Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Opens Southern Championships Friday vs. George Washington
11/1/2012 8:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Nov. 1, 2012
LEWISBURG, Pa. -The postseason gets underway Friday for the No. 17 Bucknell men's water polo team. The Bison, who are hosting this weekend's Southern Championships at Kinney Natatorium, will open competition Friday at 7 p.m. against fifth-seeded George Washington. Bucknell is the fourth seed in the 11-team field.
A total of 20 games will be contested during the three-day Southern Championships. The top four teams advance to the Eastern Championship, which determines the Collegiate Water Polo Association's automatic berth to the NCAA Championship.
The Southern Championships features four divisions that include two or three teams each. Bucknell is in Bracket D with George Washington and Washington and Jefferson. The first-place team in the bracket after round-robin play will advance to Saturday's 4:15 p.m. semifinal against either top-seeded Navy or eighth-seeded Gannon. Sunday's championship game is slated for 2 p.m.
In addition to Friday's George Washington game, the Bison already know their first game on Saturday, which is a 12:30 p.m. matchup with ninth-seeded Washington & Jefferson.
A total of three teams (No. 14 Navy, No. 17 Bucknell, No. 18 Princeton) in the field appear in the latest national rankings.
All Bucknell games over the weekend will air live on Bison Vision, via www.BucknellBison.com. Fans who are not already Bison Vision subscribers can sign up for a month subscription for $9.95. All Bucknell games will feature a multi-camera setup with audio commentary, as is customary for Bison Vision events.
Additionally, fans can sign up to watch all 20 games of the Southern Championships via Everest Youth Sports (www.eysports.com). A subscription that will cover the entire weekend is $69.95, while a single-game subscription is $19.95. The Bucknell games will also be streamed live via www.eysports.com. The non-Bucknell broadcasts are expected to feature a multi-camera setup and no audio commentary.
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Notebook (11-13, 3-5 CWPA)
• Bucknell enters the Southern Championships having played a very difficult schedule of late. The Bison have faced six ranked opponents in their last eight games and are 4-4 over that stretch. Bucknell is 3-10 opposite ranked foes this season.
• The four teams that advance to Saturday's semifinals earn berths in the Eastern Championship, which will be held at Princeton Nov. 16-18. The Bison have qualified for the Eastern Championship 12 consecutive years. The other half of the Eastern Championship field will come from the top four finishers at this weekend's Northern Championships.
• Bucknell finished the regular season with a 3-5 record against Southern Division, East Region teams. Navy (7-1) finished in first place, while Princeton (5-3) and Johns Hopkins (4-4) were also ahead of the Bison in the final standings.
• Bucknell finished in third place at last year's Southern Championships. The Bison have finished in the top four each of the last 12 years.
• Bucknell has held six of its last seven opponents under 10 goals.
• Bucknell's 200 ejections drawn this year ranks No. 5 in program history. Jack Else has more than half (103) of the team's ejections drawn as he has surpassed his own single-season school record (78 in 2011).
• Bucknell enters the weekend with an all-time record of 596-435-4. The Bison need just four victories to reach the 600 plateau.
• Bucknell has been ranked nationally each of the last three weeks. The Bison entered the polls for the first time on Oct. 17 at No. 17. Bucknell was tied for No. 16 in the Oct. 24 poll. The Oct. 31 poll placed the Bison at No. 17.
• Senior goalie Matt Napleton enters the weekend with a career-high 252 saves this year. That figure ranks 11th on the program's single-season list. Napleton is sixth in program history with 583 career stops.
• Bucknell already has three players with 40 or more goals - Else (44), Stefan Aleksic (40), Mike Kimble (40). Last year, only two Bison had 40 goals all season - Else (49) and Brian Barron (44).
• Brian Barron has won 50 of 97 sprints this year. That figure is tied for fifth on Bucknell's single-season sprints won ledger.
• Bucknell is 5-1 at home this season and has won seven of its last nine games at Kinney Natatorium.
Bucknell's Weekly Awards in 2012
CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week
- Brian Barron (Oct. 16)
CWPA Southern Division Defensive Player of the Week
- Matt Napleton (Sept. 18, Oct. 1, Oct. 16, Oct. 23)
CWPA Southern Division Rookie of the Week
- Stefan Aleksic (Sept. 4)
Bison Athlete of the Week
- Alex Nowlin (Oct. 1)
- Brian Barron (Oct. 15)
Bucknell vs. Possible Weekend Opponents
• Bucknell vs. Navy: 16-78 (Bucknell is 2-6 in last eight meetings, including 0-2 in 2012)
• Bucknell vs. Princeton: 32-44 (Princeton has won 10 of last 13 meetings, but teams are 2-2 over last two years)
• Bucknell vs. Johns Hopkins: 40-20 (Bucknell has won four of last five meetings)
• Bucknell vs. George Washington: 41-13 (Bucknell has won five of last seven meetings)
• Bucknell vs. Mercyhurst: 7-0 (Bucknell has defeated Mercyhurst in first game at Southern Championships each of last three years)
• Bucknell vs. Notre Dame College: 1-0 (Bucknell won first all-time meeting earlier this year by 24-9 score)
• Bucknell vs. Gannon: 7-0 (Last meeting was 2011 season opener - a 21-6 Bison victory)
• Bucknell vs. Washington & Jefferson: 12-0 (Teams have not played since 2007 Southern Championships)
• Bucknell vs. Salem International: 18-3 (Teams have not played since 2005 when Bucknell swept season series 4-0)
• Bucknell vs. Penn State Behrend: 6-0 (Bucknell has won last three meetings by combined 65-4 score)
Up Next
• If Bucknell advances to the semifinals and posts a top-four finish this weekend, the Bison will earn a berth to the Eastern Championship for a 13th consecutive year. This year's Eastern Championship will be hosted by Princeton Nov. 16-18. Bucknell finished fifth at the 2011 Eastern Championship at Harvard.
2012 Southern Championships (Kinney Natatorium - Lewisburg, Pa.)
Bracket A: No. 1 Navy, No. 8 Gannon
Bracket B: No. 2 Princeton, No. 7 Notre Dame College, No. 11 Penn State Behrend
Bracket C: No. 3 Johns Hopkins, No. 6 Mercyhurst, No. 10 Salem International
Bracket D: No. 4 Bucknell, No. 5 George Washington, No. 9 Washington & Jefferson
Friday, Nov. 2
Game 1 -- Navy vs. Gannon, 5:45 p.m.
Game 2 -- Bucknell vs. George Washington, 7 p.m.
Game 3 -- Princeton vs. Notre Dame College, 8:15 p.m.
Game 4 -- Johns Hopkins vs. Mercyhurst, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 3
Game 5 -- Washington & Jefferson vs. George Washington, 9 a.m.
Game 6 -- Princeton vs. Penn State Behrend, 10:10 a.m.
Game 7 -- Johns Hopkins vs. Salem International, 11:20 a.m.
Game 8 -- Bucknell vs. Washington & Jefferson, 12:30 p.m.
Game 9 -- Penn State Behrend vs. Notre Dame College, 1:40 p.m.
Game 10 -- Mercyhurst vs. Salem International, 2:50 p.m.
Game 11 -- 1st in Bracket A vs. 1st in Bracket D, 4:15 p.m.
Game 12 -- 1st in Bracket B vs. 1st in Bracket C, 5:30 p.m.
Game 13 -- 2nd in Bracket D vs. 2nd in Bracket A, 6:40 p.m.
Game 14 -- 2nd in Bracket C vs. 2nd in Bracket B, 7:50 p.m.
Game 15 -- 3rd in Bracket C vs. 3rd in Bracket B, 9 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 4
9th Place -- 3rd in Bracket D vs. Winner Game 15, 9 a.m.
7th Place -- Loser Game 14 vs. Loser Game 13, 10:15 a.m.
5th Place -- Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 14, 11:30 a.m.
3rd Place -- Loser Game 12 vs. Loser Game 11, 12:45 p.m.
1st Place -- Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12, 2 p.m.
