Nov. 20, 2008

Bucknell Eastern Championship Preview

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Two weeks ago the Bucknell men's water polo team placed fourth at the Southern Championships, earning it a berth in the Eastern Championship for the ninth consecutive year. The Bison open play at the Eastern Championship Friday at 2 p.m. against No. 12 St. Francis (N.Y.), which is the top seed out of the north division.

The three-day Eastern Championship is taking place at Navy's Lejeune Hall. Four ranked teams are among the eight squads that will be competing for an automatic berth into the NCAA Championship, which will be held Dec. 6-7 in Palo Alto, Calif.

Bucknell Men's Water Polo Notebook (15-15, 4-4 CWPA)
Bucknell Notes
• Bucknell is making its ninth consecutive appearance in the Eastern Championship. The previous longest streak for the Bison was seven from 1982 to 1988.

• Bucknell has finished in the top five at the Eastern Championship in four consecutive years. The Bison won the Eastern Championship four consecutive years from 1977 to 1980.

• The winner of the Eastern Championship earns a berth in the NCAA Championship. Bucknell has advanced to the NCAA Championship five times, with the most recent coming in 1985.

• This year, Bucknell played five games at Navy, the site of this year's Eastern Championship, including four during the season-opening Navy Open, and posted a 3-2 record.

• Bucknell is 12-0 when netting at least 10 goals this season. The Bison are 3-15 when failing to reach double figures on the scoreboard.

• Bucknell has been ranked three weeks this season, climbing to as high as No. 18 following a 3-1 opening weekend.

• With one win this weekend Bucknell will have its highest two-year win total since 1999-2000. The Bison posted a combined 40 wins those two seasons. Last year they won 20 games, meaning one win will give Bucknell 36 victories over the last two years.

• Bucknell has played a schedule littered with 16 ranked teams this season. The Bison are 4-12 against those foes.

• Bucknell goalies Nick Donahue and Morgan Gilhuly have combined for 274 saves this season. That figure ranks ninth in Bucknell history. It is likely the pair will finish the season in fifth on the list as just 14 more saves will move the team total past the 1987 squad that registered 287 stops. Donahue leads the team with a career-high 185 saves this year, while Gilhuly has added 74.

• Johnny Stupp continues to be the lone Bison to start all 30 games this year. Only Stupp, Howie Kalter, Andrew Nelson and Alex Lovell have appeared in every contest.

• Sophomore Richie Hyden is in the midst of a remarkable offensive season. He leads the team in goals (78), assists (44) and points (122). Below is the list of the last person to have more in each of those categories:
Goals: Alex Lundig (1997) - 93
Assists: Kevin Permisohn (2000) - 65
Points: Sean Tierney (1993) - 152

Bucknell Single-Season Record Watch
Gabriel Heiber: 2nd in ejections drawn (58)
Richie Hyden: 1st in shots list (201), 4th in ejections drawn (46), 7th in sprints won (35)
Alex Lampley: 1st in ejections drawn (61)

Bucknell's Weekly Awards in 2008
CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week
- Sean Coghlan (Sept. 22)
- Nick Donahue (Oct. 20, Nov. 3)
- Richie Hyden (Oct. 27)
CWPA Southern Division Rookie of the Week
- Beau Caillouette (Oct. 20, Oct. 27)
- Spencer Richley (Nov. 3)
Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week
- Nick Donahue (Oct. 20)

About St. Francis (N.Y.)
• St. Francis is ranked No. 12 nationally.
• St. Francis has won 10 consecutive games.
• St. Francis has an overall record of 18-5 with all five losses coming to teams that are currently nationally ranked.

Bucknell vs. Eastern Championship Field
• No. 12 St. Francis: 3-21 (St. Francis has won the last 18 meetings dating back to 1998)
• No. 13 Princeton: 28-34 (Bucknell is 5-3 in last eight meetings dating to September 2007
• No. 14 Navy: 14-68 (Navy has won 15 straight games; Bucknell has one win since 2000; last seven games decided by a total of 21 goals)
• No. 17 Brown: 18-27-1 (Bucknell has won eight in a row, including two this year by matching 11-9 scores)
• Iona: 20-16 (Bucknell has four-game winning streak, including a 2-0 record this year)
• Johns Hopkins: 31-14 (Bucknell had eight-game winning streak snapped at Southern Championships)
• MIT: 13-1 (played twice at Navy Open since 2005)

Up Next
• If Bucknell wins the Eastern Championship it will advance to the NCAA Championship for the sixth time in program history, and the first time since 1985. Navy won the CWPA automatic bid to the NCAA Championship last year.

Eastern Championship Schedule
Friday, Nov. 21
Game 1: Princeton vs. MIT, 11 a.m.
Game 2: Brown vs. Johns Hopkins, 12:30 p.m.
Game 3: St. Francis (N.Y.) vs. Bucknell, 2 p.m.
Game 4: Navy vs. Iona, 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 22
Game 5: Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 1, 2:30 p.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, 4 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 5:30 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 23
7th Place: Loser Game 6 vs. Loser Game 5, 9 a.m.
5th Place: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 10:30 a.m.
3rd Place: Loser Game 8 vs. Loser Game 7, 12 p.m.
1st Place: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 1:30 p.m.

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