Men's Water Polo Begins Conference Play with Three Road Opponents this Weekend

9/22/2016 12:21:00 PM | Men's Water Polo

By: TBD

Setting the Scene
What: Bucknell at Navy, George Washington, Johns Hopkins
Where: Annapolis, Md. | Washington D.C. | Baltimore, Md.

Bucknell Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 24
No. 13 Bucknell at Navy, 8 p.m. | Patriot League Network Broadcast
Sunday, Sept. 25
No. 13 Bucknell at No. 16 George Washington, 10 a.m. | RaiseHigh Live Broadcast
No. 13 Bucknell at Johns Hopkins, 3 p.m. | Video Broadcast

About Bucknell (6-1, 0-0 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference)
* Bucknell currently holds a four-game winning streak after winning all of its games at last weekend's Bison Invitational.
* At the Bison Invitational, Bucknell earned large victories over Salem International (24-8), Washington & Jefferson (18-6) and Mercyhurst (14-7) before claiming a close 9-8 match in the final game over No. 14 Brown.
* Due to their recent performance, the Bison are ranked 13th in the national polls, equaling their highest ranking in all of 2015.
* The 6-1 start for Bucknell is its best start to a season since it also went 6-1 back in 2013.
* The 24 goals scored against Salem International were the most by a Bison team since scoring 24 in 2012, and the 16-goal margin of victory was the most since a 21-3 triumph in 2010.
* Rade Joksimovic had another stellar weekend, scoring 23 goals, dishing out seven assists, and adding 22 steals and four ejections drawn. For the freshman's performance, he was named the Bison Athlete of the Week. He also became the first men's player in the history of the CWPA to earn Player, Defensive Player, and Rookie of the Week awards all in the same week.
*Joksimovic leads the team with 41 total points. Sean Daley ranks second on the club with six assists and Jeff Hagen ranks second in goals with 12 this season.
* Seniors Nate Hunter and R.J. Moore are this year's Bison team captains.

Scouting Navy (5-3, 0-0 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference)
* Navy went 1-3 in its performance at the Bison Invitational. It closed the tournament with a 17-8 victory of Washington & Jefferson.
* The Midshipmen have not lost at home this season, earning wins in all four of their matches in Annapolis. Navy went 7-1 at home in 2015.

Scouting No. 16 George Washington (3-3, 0-0 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference)
* Bucknell will be the fifth ranked opponent that George Washington has seen this season. The Colonials are 1-3 against ranked opponents thus far, with their win being a 12-11 overtime victory over No. 15 Air Force.
* Freshman Atakan Destici is George Washington's leading scorer. He has totaled 17 goals through six games while adding six assists and 19 steals.

Scouting Johns Hopkins (0-7, 0-0 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference)
* Despite a 0-7 start, Johns Hopkins has faced a particularly difficult schedule to open the season. Six of its seven games have come against ranked opponents, including No. 1 UCLA, No. 3 California and No. 4 Pacific.
* The matchup with Bucknell will be the final of a four-game homestand for the Blue Jays.
* Johns Hopkins has allowed an average of 16.4 goals per game this season.

Series History with Navy
* Navy leads the all-time series 81-23. The teams first met in 1978.
* Bucknell has won four of the past seven meetings over the past two seasons.
* Navy went 37-2 over Bucknell in a stretch that goes from 1995-2008.
* Neither team has swept the other in one season since Navy did back in 2008.

Series History with No. 16 George Washington
* Bucknell leads the all-time series 49-14. The teams first met in 1983.
* The Bison have won the past seven matchups between the two squads.
* 1995 was the last year in which George Washington won the season series over Bucknell.

Series History with Johns Hopkins
* Bucknell leads the all-time series 44-24. The teams first met in 1980.
* From 1980 to 1999, Bucknell won all 14 meetings with Johns Hopkins.
* The series has gone back-and-forth since 2012 with a 5-5 split during those 10 games.

Weekly Awards:
* Bison Athlete of the Week:
- Rade Joksimovic (Sept. 19)
* CWPA Player of the Week:
- Rade Joksimovic (Sept. 6, Sept. 20)
* CWPA Defensive Player of the Week:
- Rade Joksimovic (Sept. 20)
* CWPA Rookie of the Week:
- Rade Joksimovic (Sept. 6, Sept. 20)

Milestone Watch:
* John McBride is 13 wins away from earning 100 victories in his career.
* Rade Joksimovic is nine points away from totaling 50 points this season.
* Ratimir Babic is seven goals away from scoring 75 in his career.
* R.J. Moore needs 23 points to tally 100 points in his career.
* Sean Daley is eight assists away from being 10th on Bucknell's all-time assists list for a career.
* Charlie Niehaus is 39 saves away from being 10th on Bucknell's all-time saves list for a career
* The Bucknell team is one win away from its best start to a season since 2007.