Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Ranked No. 19 in CWPA Preseason Poll
8/17/2011 8:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Aug. 17, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell men's water polo team is ranked No. 19 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Preseason Poll, it was announced Wednesday. It marks the fifth time in the last six years the Bison have showed up in the preseason poll.
Bucknell, which finished the 2010 campaign ranked No. 18 nationally, is one of four East Coast teams to show up in the top 20, joining No. 11 St. Francis (N.Y.), No. 15 Navy and No. 16 Princeton.
The Bison have been ranked in the preseason five times since 2006. They were No. 17 in 2006 and No. 18 in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
John McBride was named Bucknell's new head coach in May. He inherits a team that posted a 13-16 overall record last fall while playing a schedule that featured 13 nationally ranked opponents. The Bison advanced to the title game of the Southern Championships for the first time since 1998 and the semifinals of the Eastern Championship.
Junior Brian Barron is Bucknell's top returning scorer, having netted 31 goals and dished out 19 assists for a career-high 50 points. Fellow junior Matt Napleton, a high school teammate of Barron's in Illinois, is the squad's returning goalie, having stopped 77 shots in 20 games and 328 minutes.
The Bison begin their preseason practice slate Thursday afternoon in Kinney Natatorium. Their first games will take place Sept. 3-4 at the Navy Labor Day Open.
