Bucknell University Athletics
Nationally Ranked Men's Water Polo Opens Season at Bruno Classic This Weekend
9/1/2016 3:33:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
Setting the Scene
What: Bruno Classic
Where: Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center, Providence, R.I.
Bucknell Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 3
No. 18 Bucknell vs. MIT, 12:40 p.m.
No. 18 Bucknell vs. No. 20 St. Francis Brooklyn, 4:10 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 4
No. 18 Bucknell vs. No. 4 Pacific, 10:10 a.m.
About Bucknell (0-0, 0-0 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference)
* Bucknell is ranked 18th nationally in the Preseason National Top 20 Poll. The Bison finished the 2015 season ranked 20th in the country and climbed to as high as No. 13 mid-season.
* Bucknell has won its season-opening game five times in the last six years, including last year's 10-8 victory over Harvard.
* Bucknell returns six starters from last year's team that posted the squad's most victories since 2007.
* Bucknell sixth-year head coach John McBride enters the 2016 season with a .587 career winning percentage, the second-best mark among coaches in Bison history, trailing only Hall of Famer Dick Russell's .763.
* Senior Sean Daley was an Honorable Mention All-American last year.
* Seniors Nate Hunter and R.J. Moore are this year's Bison team captains.
* Bucknell faced 10 nationally ranked opponents last year and has two on the schedule this weekend. No. 4 Pacific is the highest ranked opponent for the Bison since they faced No. 4 Pacific last October.
Scouting MIT (0-0, 0-0 Northeast Water Polo Conference)
* MIT opens its season this weekend and will play George Washington, Wagner and Johns Hopkins in addition to Bucknell.
* MIT was 14-15 last year and 5-7 in conference play. The Engineers finished in seventh place at the CWPA Championship, defeating Navy 12-8 in their final game.
Scouting St. Francis Brooklyn (0-0, 0-0 Northeast Water Polo Conference)
* St. Francis Brooklyn also opens its season this weekend and will play Pacific and UC Davis in addition to Bucknell.
* The Terriers were 17-13 overall and 8-4 in conference play last year. They finished the season ranked 18th nationally and defeated the Bison 9-6 in the fifth-place game at the CWPA Championship.
Scouting Pacific (0-0, 0-0 Golden Coast Conference)
* Pacific makes the trip east and will play St. Francis Brooklyn, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Bucknell and host Brown at this weekend's Bruno Classic.
* Pacific enters the weekend ranked fourth nationally, behind only UCLA, USC and Cal.
* Pacific was 23-5 a year ago and finished in fourth place at the MPSF Championship.
* Pacific had six players earn All-America honors last year. Ben Stevenson, Aleksander Petrovic and Devon Thumwood return from that group.
Series History with MIT
* Bucknell leads the all-time series 16-1. The teams first met in 1978.
* Bucknell has won the last five meetings with MIT's only victory coming at the 2003 Eastern Championship.
* The teams last played in 2012 with Bucknell posting an 18-12 victory.
Series History with St. Francis Brooklyn
* St. Francis Brooklyn leads the all-time series 31-5. The teams first met in 1992.
* Bucknell snapped a five-game losing streak in the series with an 8-7 regular-season victory last year. The Terriers then posted a 9-6 victory at the CWPA Championship.
* Bucknell's five wins in the series came in 1992 (2), 1998, 2011 and 2015.
Series History with Pacific
* Pacific leads the all-time series 8-1. The teams first met in 1993.
* Bucknell's lone win in the series came in 2007. The Bison defeated the Tigers 10-5.
* Pacific has won the last six meetings, including a 15-8 victory last fall.
Up Next
* Bucknell will be idle next weekend. The Bison will play at home for the first time in 2016 when they host the Bison Invitational Sept. 16-18 at Kinney Natatorium.
* Bucknell, which will have four home weekends this year, will welcome nine additional teams to Kinney Natatorium for the Bison Invitational. The Bison will take on Salem International, Washington & Jefferson, Mercyhurst and Brown that weekend.
Below is a more in-depth season preview of the Bison men's water polo team entering the 2016 season:
The Bucknell men's water polo team may have its best chance at an NCAA berth in a number of years this fall. The main reason the Bison have a good chance at making its first NCAA appearance since 1985 is the fact the team is very good. Six players that started at least 20 games a year ago return, as do six of the team's top seven goal scorers. In fact, the Bison return nearly 75 percent of their scoring prowess from a squad that won its most games (18) since 2007 and finished the season ranked 20th nationally.
Another reason an NCAA berth is in sight is a new division alignment which places Bucknell in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference with Fordham, George Washington, John Hopkins, Navy and Wagner. The winner of the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Championship, which will be held at Bucknell's Kinney Natatorium Nov. 18-20, will earn an automatic NCAA berth where a play-in game will likely loom. The Bison have qualified for the NCAA Championship five times in program history.
Head coach John McBride returns for his sixth season on the Kinney Natatorium pool deck. The veteran mentor, who also coaches the Bison women's water polo program, ranks third on the program's all-time wins list with 81.
“We are a lot deeper than we have been in the past,” commented McBride, who returns 12 letterwinners from last year's talented squad. “The culture on the team is good. Everybody is determined to win, do their best and do their part. Having depth off the bench is a huge positive factor for us this year.
“We didn't have the success we wanted to have last year and our veterans don't want it to happen again, so they have been working hard and showing good leadership in and out of the pool. They know what it takes to win and are making sure the younger guys are following in line.”
The entire senior class – Ratimir Babic, Sean Daley, Nate Hunter, R.J. Moore – will be counted on to provide leadership, although Hunter and Moore have been named team captains.
“Nate and R.J. are great leaders,” praised McBride. “They are well respected because they work hard in practice, they work hard in games and they don't complain. They are all about putting the team first. The younger guys observe that and want to be part of it.”
Moore is a standout center defender who ranked third on the team with 38 steals last year. He also totaled 21 goals and eight assists while earning 11 starts.
Hunter and junior Jeff Hagen will again split time at center, which is always a focus of the Bison offense. That duo combined for 139 of the team's 253 ejections drawn and scored 93 goals, with Hagen's 59 scores ranking second on the team to Honorable Mention All-American Stefan Aleksic.
Babic is another senior who is expected to have a strong final season as a Bison. He has played in 78 career games and has totaled 61 goals and 50 assists. Last year, Babic ranked third on the team with a career-high 62 points (29g, 33a).
“Ratimir can be a great player,” noted McBride. “He is a fantastic shooter. He is a workhorse. He loves the team. He is motivated. We are expecting him to be a leader on the offensive perimeter and think this will finally be his breakout year.”
McBride refers to Daley as “Mr. Consistency.” The senior has been a key member of the lineup every year and his output has increased each season. Last year, Daley led the team with 56 assists and ranked second on the squad with 90 points. He added 51 steals, 19 ejections drawn and 34 goals while winning a team-high 34 sprints.
“Sean is an all-around player,” explained McBride, about the 2015 Honorable Mention All-American. “He always makes the right decision and is extremely reliable.”
Junior Tommy Stupp steadily improved over his first two years as a Bison. After appearing in 24 games off the bench as a rookie in 2014, he became a regular member of the starting lineup last fall and totaled 26 goals, 20 assists and 33 steals.
“Tommy will be slowed a little by injury this fall, but he is still a shutdown perimeter defender,” said McBride. “He is super fast in the pool and we'll monitor his minutes to keep him as healthy as possible.”
Sophomore Marko Djordjevic was the only rookie to be a regular member of the starting lineup in 2015 and he impressed, totaling 37 goals to rank third on the team. The physical Djordjevic added 21 steals, seven ejections drawn and six assists in 29 games.
“Marko had a great freshman year even though he was dealing with an injury,” mentioned McBride. He is a big, strong player who will be even better now that he has another year of experience.”
Sophomore Danny Farmer saw action in 21 games a year ago in a reserve capacity, but McBride expects his role to increase this year.
“Danny is in great shape,” praised McBride. “He has a high water polo IQ and we expect to use him a lot.”
Junior Jordan White and sophomore Johnathan Coleman each saw action in 12 games a year ago, and both will add needed depth at multiple positions.
In goal, junior Charlie Niehaus returns for a second straight year as the starter. He was the only goalie on the roster last year and totaled 254 saves in 936 minutes of playing time. Niehaus also recorded 16 steals and posted three assists.
“Charlie is playing great,” commented McBride. “He has accepted the role of being a Division I starter and is a good leader for us on defense.”
Freshman Alex Pullin will be the backup goalie, allowing the Bison to scrimmage during practice.
“Alex still has a lot to learn, but he is catching up to the speed of the game,” said McBride. “He is tall and athletic, he just needs to connect his brain to his body and he will be fine.”
Pullin is one of five newcomers on this year's squad. McBride expects the freshman field players – Cooper Dolan, Cullen Jacuzzi, Rade Joksimovic, Logan Schofield – to be impactful for the Bison.
“They are all really good, come from great programs and are really skilled,” mentioned McBride. “They are going to see a lot of playing time and will move into more substantial roles as the season moves along.”
