will face only host Princeton on Sunday.
Bucknell's Weekly Awards in 2009
CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week
- Richie Hyden (Sept. 7), Nick Donahue (Sept. 28)
CWPA Southern Division Rookie of the Week
- Brian Barron (Sept. 28)
Bucknell vs. Weekend Opponents
• No. 10 Navy: 13-71 (Navy has won 16 straight; last Bucknell win was 2004)
• No. 19 Princeton: 29-34 (Bucknell is 6-3 in last nine meetings dating to September 2007)
Up Next
• • Bucknell will wrap up its streak of six consecutive conference games with a rare mid-week game at George Washington next Thursday. The Bison will then depart for the SoCal Tournament the next day. The complete schedule for the SoCal Tournament is expected to be released later this week.
