Bucknell men’s water polo took charge against Navy and George Washington in the MAWPC tournament, falling in the finals to Fordham. 

The win against Navy was Coach John McBride’s two-hundredth during his tenure with Bucknell. This marked the Bison’s first against Navy in their previous five bouts, further earning their seventh win in the first game of the MAWPC Tournament within the last eight years. 

The bison took the first lead of the game and never let go throughout the entire match. The scoring began just 30 seconds into the game with a goal by Andu Vlasceanu ’23, followed by another at the 4:46 mark by Doruk Ozar ’24 to double the Bucknell advantage. 

The Bison pushed their lead to as many as three ahead with a 5-2 score, Aleksa Stefanovic ’26 contributing a goal in the first half. 

At the break, Navy trailed behind the Bison with a score of 5-4. Bucknell’s defensive power was demonstrated throughout the remainder of the game as they shut out attempts by the Mids to secure their win. 

Goalkeeper Adrien Touzot ’23 demonstrated his defensive authority, making five saves over the closing eight minutes of the game. Josh Yardley ’23 helped to add additional superiority in order to secure the win with a goal in the final quarter, the final score being an 8-6 win. 

Due to their hard-fought battle against George Washington, the team earned their spot in the MAWPC championship. Against the Colonials, the Bison won 7-5, with goals contributed by Vlasceanu, Shay Gillearn ’25, Walker Butler ’24, Ian Shultz ’26, Yardley and Stefanovic. 

The Colonials scored first, just 90 seconds into the game, but this was the only instance George Washington was in the lead. Touzot contributed to this successful game, making an impressive eight saves. 

Finally, in the championship game against No. 1 seed, Fordham, the Bison fell to the Rams 14-7. 

Despite the defeat, there were still positives for the Bison in the match: Stefanovic contributed back-to-back goals, Ozar scored just 30 seconds into the game and six seniors completed their successful careers as members of the Orange and Blue. These seniors included Vlasceanu, Yardley and Touzot, as well as Colby Paine, Will Gildea and Jack Lewis.