Men's Water Polo Hosts Bison Invitational

Setting the Scene
What: Bison Invitational
When: Saturday, Sept. 15 to Sunday, Sept. 16
Where: Kinney Natatorium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Tournament Central: BucknellBison.com

Game One: La Salle (1-7, 0-0 MAWPC-East) vs. No. 14 Bucknell (4-1, 0-0 MAWPC-East)
When: Saturday, Sept. 15 – 11:15 a.m.

Game Two: Washington & Jefferson (2-3, 0-0 MAWPC-West) vs. No. 14 Bucknell (4-1, 0-0 MAWPC-East)
When: Saturday, Sept. 15 – 6:45 p.m.

Game Three: Fordham (2-4, 0-0 MAWPC-East) vs. No. 14 Bucknell (4-1, 0-0 MAWPC-East)
When: Sunday, Sept. 16 – 12:30 p.m.

Game Four: Salem (2-4, 0-0 MAWPC-West) vs. No. 14 Bucknell (4-1, 0-0 MAWPC-East)
When: Sunday, Sept. 16 – 6 p.m.

Bucknell at a Glance
• The Bison are currently 4-1 on the season. They rose to 14th in the CWPA Poll based on their strong performance at the Bruno Classic on Sept. 1-2; during that season-opening tournament, they topped then No. 15 Brown (14-7) and then No. 19 St. Francis Brooklyn (9-6) while falling only to then No. 8 Pepperdine by a tight 12-11 margin.
• Bucknell was slotted in a tie for 20th with Air Force and Wagner in the 2018 CWPA Preseason Poll.
• The Bison finished 2017 with a 19-12 (10-0 MAWPC-East) record. Bucknell captured its second-straight MAWPC East Region regular-season title behind its unbeaten mark.
• The Bison, who were the defending champions, ultimately took third at the 2017 MAWPC Championship after being upset by Wagner in the semifinals, 10-8.
• Bucknell went 8-0 at Kinney Natatorium a year ago. The Bison, who ride a 15-game home winning streak into their 41st season of competition, are 42-7 (.857) in their home pool since 2013.
• The Bison strung together the sixth-longest winning streak in program history from Sept. 16 to Oct. 14, 2017, emerging victorious in 11-straight contests.
• Rade Joksimovic (24g-12a), Jared Stanley (10g-8a) and Marko Djordjevic (6g-7a) are Bucknell's top three point producers. Freshman Jack Otto has made 45 saves through his first five starts in the cage.

Joksimovic Captures Weekly Awards
• Rade Joksimovic was tabbed as the MAWPC Player of the Week and the Bison Athlete of the Week on Sept. 3 after leading the Bison to a 4-1 opening weekend at the Bruno Classic.
• Joksimovic was sensational for the Bison, recording 36 points on 24 goals and 12 assists. His average of 7.20 points per contest was bolstered by a 10-point (9g-1a) outing against MIT and an 11-point effort (6g-5a) against then No. 15 Brown.

Joksimovic Continues to Rise in the Bison Rankings
• On the strength of his performance at the Bruno Classic, Rade Joksimovic now boasts 361 career points on 284 goals and 77 assists. He currently ranks fourth in career goals and ninth in career points; he entered the season needing 25 points to crack Bucknell's top 10 and nearly did so on the strength of just his goal total.

Career Goals
1. Scott Schulte 586
2. Jeff Hilk 334
3. Garrin Kapecki 316
4. Rade Joksimovic 284
5. Sean Tierney 255

Career Points
1. Scott Schulte 842
2. Jeff Hilk 460
3. Garrin Kapecki 433
4. Sean Tierney 431
5. Mark Gensheimer 396
6. Richie Hyden 393
7. Tom Butler 386
8. Stefan Aleksic 365
9. Rade Joksimovic 361
10. Kevin Permisohn 355

La Salle at a Glance
• The Explorers are currently 1-7 on the season. Their lone win was a 14-11 decision over Washington & Jefferson in their most recent game.
• In 2017, its first season of varsity competition, La Salle posted a 6-18 (4-3 MAWPC-West) record.
• The Bison and Explorers met at last year's Bison Invitational, with Bucknell scoring a commanding 21-6 victory. Eleven different Bison netted a goal, with Rade Joksimovic leading the way with nine points (6g-3a) despite playing almost exclusively in the first half.

Washington & Jefferson at a Glance
• The Presidents are currently 2-4 on the season after hosting the W&J Invitational and participating in the Mercyhurst Invitational.
• In 2017, Washington & Jefferson went 1-18.
• The Bison lead the all-time series with the Presidents, 18-0. The series dates back to 1999.
• In the most recent meeting at the 2016 Bison Invitational, Bucknell dispatched Washington & Jefferson, 18-6. Rade Joksimovic and Jeff Hagen each had four-goal outings to help the Bison move to 4-1 on the season, their best start since 2013.

Fordham at a Glance
• The Rams are currently 2-4 on the season after attending the Navy Labor Day Open and the Princeton Invitational.
• In 2017, Fordham finished 18-12 (6-4 MAWPC-East). The Rams took fourth at the MAWPC Championship after falling to the Bison in the third-place game, 10-9.
• Bucknell leads the all-time series with Fordham, 44-3. The series dates back to 1977, and the Bison are on a seven-game winning streak.
• In 2017, the Bison and Rams met three times. Each game was decided by two or fewer goals, including their final game in the MAWPC Championship. During that contest, Rade Joksimovic (3g) and Tommy Stupp (2g) had multi-goal outings, with Stupp's second proving to be the game winner.

Salem at a Glance
• The Tigers are currently 2-4 on the season after attending the Navy Labor Day Open and the Mercyhurst Invitational.
• In 2017, Salem posted a 12-13 (5-3 MAWPC-West) record.
• The Bison lead the all-time series with the Tigers, 21-3. The series dates back to 1997, and Bucknell is on an eight-game winning streak.
• At last year's Bison Invitational, the Bison dropped the Tigers, 12-2, behind six-point outings by Rade Joksimovic (5g-1a) and Marko Djordjevic (3g-3a). Bucknell outscored Salem, 8-0, in the second half to finish an unblemished 3-0 at its home tournament.

A Look Ahead
• After taking a week off, Bucknell continues MAWPC action by traveling to George Washington (Sept. 29, 2 p.m.), Navy (Sept. 29, 7 p.m.) and Johns Hopkins (Sept. 30, 12 p.m.).

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Players Mentioned

Marko Djordjevic

Jeff Hagen

Rade Joksimovic

Jack Otto

Jared Stanley

Tommy Stupp