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Bucknell Men's Water Polo Travels to Harvard for this Weekend's Eastern Championship
Nov. 11, 2005 LEWISBURG, Pa. - The 17th-ranked Bucknell men's water polo team begins its quest for a berth in the NCAA Championship when it travels to Cambridge, Mass., for this weekend's CWPA Eastern Championship, hosted by Harvard. The fifth-seeded Bison battle fourth-seeded Brown Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. The winner of the eight-team field earns an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship, which will take place Dec. 3-4 at Bucknell's Kinney Natatorium. Bucknell will play its second game Saturday at either 4 p.m. or 7 p.m. against either Navy or Iona, depending on the outcome of its game against Brown. The Bison qualified for their sixth consecutive Eastern Championship by finishing third at the Southern Championships two weeks ago. Two of Bucknell's games at the Southern Championships were against possible opponents at the Eastern Championship. The Bison lost to this weekend's top seed, Navy, by a slim 9-8 margin, while they defeated Slippery Rock, which is the seventh seed this weekend, 8-7, in the third-place game. Bucknell, which enters the weekend with a 13-16 overall record, is one of five ranked teams in the Eastern Championship field. The Bison, who have faced 15 teams ranked in the top 20 this year, are no strangers to facing the best teams in the nation. They own a 3-7 record against this weekend's field, but four of those losses were by just one goal. One of the victories was a thrilling 12-11 overtime victory over then-No. 12 Princeton. It ended a 17-game losing streak to the Tigers that dated back to the 1998 campaign. Despite facing such a difficult schedule, Bucknell has had a successful season on both ends of the pool and has outscored its opposition 232-223. The key to the offense has been balance with four players tallying at least 50 points, while senior Trevor Mullins (Orinda, Calif./Palo Alto) has started every game in goal and saved more than half the shots he has faced. A three-year starter, Mullins has started 65 consecutive games and has tallied 221 saves this year to bring his career total to 679, which ranks fifth on Bucknell's career list. After saving a career-high .510 percent of shots last year, he has increased to .516 this season. The co-captain, who made a season-high 16 saves against Princeton at the ECAC Championship in September, has saved at least 10 shots in a contest eight times this year, with all eight coming in the last 16 contests. Junior Mark Masterson (Kihei, Hawaii/Marin), a transfer from UC Irvine, has led the Bison offense all year. He has posted 45 goals and 63 points, both team-high figures, in his first season in Orange and Blue. One of just three players to start all 29 games, Masterson has 15 multiple-goal outings, and has posted a career-high four goals on two occasions. Not limited to the offensive end, Masterson ranks second on the team with 26 steals. Senior Brad Roslyn (Philadelphia, Pa./William Penn Charter) is second on the squad with 55 points and third with 36 goals, while his 19 assists stand second. A four-year starter, Roslyn has 174 career goals, which is just 10 shy of tying Tom Butler for 10th place on Bucknell's career list. Roslyn, a co-captain who tied his career high with five goals against George Washington in mid-October, posted at least three goals five times. Senior Aaron Platshon (Menlo Park, Calif./Menlo School) stands third on the squad with 53 points. Most of those points have come from his playmaking abilities which have allowed him to dish out a career-high 34 assists. The veteran of 118 career games, Platshon, a co-captain, leads the defense with 41 steals. His 180 career steals rank third on the Bison all-time list. Sophomore Jason Rechel (Columbus, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) is the final Bison with at least 50 points, tallying exactly 50 with 37 goals and 13 assists. After scoring just 16 goals as a freshman, Rechel has had a breakout sophomore campaign. The team's primary sprinter, Rechel has won 59 of 110 sprints this season. He has won at least three sprints in a game 11 times. In addition to his offensive abilities, which have allowed him to tally at least three points five times, Rechel is a solid defender who ranks third on the team with 25 steals.
Bucknell finished fifth at last year's Eastern Championship, which was held at Kinney Natatorium. Princeton earned the CWPA's berth into the NCAA Championship with a 3-2 four-overtime win over St. Francis (N.Y.). The Bison, who last won the Eastern Championship in 1980, will be aiming for their sixth NCAA Championship berth, and first since 1985, this weekend.
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