Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Wraps Up Regular Season Saturday
4/5/2012 8:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
April 5, 2012
LEWISBURG, Pa. –Following its first idle weekend of the season, the Bucknell women's water polo team will get back to action this Saturday when it takes on No. 13 Michigan (9:30 a.m.) and George Washington (2:30 p.m.) at Maryland's Eppley Recreation Center. The games mark the end of the regular season for the Bison, who will host the Southern Championships next weekend (April 14-15).
The Bucknell games will not be the only ones played Saturday as the host Terrapins will face Michigan at 1 p.m. and George Washington will take on Salem International at 11 a.m.
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Notebook (12-18, 2-3 CWPA)
• Bucknell enters this weekend on a two-game winning streak. The Bison defeated league foe Mercyhurst and Grove City by a combined 29-15 score their last time out (March 24).
• Michigan is ranked 13th nationally. The Wolverines will be the 11th ranked opponent for the Bison in 2012.
• With two wins on Saturday, Bucknell first-year head coach John McBride will move into sole possession of third place on the program's all-time wins list. John Zeigler (139) and John Abdou (61) occupy the first two spots on that list.
• Thanks to 54 sprints won (in 68 chances) by Julianne Valdes, Bucknell has claimed 81 sprints on the year to rank third on the all-time list. The program record for sprints won in a season is 97 by the 2002 squad.
• Valdes ranks third on the individual single-season sprints won list, while her .794 winning percentage is the best single-season mark in program history. Valdes has captured 24 of her last 25 sprints over the last seven games.
• Hallie Kennan leads the Bison in points with 85 this season. She now ranks sixth on the program's career points (280), goals (168) and assists (112) lists. Kennan's 40 steals this year also pace the squad.
• Kennan, Valdes and Becca Shopiro are the only Bison to start all 30 games this year.
• Freshman Barbara Peterson has taken the place of the injured Amanda Skonezney in the Bison starting lineup and has totaled 21 goals, nine assists and 14 steals this year.
• It is a close race for the team's goal-scoring lead as Taylor Barnett has 47, Vales has 45 and Kennan has 42. Barnett has been especially hot of late, registering 12 goals in her last four outings.
• Rena Heim leads the Bison with a career-high 215 saves this season. The sophomore has 10 double-figure save performances this year and has also contributed 28 steals. Heim's 338 career stops place her fifth on that list, just 52 behind fourth-place Kristen D'Agostino.
• Kennan enters the weekend having scored at least one goal in 27 of 30 games this year, including seven straight. The senior has tallied at least one point in all but one contest this spring.
Bucknell's Weekly Awards in 2012
CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week
- Julianne Valdes (Feb. 27)
Bison on Season Record Lists
Taylor Barnett: Ejections Drawn (t-9th, 61)
Rena Heim: Saves (10th, 215)
Hallie Kennan: Assists (9th, 43)
Julianne Valdes: Sprints (3rd, 54), Sprint % (1st, .794)
Bison on Career Record Lists
Brittany Connell: Saves (7th, 219)
Rena Heim: Saves (5th, 338)
Hallie Kennan: Points (6th, 280), Goals (6th, 168), Assists (6th, 112), Shots (5th, 442)
Tara Murao: Ejections Drawn (10th, 85)
Stephanie Ovalle: Sprints (8th, 40)
Amanda Skonezney: Sprints (1st, 149), Games Started (10th, 101)
Julianne Valdes: Sprints (5th, 54)
Bucknell vs. Weekend Opponents
• Bucknell vs. Michigan: 0-14 (Michigan won last meeting (2011) by a 15-6 score.)
• Bucknell vs. George Washington: 28-15 (Bison have won three in a row, including both meetings this year.)
Up Next
• Bucknell will host next weekend's (April 14-15) Southern Championships. The Bison will play at 3 p.m. (George Washington) and 7 p.m. (Princeton) on Saturday. Sunday's championship is slated for 12 p.m. Multiple live video broadcast subscriptions are available.
