Bucknell University Athletics
Men's Water Polo Makes Annual Trip to California for Santa Clara Rodeo
10/20/2016 10:59:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Setting the Scene
What: Santa Clara Rodeo | Schedule/Results
Where: Saratoga, Calif. | Santa Clara, Calif.
Bucknell Schedule
Saturday, Oct. 22
No. 10 Bucknell vs. No. 17 Cal Baptist, 1:20 p.m.
No. 10 Bucknell vs. No. 20 Loyola Marymount, 5:20 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 23
No. 10 Bucknell vs. Fresno Pacific, 1:40 p.m.
No. 10 Bucknell vs. Air Force, 5:40 p.m.
About Bucknell (14-3, 6-1 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference)
* This past weekend, Bucknell participated in the Harvard Invitational and won two of its three matches. It opened the tournament with an 8-7 upset of No. 9 Princeton on Saturday. The squad opened Sunday with a 13-11 loss to No. 12 Harvard, but rebounded with a 23-6 triumph over Iona.
* With the 2-1 performance, the Bison jumped up three spots to No. 10 in the national polls. They are once again tied with Harvard as the highest-ranked school from the East Coast.
* The victory over Princeton broke a six-match losing streak for the Bison against the Tigers since 2014.
* Rade Joksimovic earned yet another honor, receiving the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Co-Rookie of the Week award. Over the weekend, Joksimovic totaled 20 goals, six assists, six steals and six ejections drawn. Twelve of those goals came against Iona, tying him for second on Bucknell's single-game goals list.
* Nate Hunter also netted six goals to go along with two assists and nine ejections drawn last weekend. Sean Daley added two goals, six assists, four ejections drawn and five steals.
* Fourteen victories is the team's most wins in its first 17 games since winning 15 of 17 back in 1983.
* The Bison are now a combined 9-2 in away and neutral matches.
* Bucknell competes against two ranked opponents this weekend in Cal Baptist and Loyola Marymount. The squad's record against ranked teams this season is 4-3.
* This will be the seventh straight season that the Bison compete in the Santa Clara Rodeo. At last year's Santa Clara Rodeo, the Bison went 2-2 with victories over Cal Baptist and Fresno Pacific.
* Bucknell has allowed 11 goals or less in all but two contests this season, holding teams to an average of 9.4 goals per game. Charlie Niehaus maintains a stellar .552 save percentage.
* Joksimovic leads the team in goals (90), points (114), steals (47), and sprints won (10). Sean Daley has added 16 goals, 29 assists and 42 steals, while Ratimir Babic and Nate Hunter each have at least 30 total points.
Scouting Cal Baptist (13-8, 0-2 Western Water Polo Association)
* Cal Baptist has won 10 of its past 12 games, including a victory over No. 8 UC Irvine.
* Over that span, the Lancers have not allowed more than 10 goals in a single game.
* All eight of the team's losses have come against nationally-ranked opponents.
* Senior Brent Teraoka leads the team with 46 goals through 21 games played.
Scouting Loyola Marymount (6-10, 2-1 Western Water Polo Association)
* Loyola Marymount is in the midst of a three-game losing streak, with one-goal losses against No. 19 Pomona-Pitzer, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and No. 8 Pepperdine.
* Overall, it has been a season of streaks for the Lions, as they have held a three-game losing streak, four-game winning streak and four-game losing streak over their past 11 games.
* The Lions are 2-8 against ranked opponents this season.
Scouting Fresno Pacific (8-9, 1-4 Western Water Polo Association)
* Fresno Pacific has won four its past five games heading into the Santa Clara Rodeo.
* Through 17 games, the Sunbirds have scored more than 14 goals just once.
* In its eight wins, Fresno Pacific has limited opposing offenses to 8.9 goals per game.
Scouting Air Force (4-12, 0-3 Western Water Polo Association)
* Air Force is coming off of a 1-3 performance at the Gary Troyer Tournament, earning a 9-7 victory over Pomona-Pitzer.
* Five of the Falcons' games this season have been decided in overtime.
* Riley Thomas leads the squad with 38 goals and 20 assists on the season.
Series History with Cal Baptist
* Cal Baptist leads the all-time series 6-3. The teams first met in 1999.
* This will be the third consecutive season that these two teams meet. The Bison won in 2014 and 2015 by a combined score of 24-13.
* The Lancers won six matches in a row from 2000 to 2012.
Series History with Loyola Marymount
* Bucknell leads the all-time series 3-2. The teams first met in 1992.
* This will be the first meeting between the two sides since 2005, a 14-7 victory for Loyola Marymount.
Series History with Fresno Pacific
* Bucknell leads the all-time series 3-0. The teams first met in 2013.
* This is the fourth consecutive year that these two teams will face off. Bucknell won 16-6 in its first-ever meeting with the Sunbirds.
* Jeff Hagen led the Bison with five goals in a 20-11 victory in 2015.
Series History with Air Force
* The all-time series is tied at 6-6. The teams first met in 1978.
* The Bison opened the series with five consecutive victories, but from 1994 to 2012, Air Force won all six matchups between the two squads.
* Sean Daley contributed two goals and two assists in the last matchup, a 9-7 triumph for Bucknell in 2014.
Weekly Awards:
* Bison Athlete of the Week:
- Rade Joksimovic (Sept. 19, Sept. 26)
* CWPA Player of the Week:
- Rade Joksimovic (Sept. 6, Sept. 20, Sept. 28)
* CWPA Defensive Player of the Week:
- Rade Joksimovic (Sept. 20)
* CWPA Rookie of the Week:
- Rade Joksimovic (Sept. 6, Sept. 20, Sept. 28, Oct. 11, Oct. 19)
Milestone Watch:
* John McBride is five wins away from earning 100 victories in his career.
* Marko Djordjevic is two goals away from scoring 50 in his career.
* R.J. Moore needs 14 points to tally 100 points in his career.
* Rade Joksimovic is 10 goals away from posting 100 goals this season. He would be the first player to score 100 goals in a season since 1987.
* Sean Daley is 12 goals away from having at least 100 goals and 100 assists in his career.
Up Next
* Bucknell will return home on Nov. 5-6 for its final competition before the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Championship. The Bison will face conference foes Fordham and Wagner on Saturday, followed by Johns Hopkins on Sunday.
