This past weekend, Bucknell men’s water polo traveled 2,800 miles to sunny California to compete in the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament. 

The Bison totaled four games throughout the weekend against top ranked teams: San Jose State, Santa Clara, Fresno Pacific and Stanford. The first day of the tournament didn’t prove favorable, but the men came back strong on the second day. The Bison opened the tournament with a close back-and-forth affair against San Jose State, resulting in an 11-9 loss. Hasan Mogultay ’25 and Jack Lewis ’23 each scored three goals in the defeat. 

In game two, Bucknell lost another close bout against Santa Clara, falling 11-13. Although the game didn’t result in favor of the Bison, some great plays were made. Aleksa Stefanovic ’26 gave Bucknell a brief lead at the start of the half, scoring three goals in the opening 16 minutes and six total throughout the course of the game. 

Bucknell opened day two of the tournament with a commanding 22-7 victory against Fresno Pacific, in which 10 different players scored. The 22-goal game total is the second highest of the season for the Bison. The Bison scored the first 13 goals leaving no room for Sunbird success.

In their final game of the tournament, Bucknell fell to No. 3 Stanford, 19-6. While most of the game was played outside Cardinal territory, Andu Vlasceanu ’23, Stefanovic, Walker Butler ’25, Ian Schultz ’26 and Colby Paine ’23 were able to hit the back of the net, resulting in a total of six scores for the Bison. 

“It was a great weekend against four competitive teams,” Senior goalkeeper Adrien Touzot said. “We showed up to use this opportunity to get better for the championship coming up soon. The teams we played put up a good fight and we grew as a team for the better. It’s always an awesome experience to travel with our team anywhere, and we’re excited to get back in the pool this weekend against Fordham.”

Following the weekend, Bucknell now stands at 12-12 (8-3 MAWPC) on the season. Keep an eye out next weekend for our polo players as they travel to Fordham to continue conference play.