Princeton University Athletics
Men's Water Polo Travels To Bucknell For Southern Championship Weekend
October 30, 2003 | Men's Water Polo
Oct. 30, 2003
PRINCETON, N.J. - The men's water polo team travels to Bucknell this weekend for the Southern Division Championships, featuring the same 12 teams from the Inter-Regional Competition in which Princeton finished second.
The Tigers enter the Southerns as the No. 2 seed behind Navy, who defeated them 8-6 in the championship game of the Inter-Regionals on Oct. 19. Navy and Princeton are ranked first and second in the men's CWPA poll and are tied for 11th in the national collegiate poll. They have already met three times this season with Princeton leading the series 2-1.
Princeton faces Gannon and Penn State Behrend in the first round of the Southerns to determine advancement into the second round. The Tigers easily defeated both teams at the Inter-Regionals - 8-3 over Gannon and 16-2 over Penn State Behrend.
The Tigers are 17-3 overall, led by sophomore John Stover's 46 goals from the driver position. Senior co-captain Dan McKenna has 32 goals and freshman Reid Joseph has 26, while senior Dan Holligan and freshman Chris Kelsch lead in assists with 15 and 14. Joseph and Kelsch are tied for a team-high 20 steals. Junior Peter Sabbatini has 131 saves in goal.
Princeton meets Gannon at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31 and Penn State Behrend at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 2 at 12 p.m. The Tigers have won the Southerns twice in their seven-year history (1999, 2001).