LEBANON, Ill. – The McKendree men's water polo team continues its 2022 campaign this coming weekend at the Gary Troyer Invitational held at the Axelrod Pool in Claremont, Calif., and the De Mandel Aquatics Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
The Bearcats (2-7) open the weekend event at the Axelrod Pool on Friday, Sept. 30 against Biola at 10 a.m. PT followed by a 4:40 p.m. PT game against Westcliff. On Saturday, Oct. 1, McKendree will play Cal Lutheran at 9 a.m. PT and Ottawa (Arizona) at 12 p.m. PT at the De Mandel Aquatics Center.
LAST TIME OUT RECAP
McKendree heads into the four-game outing with a 2-7 following last weekend's Erie Conference Crossover Weekend in Erie, Pa. The Bearcats went 0-4 in the two-day event, despite six goals each from fifth-year senior
Nico Rodriguez (Bogota, Colombia/Oviedo) and junior
Breno Tebet (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Golden West College) as well as four goals from sophomore
Jespyn Bishop (Brighton, Co./Brighton) over the four games.
Junior goalkeeper
Jimmy Cronin (Naperville, Ill./Metea Valley) played all four games in the net for the Bearcats, collecting 71 saves on the weekend.
SCOUTING BIOLA
Biola enters the weekend sporting a 5-10 record following a 3-1 weekend at the Air Force Rare Air Tournament. The Eagles were defeated by Air Force 15-8 before going on a three-game win streak and winning each game by three or more goals. Biola defeated Long Island 17-7, Ottawa (Arizona) 13-10, and Augustana 14-8.
Junior utility player Maxwell Osborn with 33 goals and a .767 shot percentage leads the Eagles offensively, while sophomore Nolan Rapp is second in goals with 39. Rapp is first on the team in steals and assists with 24 and 19, respectively. Sophomore goalkeeper Mitchell Carpenter has made appearances in all 14 of the Eagles' games and played the majority of the season in the net for Biola. Carpenter has twice collected a season-high 14 saves against both Mount St. Mary's and Ottawa (Arizona).
McKendree holds a 1-0 lead all-time against Biola as the two teams met last year on Oct. 1, 2021 in La Verne, Calif. The Bearcats came away with a 10-8 victory over the Eagles.
SCOUTING WESTCLIFF
Westcliff comes into the contests with an 11-9 record for the season. The Warriors are also on a three-game win streak as they defeated Grossmont 14-12, Cypress 16-4, and Long Island 24-11 over the past week.
This Friday's game will be the first meeting of McKendree and Westcliff in men's water polo.
SCOUTING CAL LUTHERAN
Cal Lutheran enters the weekend with a 3-7 record on the season. The Kingsmen garnered their first two wins of the season earlier in September as they defeated Bucknell 13-12 and Johns Hopkins 17-11 at the 2022 Navy Open and posted their third of the season last weekend against Whittier.
Cal Lutheran has won both contests against the Bearcats by two goals in the two previous meetings. The Kingsmen took a 13-11 win over the Bearcats in 2018 and 15-13 win in 2019.
SCOUTING OTTAWA (ARIZONA)
Ottawa joins the invitational weekend with a 4-8 record as they defeated Long Island this past Sunday 21-7. The Spirit will face the University of Redlands Thursday evening, before competing at this weekend's Troyer Invitational.
The Spirit are led offensively by graduate student Johnathan Wong with 37 goals on the season including a season-high eight goals against Chapman. Senior Arnaud Parmentier leads Ottawa in assists with seven while senior Charles Campbell leads defensively with 12 steals. Senior Zackery Whiddon has played the majority of games in the net for the Spirit and recorded 53 saves across seven games including a season-high 12 saves against Air Force.
The Bearcats are 1-0 against the Spirit as they met last year on Sept. 5, 2021 at the Rare Air Challenge hosted by the Air Force Academy. McKendree outscored Ottawa 21-12 to claim the victory.
UP NEXT FOR MCKENDREE
Following this weekend's four game, the Bearcats will compete in the Morgantown Conference Crossover Weekend in Morgantown, W.V., on Oct. 8 and 9. The weekend will include three games as McKendree plays Fordham and Wagner on Oct. 8 and concludes the weekend against Navy on Oct. 9.
