Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Opens Eastern Championship Friday vs. Fordham
11/18/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Nov. 18, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The weekend the Bucknell men's water polo team has been waiting for all season has arrived. The Eastern Championship will take place this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Kinney Natatorium and the winner will earn an automatic berth to next month's NCAA Championship. The Bison, the second-seeded team from the CWPA Southern Division, will commence play at the event Friday at 4 p.m. against Fordham, the third-place team from the CWPA Northern Division.
A total of 12 games will be played at Kinney Natatorium during the three-day event. Play begins Friday at 11:30 a.m. Saturday's first contest is at 1:30 p.m., while Sunday's is at 10 a.m. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
A total of five ranked teams are in the eight-team field, led by St. Francis (N.Y.), which is listed 13th nationally. No. 15 Princeton, No. 17 Bucknell, No. 18 Navy and No. 20 Brown round out the list of ranked teams.
Ticket prices for the Eastern Championship are $15 per day or $25 for the tournament (children 12 & under are free), while Bucknell faculty, staff and students gain admission for $5 per day and $12 for the tournament.
The CWPA will be providing live video broadcasts of all 12 games. Fans can watch the action for $10 a game or $25 for the entire tournament. Each game's broadcast will be archived.
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Notebook (12-14, 2-6 CWPA)
• Bucknell enters the Eastern Championship ranked 17th nationally, equaling its highest ranking of the season. The Bison have been ranked since Oct. 20. Bucknell is one of five ranked teams in the eight-team field.
• Bucknell has won three of its last four games and is coming off a Southern Championships title game appearance. The Bison's second-place finish at Southerns marked their best since 1998.
• Five of Bucknell's last six games have been against ranked opponents. The Bison are 3-8 opposite ranked foes this fall.
• Bucknell finished fourth in the Southern Division standings during the regular season, but ended up in second place at the 10-team Southern Championships two weeks ago.
• This is the 11th consecutive year Bucknell has played in the Eastern Championship. The Bison finished third last year, marking their highest finish since a runner-up showing in 1993. Bucknell won the Eastern Championship four consecutive years (1977-80) and took second in 1985 and 1993.
• The winner of the Eastern Championship earns a berth in the NCAA Championship. Bucknell has advanced to the NCAA Championship five times, with the most recent coming in 1985.
• Senior Richie Hyden enters the Eastern Championship seventh on Bucknell's career goals list (226), fifth in assists (160) and tied for sixth in points (386). This year, he leads the squad in assists (36) and points (82) and is second with 46 goals.
• Richie Hyden will likely tie Brad Roslyn for second place on Bucknell's career games started list this weekend. Hyden has 109 career starts. Roslyn ranks second on the list with 112, while Aaron Platshon is listed first with 118 starts.
• Bucknell enters the weekend with a 41-23 all-time record at Kinney Natatorium. The Bison are 5-3 in their home facility this year.
• Bucknell has outscored its opponents by 64 goals over the first three quarters of games this season, but holds just a 56-54 advantage in the fourth quarter.
• Sean Coghlan ranks second on the Bison with 42 ejections drawn this season. He has been particularly strong in that category of late, drawing 27 ejections over the last nine games, including a career high-tying six on two occasions against Navy.
• Howie Kalter has scored at least one goal in each of Bucknell's last seven games. He has scored a team-high 20 goals over that span and now has 47 this year, nine shy of his career high.
Bucknell's Weekly Awards in 2010
CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week
- Richie Hyden (Sept. 8, Sept. 21)
- Brian Barron (Oct. 20)
- Howie Kalter (Oct. 27, Nov. 9)
CWPA Southern Division Rookie of the Week
- Richie Hyden (Sept. 21)
Bison Athlete of the Week
- Richie Hyden (Sept. 6)
- Howie Kalter (Nov. 8)
About Fordham (Friday at 4 p.m.)
• Bucknell leads the all-time series 34-2.
• Bucknell won this year's only meeting, 16-13, at the season-opening Navy Classic.
• Fordham is 16-14 this season and has won five of its last six games.
• Fordham finished third at the CWPA Northern Division Championships two weeks ago.
Bucknell vs. Possible Weekend Opponents
• St. Francis (N.Y.): 3-24 (St. Francis has won last 21 meetings, including 9-5 decision at Kinney Natatorium in September)
• Princeton: 30-40 (Princeton has won six of the last seven meetings)
• Brown: 20-28-2 (Bucknell has won 10 of last 12 meetings)
• Navy: 15-74 (Bucknell defeated Navy on the road for the first time since 1998 with a 13-12 victory at the Southern Championships)
• MIT: 15-1 (Three meetings since 2005)
• Johns Hopkins: 36-18 (Johns Hopkins swept season series, winning two one-goal games)
Up Next
• If Bucknell wins this weekend's Eastern Championship it will advance to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 1985. This year's NCAA Championship will take place at Cal (Berkeley, Calif.) on Dec. 4-5.
Eastern Championship Schedule
Friday, Nov. 19
Game 1: Princeton vs. MIT, 11:30 a.m.
Game 2: Brown vs. Navy, 1 p.m.
Game 3: St. Francis (N.Y.) vs. Johns Hopkins, 2:30 p.m.
Game 4: Bucknell vs. Fordham, 4 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 20
Game 5: Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 1, 1:30 p.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, 3 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4:30 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 6 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 21
7th Place: Loser Game 6 vs. Loser Game 5, 10 a.m.
5th Place: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 11:30 a.m.
3rd Place: Loser Game 8 vs. Loser Game 7, 1 p.m.
1st Place: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 2:30 p.m.
Seeds:
North:
1 - St. Francis (N.Y.)
2 - Brown
3 - Fordham
4 - MIT
South:
1 - Princeton
2 - Bucknell
3 - Navy
4 - Johns Hopkins
