(LEBANON, Ill., Sept. 1) – The McKendree University men's water polo team is set for their first season competing at the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Varsity level. The Bearcats first games this season come at the Bruno Classic hosted by Brown University on September 2-3.
 
The Bearcats' program, which made its debut in the fall of 2016 as a club team, posted a 12-15 overall record while placing 13th overall at the CWPA National Collegiate Club Championships held in Indiana. This season McKendree has made the transition to an NCAA varsity-level program, competing in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference – Western Region (MAWPC). This season the Bearcats will be headed by Ryan Hall, who has set some lofty expectations for the Bearcats' program as it begins NCAA competition.
 
"Our goal is to finish in the top half of our conference," said Hall. "As a new varsity program with a young roster we will experience some growing pains as we adjust to the level of competition. Our non-conference schedule is extremely difficult and it is important that we try and learn from every game to prepare for conference opponents as well as the end of season playoffs. So far I have been very impressed with how hard the boys have been working, and how focused they are every day in the pool. I think as a team we are excited about the challenges that lie ahead, and looking forward to seeing how we stack up against some of the best teams from every division."
 
Players to Watch
The Bearcats have added some fire power this season along with 12 returning players from last year's roster.
 
Attackers
McKendree is returning three of its top attackers including sophomores Joseph Mahan (Corinth, TX/John H Guyer High School) and Michael Krause (St. Louis, MO/Saint Louis University High School), who received Second Team All-Conference honors last season.
 
Mahan led the team in scoring last season with a team high of 86 goals, while adding 23 assists for a total of 109 points last season. He also had a team leading 62 steals as well as eight field blocks on the season. Krause found the back of the net 32 times and added a team high 25 assists for 57 points on the season. He also recorded 26 steals as well as two field blocks. Another notable attacker returning this season is sophomore Luc Gregory (Laguna Beach, CA/Laguna Beach High School), who netted 63 goals, led the team in drawn ejections with 46, recorded 22 assists, and registered 35 steals.
 
Defenders
The Bearcats are also returning several top players on the other side of the ball including sophomore defender Izaya Owotor (Portland, OR/David Douglas High School), sophomore utility player Jackson Smith (McHenry, IL/McHenry West High School), and sophomore center Robert Esson (Huntington Beach, CA/Huntington Beach High School).
 
Owotor scored 30 goals and recorded 10 assists for 40 points on the season. He notched five field blocks and was second on the team in steals registering 57 on the season. Smith returns this year after scoring 26 goals and finding five assists for 31 points. Smith drew nine ejections and recorded nine steals along with two field blocks. Esson comes back to McKendree after scoring 21 goals and recording six assists for 27 points. He registered 26 steals and drew 14 ejections on the year.
 
New Additions
The Bearcats have added several extremely skilled players to the roster for the upcoming season including freshman utility player Sean Legg (Ottawa, Ontario), freshman center Abe Allen, and freshman goalie Ori Scanlon (Orlando, FL).
 
Legg, a solid all-around player, joins the Bearcats after winning Male Athlete of the Year, MVP, and the Spirit award while leading scoring in the 19U Eastern Conference in the National Championship League. Allen, a St. Louis local, comes to McKendree with a great deal of potential and an extremely high ceiling. Scanlon, a goalie from Orlando, FL., has a great deal of size and length with a ton of potential.
 
McKendree opens up the season at the Bruno Classic hosted by Brown University on September 2 and 3. Saturday the Bearcats begin their season against the host Brown University which will be followed up by a matchup against Cal Baptist. McKendree then heads over to Harvard University to play both Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Sunday. The Bearcats have just one home contest during the season, coming against MAWPC opponent Monmouth College on September 16 at 1 p.m.