Bison Men's Water Polo Through the Decades, Presented by Geisinger

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Welcome to Bison Men's Water Polo Through the Decades! Hall-of-Fame coach Dick Russell started the water polo program at Bucknell, and after several successful years at the club level, the team gained varsity status in 1977. The Bison found immediate success at the varsity level, finishing 28-5, winning the Eastern title, and advancing to the NCAA Tournament in that inaugural varsity season. Led by All-American Scott Schulte and host of standouts, three more Eastern titles and NCAA trips immediately followed. In the years since, the Bison have annually ranked in the top 20 nationally and been considered one of the top teams in the East. Over the course of this week, we will take a look back through the decades and hear from many of the top players who helped shape the history of the Bison men's water polo program. Special thanks to Geisinger for sponsoring the series.

1970s
The decade where it all began! After Dick Russell founded the club water polo team in 1970, the program was elevated to varsity status in 1977. The addition of men's water polo and women's lacrosse during the 1977-78 academic year brought Bucknell's varsity sports count to 20, up from just nine a decade earlier. Initially comprised primarily of members of the varsity swimming team, the Bison water polo club achieved tremendous success, highlighted by a perfect 17-0 season in 1974 and EWPL Southern Division championship in 1974 and 1975. The squad just missed another Eastern title in 1976, and then in the very first varsity season in 1977, the Bison went 28-5 and qualified for the NCAA Championship for the first of four straight seasons. A young freshman named Scott Schulte burst onto the scene with 154 goals and 62 assists. Schulte would go on to become a two-time All-American and the highest scorer in NCAA history. Five outstanding alumni join us on this episode to talk about those early days of the Bison water polo program: Jay Fisette '78, Dan Richards '78, Andy Karpuk '79, Dan Wilson '80 and Mark Gensheimer '81. Fisette was the third-leading scorer on the inaugural varsity team in 1977, and his 156 points (11th) and 81 assists (3rd) remain among the highest single-season totals in team history. Fisette was a First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Conference selection and All-Eastern Championship selection in '77. Like many in that era, Richards competed for both the Bison swimming and water polo teams at Bucknell. He and his wife, Chris, honored Coach Russell in 2009 by establishing the Russell Endowment to enhance the Bison water polo programs. Karpuk (1978) and Wilson (1979) were captains on NCAA Tournament teams, and Gensheimer remains one of the top scorers in program history with 244 goals (5th), 152 assists (8th) and 396 points (6th). He was a two-time All-Eastern Championship selection.

1980s
The decade of the 1980s started with a bang under Hall-of-Fame coach Dick Russell. Led by the brilliant Scott Schulte '81 and Hall-of-Fame goalie Tony Paxton '81, Bucknell logged a 31-4-2 season, Mid-Atlantic League and EWPL Southern Division championships, and a fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament in 1980. The Bison went back to NCAAs after a 25-9 season and another league title in 1985, paced by high-scoring Hall-of-Famer Jeff Hilk '86, and the squad posted nine winning seasons in that 10-year period. Bucknell water polo made some history in 1987. After program founder Russell stepped down to focus on his duties as men's swimming and diving coach. Lynn Kachmarik (then Lynn Comer), became the first woman ever to serve as head coach of an NCAA men's water polo team. A standout player in her own right and a member of the U.S. National Team, Kachmarik was named Eastern Coach of the Year in 1987, helped lead the 1988 team to a No. 17 national ranking and posted a four-year record of 56-46. She later coached the very first Bucknell women's varsity water polo team in 1998-99, and also served as head coach of both the men's and women's swimming and diving teams. She was elected to the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014. The Hall-of-Famers Schulte, Paxton and Hilk all join us on today's chat, along with Paul Duffy '87 and Garrin Kapecki '89. Paxton transferred to Bucknell from Michigan, and in his three seasons in Lewisburg backstopped the Bison to three Eastern titles while setting school records for save percentage in a season (.657) and career (.633) that still stand today. Paxton's 833 career saves were a record at the time now rank third. He was a three-time First Team All-Eastern Championship selection. Schulte graduated as the NCAA's all-time leader in goals (586) and points (842). The great Rade Joksimovic, who graduated last spring, recorded 527 career goals, and those are the only two Bison with more than 334. Schulte was a four-time All-East selection and was named Second Team All-American in 1979 and 1980. He was the high scorer in the NCAA Tournament in all four of his seasons and is a member of the CWPA Hall of Fame. That player in the No. 3 spot with 334 career goals is Hilk, who was a three-time All-MAC and All-East honoree and an Honorable Mention All-American as a senior. He was later picked to play on the East team at the U.S. Olympic Festival in 1985 and 1986, and in 1983 he was a member of the National Junior Development Team. Hilk is also a member of the CWPA Hall of Fame. Duffy was a three-time First Team All-MAC honoree and the league's MVP in 1985. Kapecki was a two-year captain who ranks fourth in team history in both goals (316) and points (443). He was a three-time All-MAC selection and the 1987 league MVP, and he earned Honorable Mention All-America plaudits in both 1987 and 1988.

1990s
The Bison posted winning records in seven of the 10 seasons in the decade of the 1990s, including a three-year stretch from 1997-99 when they won 56 games and finished second in the CWPA Southern Division twice. The 1993 squad also finished second in the conference and went to be runner-up in the Eastern Championships after advancing to the all the way to the tournament final against UMass. In this episode, coach John McBride and current team member Matt Blackwell chat with John Zeigler '91, Chris Retzler '93, Alex Lunding '98, Josh Watts '00 and Kevin Permisohn '01. Zeigler was a four-year letterman and two-year team captain, and he later returned to Bucknell for a couple of stints as head coach of the men's and women's programs. He is currently a member of Bucknell's University Advancement team. Retzler was a three-year letterman and captain of the 1992 squad. Lunding was a two-year captain who still ranks ninth on Bucknell's career list with 210 goals. That includes an 11-goal game against Richmond in 1997, and Lunding was a two-time All-CWPA Southern Division First Team selection. Watts was a First Team All-CWPA Southern Division pick in 1998. He ranks sixth in career shot attempts with 405, and his 13 goals against Washington & Jefferson in 1999 was the school record until Rade Joksimovic bettered it with a 14-goal game in 2016. Permisohn was a rare three-year team captain, and on Bucknell's career lists he ranks second in assists (213), third in steals (235) and 10th in points (355). His 101 steals in 2000 remains a school single-season record. Permisohn was a four-time all-conference selection and an Honorable Mention All-American in 1998.

2000s
The decade of the 2000s featured a major landmark in the history of the Bucknell water polo program. In the fall of 2002, the beautiful new Kinney Natatorium opened, and the Bison were able to leave behind the intimate, albeit dated Freas-Rookie Pool and begin practicing and competing in a modern, spacious aquatics facility. Kinney Natatorium played host to the Southern Division Championships for the first time in 2003, the Eastern Championships returned to Lewisburg a year later, and in 2005 Bucknell was awarded the high honor of hosting the NCAA Championship. It was the first NCAA championship game ever played on the Bucknell campus in any sport, and Bucknell became just the fifth non-California school to host the championship and the first from Pennsylvania. For the Bison, the decade started with a coaching change, as Bucknell water polo alum John Zeigler '91 returned to his alma mater as head coach. When Zeigler returned to his law practice following the 2007 season, his assistant coach John Abdou helmed the squad from 2008-10. The Bison posted two 20-win campaigns in the 2000s, those coming in the first and last seasons of Zeigler's tenure, and the team finished as high as third at the Eastern Championships in 2009. Bucknell claimed seven Honorable Mention All-America citations in the 2000s, including two from Richie Hyden '11, who would add a third All-America honor as a senior in 2010. Joining coach John McBride and current goalie Jack Otto on today's call are four standouts from this decade: David Kennedy '02, Mark Masterson '07, Jason Rechel '08 and Johnny Stupp '10. Kennedy was a standout goalie who still owns the Bucknell single-season (393) and career (1,002) saves records. Masterson was an Honorable Mention All-American as a senior, and he was a two-time All-CWPA Southern Division honoree. Rechel was also an Honorable Mention All-American during his senior season in 2007, and he earned a pair of All-CWPA Southern Division honors. Rechel ranks second all-time in Bucknell in sprints won (169) and games played (123). Stupp set a school record with 33 games started in 2008, and he was an ACWPC All-Academic selection as a senior.

2010s
As mentioned in the introduction, Bucknell found immediate success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but the most recent Bison squads of the 2010s can certainly make a claim as being among the best in team history. Bucknell won a league title and finished second at Easterns in 2012, and then the Bison went to another level when All-Americans Rade Joksimovic and Logan Schofield, along with a number of other all-conference performers, arrived at Kinney Natatorium. Joksimovic quickly became the highest-scoring player in the nation, and earned Third Team, Honorable Mention, Second Team and First Team All-America plaudits over his four seasons. He scored 527 career goals, second only to Scott Schulte in Bucknell history, and last season he was one of three finalists for the Cutino Award given to the national player of the year. Bucknell captured the Middle Atlantic Water Polo Conference title at home last November, then knocked off previously undefeated Harvard 13-12 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bison then put up a strong showing in a 15-9 loss to second-ranked and defending national champion USC in the national quarterfinals. Joksimovic is one of six stars of the last decade joining coach John McBride and current senior Scott Little on today's chat. Also with us is Richie Hyden '11, Brian Barron '13, Mike Kimbal '14, Stefan Aleksic '16 and Charlie Niehaus '18. Hyden was a three-time Honorable Mention All-American and one of the top scorers in team history. The Australian ranks seventh on the Bucknell career lists for goals (232), assists (161) and points (393) and was a three-time All-CWPA Southern Division First Team all-star. Barron was the CWPA Southern Division Player of the Year in 2012 and was a First Team all-star as a junior and senior. He was an Honorable Mention All-American in 2012, when he broke the Bucknell single-season record for sprints won with 74. Kimble was a beast in the center for the Bison, and he ranks 11th in school history with 123 ejections drawn. Aleksic was a three-time Honorable Mention All-American and All-CWPA Southern Division selection. He ranks eighth in school history in goals (213) and assists (152) and ninth in points (365). Niehaus was a standout goalie for the Bison. He started 91 career games and ranks second in school history with 837 career saves. He was a two-time all-conference selection and a three-time ACWPC All-Academic selection.

Bucknell University Athletics

Bison Men's Water Polo Through the Decades, Presented by Geisinger

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