Bucknell University Athletics
Update from Head Water Polo Coach John McBride -- December 2025
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Hello from Bison Water Polo,
I hope that everyone had a great holiday with family in November and that it continues through the next holiday season. Many of you have noticed that we went to a quarterly newsletter this season, and the general feedback was that you missed the weekly emails that I had previously been sending throughout the year. I just want to let you know that I have listened to you and will be returning to the weekly emails starting next semester. For those of you who were concerned that your email wasn’t working, I can assure you it is, and you didn’t miss anything!
The men’s season ended this year at Fordham, where we finished in 5th place in the MAWPC Tournament for the second year in a row. This season was very odd because, despite playing brilliantly at times, we just never hit our stride. It seemed as though the tougher the competition, the better we played, taking several ranked teams to the end of games and losing by one or two goals. However, when we played teams that were not as good as us, we struggled. This is one of the most talented teams I’ve had since being at Bucknell, so I can’t pinpoint the exact reason for this, but I can say that a big part of it was the mental game. We spent a lot of time playing both “down” and “up” but never consistently one or the other. It’s definitely something we need to fix next year.
We are graduating five men who have been a huge part of the leadership and growth of this team since 2021. Aleksa Stefanovic, Matteo Herrera, Jack Murad, Max Touzot, and Ian Schultz have contributed to our competitive success both in and out of the pool and helped us secure strong finishes and represent Bucknell with distinction. All of these young men will go out into the world and help to make it a better place. We will be bringing in at least four new athletes in 2026. The four we have committed so far are extremely talented and will fill vacancies left by the seniors. We are currently working on a fifth student-athlete to finish the class. NIL has been good for Bucknell water polo because it has created roster limits for men’s and women’s water polo for those institutions that chose to opt in. Consequently, there are very limited roster slots for every team in the country, and there are not as many opportunities for athletes. This has created a lot of interest from athletes who wouldn’t have considered us in the past. We are very excited for 2026 because we will be better!
The women finished their preseason, and we cannot wait for their campaign to begin. We have 24 women on the team, which is the largest we’ve had since I’ve been at Bucknell. We will finally have a travel team this season. The “travel team” has made practices so much better. Everyone is competing every day to travel and play on the weekend. We have so much talent, it will be a very hard decision for the coaching staff on who travels and who does not. It is a great problem to have! Their schedule is finalized, and it should be an exciting season. We have back-to-back weekends at home this year, which will be nice. The league has gone to a single round robin for cost savings, and finally, after years of discussion, the women’s season has been shortened by two weeks. We have asked the league for a shorter season that would match the men’s season for a long time now. As of last year, the men’s season was a month shorter than the women's. The women’s season was just too long. A shorter season should be better for the mind and body!
As we move into 2026, the programs are in a great place; however, your generosity is always appreciated. These teams cannot travel and have the D1 experience without your help. Any financial support you can provide to help us out would be greatly appreciated. No amount is too small, and every penny is spent on meeting the basic expectations. Our goal is to remain in a great financial position so we never have to worry about our athletes having to sacrifice their experience because of rising costs. If you prefer to make a gift before the end of the calendar year for tax purposes, you can do so here. If it makes more sense in your personal planning to support us in the new year, please mark your calendars for this year’s One Herd One Day 24-hour giving challenge, which is set for March 25-26.
If I haven’t thanked you recently for your gift, I will. Just know that the athletes are very thankful and aware that it is the alumni, family, and friends who have made it possible for them to have a seamless experience.
Thank you again for your ongoing support—it truly makes a difference for our teams. Together, let's make 2026 our best year yet. We look forward to sharing all of our successes with you!
Go Bison!
John McBride
Head Water Polo Coach
Bucknell University
jwm035@bucknell.edu
Past Newsletters:
Bison Club support is the driving force behind Bucknell Athletics. Your donations directly impact the holistic development of student-athletes from 27 Division I varsity programs who are building a foundation at Bucknell to become leaders and difference-makers around the globe. Make your gift online, or call 570-577-1771 to support your favorite Bison team today.
I hope that everyone had a great holiday with family in November and that it continues through the next holiday season. Many of you have noticed that we went to a quarterly newsletter this season, and the general feedback was that you missed the weekly emails that I had previously been sending throughout the year. I just want to let you know that I have listened to you and will be returning to the weekly emails starting next semester. For those of you who were concerned that your email wasn’t working, I can assure you it is, and you didn’t miss anything!
The men’s season ended this year at Fordham, where we finished in 5th place in the MAWPC Tournament for the second year in a row. This season was very odd because, despite playing brilliantly at times, we just never hit our stride. It seemed as though the tougher the competition, the better we played, taking several ranked teams to the end of games and losing by one or two goals. However, when we played teams that were not as good as us, we struggled. This is one of the most talented teams I’ve had since being at Bucknell, so I can’t pinpoint the exact reason for this, but I can say that a big part of it was the mental game. We spent a lot of time playing both “down” and “up” but never consistently one or the other. It’s definitely something we need to fix next year.
We are graduating five men who have been a huge part of the leadership and growth of this team since 2021. Aleksa Stefanovic, Matteo Herrera, Jack Murad, Max Touzot, and Ian Schultz have contributed to our competitive success both in and out of the pool and helped us secure strong finishes and represent Bucknell with distinction. All of these young men will go out into the world and help to make it a better place. We will be bringing in at least four new athletes in 2026. The four we have committed so far are extremely talented and will fill vacancies left by the seniors. We are currently working on a fifth student-athlete to finish the class. NIL has been good for Bucknell water polo because it has created roster limits for men’s and women’s water polo for those institutions that chose to opt in. Consequently, there are very limited roster slots for every team in the country, and there are not as many opportunities for athletes. This has created a lot of interest from athletes who wouldn’t have considered us in the past. We are very excited for 2026 because we will be better!
The women finished their preseason, and we cannot wait for their campaign to begin. We have 24 women on the team, which is the largest we’ve had since I’ve been at Bucknell. We will finally have a travel team this season. The “travel team” has made practices so much better. Everyone is competing every day to travel and play on the weekend. We have so much talent, it will be a very hard decision for the coaching staff on who travels and who does not. It is a great problem to have! Their schedule is finalized, and it should be an exciting season. We have back-to-back weekends at home this year, which will be nice. The league has gone to a single round robin for cost savings, and finally, after years of discussion, the women’s season has been shortened by two weeks. We have asked the league for a shorter season that would match the men’s season for a long time now. As of last year, the men’s season was a month shorter than the women's. The women’s season was just too long. A shorter season should be better for the mind and body!
As we move into 2026, the programs are in a great place; however, your generosity is always appreciated. These teams cannot travel and have the D1 experience without your help. Any financial support you can provide to help us out would be greatly appreciated. No amount is too small, and every penny is spent on meeting the basic expectations. Our goal is to remain in a great financial position so we never have to worry about our athletes having to sacrifice their experience because of rising costs. If you prefer to make a gift before the end of the calendar year for tax purposes, you can do so here. If it makes more sense in your personal planning to support us in the new year, please mark your calendars for this year’s One Herd One Day 24-hour giving challenge, which is set for March 25-26.
If I haven’t thanked you recently for your gift, I will. Just know that the athletes are very thankful and aware that it is the alumni, family, and friends who have made it possible for them to have a seamless experience.
Thank you again for your ongoing support—it truly makes a difference for our teams. Together, let's make 2026 our best year yet. We look forward to sharing all of our successes with you!
Go Bison!
John McBride
Head Water Polo Coach
Bucknell University
jwm035@bucknell.edu
Past Newsletters:
- February 2023
- March 2023
- April 2023
- May 2023
- August 2023
- September 2023
- October 2023
- November 2023
- September 2024
- October 2025
Bison Club support is the driving force behind Bucknell Athletics. Your donations directly impact the holistic development of student-athletes from 27 Division I varsity programs who are building a foundation at Bucknell to become leaders and difference-makers around the globe. Make your gift online, or call 570-577-1771 to support your favorite Bison team today.