Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Welcomes Back Plenty of Experience as it Begins 2010 Campaign this Weekend at Navy Open
9/3/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Sept. 3, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Every year since 1994 the Bucknell men's water polo team has opened its season at the Navy Open. The 2010 campaign is no exception as the Bison will take on Vanguard, Gannon, Queens and Fordham in Annapolis, Md., this weekend to commence its 34th season of varsity competition.
Bucknell registered a 17-14 record a year ago and tied for first place in the CWPA Southern Division regular-season standings with Navy and Princeton. The Bison qualified for the Eastern Championship for the 10th consecutive year and posted a third-place showing, their best finish since 1993.
In the CWPA Preseason National Poll, Bucknell was picked No. 18 for a second straight year. The Bison are the fourth-highest ranked East Coast team, behind only conference rivals Navy and Princeton, as well as St. Francis (N.Y.).
This weekend's Navy Open features 11 collegiate teams and has games running from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Sunday.
Bucknell's 2010 Navy Open Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 4
Bucknell vs. Vanguard, 11:45 a.m. (Lejeune Hall)
Bucknell vs. Gannon, 3:30 p.m. (Scott Natatorium)
Sunday, Sept. 5
Bucknell vs. Queens, 9:15 a.m. (Scott Natatorium)
Bucknell vs. Fordham, 3:30 p.m. (Scott Natatorium)
Below is a more detailed season outlook heading into the 2010 campaign:
An experienced group of five seniors. Four consecutive winning seasons. Three home weekends, including the important Eastern Championship. Two returning Honorable Mention All-Americans. One of the program's all-time leading scorers.
It's all about the numbers for the 2010 Bucknell men's water polo team. However, the biggest number is 20 - the number of players on the roster. Third-year head coach John Abdou has 12 returning letterwinners, eight of whom appeared in all 31 games a year ago, at his disposal. Adding in a talented and large eight-person class, he thinks one of the biggest strengths of the squad is its depth.
“This year our depth should be stronger than it has been in the past,” mentioned Abdou, who ranks fifth on Bucknell's all-time wins list (34). “It is a huge part of the success during a championship weekend where you have to play three or four games in a 48-hour span and can't rely on six or seven guys. Fifteen or 16 guys are necessary to get through a weekend. A lot of opponents will scout us and think they only need to stop a couple threats, but our depth is going to push through that.”
Not only does Abdou have plenty of depth available, he also has plenty of experience with five seniors that have all garnered considerable playing time and the same number of juniors that have also spent plenty of minutes in the pool. In fact, the top five scorers from last year's edition return, including senior left-handers Richie Hyden and Howie Kalter, who combined for 177 points, nearly one-third of the entire team total from last fall.
Hyden was one of a program-record three Bison to be named Honorable Mention All-America last year, along with classmate Sean Coghlan and 2010 graduate Nick Donahue. A two-time Honorable Mention All-American, Hyden, who has piled up 180 goals, 124 assists and 304 points over his first three years, enters the 2010 campaign four goals, one assist and eight points shy of joining the Bison top-10 career lists in those categories. What makes that even more impressive is no Bucknell player has joined any of those lists since Kevin Permisohn in 2000.
One of six left-handers on the roster along with Kalter, Paul Reamey, Sam Fiske and freshmen Stephen Norton and Alex Nowlin, Hyden is coming off a year in which he totaled 53 goals, 42 assists and 95 points, posting team highs in both assists and points. That followed a sophomore year in which he posted career highs in goals (87), assists (51) and points (138).
“For Richie, the biggest thing this year is leadership,” commented Abdou about one of the team's co-captains along with Coghlan. “In the sense of production, Richie could have a great season and his numbers might be lower than they have been in the past, but we could be more successful as a team. It is going to be important that he and the other seniors lead the way in the water.”
Not just an offensive force with the ball in his hands, Hyden, the 2007 CWPA Southern Division Rookie of the Year, ranks third on Bucknell's career ejections drawn list with 129. He led the team with a single-season record mark of 69 last year.
Hyden's fellow team captain and Honorable Mention All-America selection Coghlan also returns for his senior campaign and Abdou expects to see additional leadership from him as well.
“Sean had to work harder to generate offense last year than I wanted him to,” said Abdou. “His leadership will help our offense become more fluid and not reliant on just a couple of players.”
Coghlan was one of two Bison to start all 31 games a year ago. He posted career highs in goals (34), assists (25) and points (59) en route to a Second Team All-CWPA Southern Division selection. He challenged Hyden for the team lead in ejections drawn with 65, a figure that ranks third on the program's single-season ledger.
Rounding out the list of leading scorers was Kalter, who was second on the squad with 82 points in 2009. He led the Bison with 56 goals and dished out 26 assists while appearing in the starting lineup all 31 times.
“Howie's potential is still limitless,” raved Abdou about the left-hander. “Every time I look at Howie I think about how he is really just beginning his water polo career. It's tough for me to put a lid on what he is going to do. He is a great offensive player, but he still has a lot to learn. He is a great defensive player, but he still has a lot to learn. I say that because not everybody has the kinds of tools he has been given. When you are 6'3”, left-handed and a fast swimmer, in the sport of water polo, the sky is the limit.”
This past offseason Kalter participated in the U.S. Men's Water Polo National Team Trials Series and Abdou thinks that benefitted him greatly heading into his senior campaign.
“I think that process opened his eyes to the reality of his potential,” explained Abdou. “If he continues to work on his game he could be one of the best left-handers in the country and his career can continue past Bucknell. That is something he is just starting to see himself.”
Another senior lefty who should leave his mark this year is Reamey. Excellent at coming off the bench, Reamey was fifth on the team in goals (24) and fourth in points (43) despite never appearing in the starting lineup last year.
Fellow veteran Spencer Richley joined Reamey in producing a productive campaign off the bench last fall, registering 27 goals and 14 assists while coming on in a reserve role in 29 of his 31 appearances. Overall, Reamey and Richley combined for 13 goals and 10 assists in 2008 - their first season donning the Orange and Blue - and 51 goals and 33 assists in 2009.
Nick Barnett, Beau Caillouette, Fiske and Daniel Schwartz comprise the experienced junior class, along with Richley. None saw much time in the starting lineup a year ago, but Barnett, Caillouette and Schwartz did appear in all 31 contests. With three field starters lost to graduation (Randy Ang, Andrew Nelson, Johnny Stupp), there are some openings in the lineup for veterans and youngsters alike.
“Our depth really comes down to our juniors and sophomores,” explained Abdou. “What they do is really the key to our success this year. I expect a lot from those guys and they really have no excuses for the next stage of their development. They are in positions where they need to be contributing, and they will.”
While every other class is at least five players deep, the sophomore contingent includes just two - Brian Barron and goalie Matt Napleton. Barron served as the team's top sprinter in his initial collegiate season, winning better than 50 percent of the time (39 of 73). He netted 19 goals and recorded 14 steals as well.
Napleton is one of two goalies on the roster along with senior Miles Gilhuly. They are charged with replacing Donahue, who started the last two years and racked up nearly 500 career saves.
Like many other players on the Bison roster, Gilhuly has plenty of experience under his belt, having stopped 232 shots in 51 career games, including 24 starts. His best campaign was during his 2007 freshman year when he posted 123 saves and a .515 save percentage in 20 appearances, 16 of which were starts.
“Anytime you lose an All-America goalie there is a void to fill, but fortunately Miles is in his fourth year in the program and has done a lot for us already,” said Abdou. “He has won a lot of big games for us as both a starter and reserve and I have high expectations for him.
“Matt is developing nicely as a sophomore and will challenge Miles for playing time, while continuing to have a relationship that fosters competitiveness for both of them.”
Napleton saw limited action behind Donahue and Gilhuly as a rookie, but was able to post a team-best .543 save percentage in more than 86 minutes of play.
With plenty of experience and talent at all positions, Bucknell is once again poised to take on a demanding schedule. In each of Abdou's first two years at the helm of the program the Bison have faced 17 nationally ranked opponents. That will continue this year with the always-difficult CWPA Southern Division schedule that features plenty of matchups with perennial national powers Navy and Princeton, in addition to Johns Hopkins and George Washington. A home date with St. Francis (N.Y.), the ECAC Championship and a trip to the Santa Clara Invitational also highlight Bucknell's 2010 slate.
The Bison hope to have success at the Southern Championships in early November and qualify for the Eastern Championship for an 11th consecutive year, especially since the NCAA qualifying event will take place at Kinney Natatorium, their sparkling home facility. Bucknell owns an impressive 36-20 (.643) record at Kinney Natatorium since it opened in 2003.
While Abdou and his veteran club will certainly follow the cliché and take it one game at a time, their ultimate goal is to add another number to their list at the conclusion of the year. That number would be “six”, as in the sixth NCAA berth in program history (and first since 1985). There is a lot of work to be done before that though, and it will all begin the first weekend in September at the Navy Open.
