Men's Water Polo Concludes Triton Invitational With Loss to #20 Saint Mary's

Sunday, August 30

San Diego, Calif.

12:20 p.m. ET/9:20 a.m. PT

Bucknell University

Saint Mary's

Photo by: Breanna Ruppel

Men's Water Polo Concludes Triton Invitational With Loss to #20 Saint Mary's

8/30/2026 2:16:00 PM | Men's Water Polo

SAN DIEGO, Calif.- Bucknell men's water polo (1-4) faced newly founded No. 20 Saint Mary's program (1-4) on Sunday morning and became part of its lore with a narrow 12-9 loss to the Gaels. The victory marked Saint Mary's first win in program history.

Jack Dillane led Bucknell with three goals, doing his best to divert the Bison's destiny as the Gaels' first-ever opponent to fall in program history, but he could not overcome fate.

Bucknell struck first on a Dillane tally before the Gaels answered with two goals. The Bison equalized at 2-2, but Saint Mary's then reeled off three consecutive goals and never again trailed or found itself tied. The Orange & Blue cut the deficit to 5-4, only for the Gaels to respond with another three-goal run.

The Bison refused to quit. In the third quarter, Bucknell trimmed the margin to 8-7, but for the third time, Saint Mary's responded with a three-goal burst. The Bison scored twice more, but the Gaels added one final goal to secure the historic 12-9 victory.

Bucknell will rest a weekend before competing at the Princeton Invitational.