LEBANON, Ill. – Head Men's Water Polo Coach Miguel Figueras has announced his team's full 2025 season schedule on Tuesday, August 26th.
This will be year one under the new leadership of Figueras, as former Head Coach Colleen Lischwe held the reins of both Bearcat programs for the past several years before passing in January of last year.
The current schedule will feature seven NCAA Division I opponents, and is made up of seven true road games, 12 neutral-site contests, and four home matchups, including a 10-game hosting tournament in O'Fallon in mid-October. The team will also participate in five regular season tournaments.
All contest opponents, dates, and times are subject to change throughout the season.
"The boys had a very productive week of training prior to the start of classes," said Figueras. "They are excited to get back to campus and to the routine of studying and training. Coach Breno [Tebet] and I had a very enjoyable time getting to know the new players and connecting with the returners. A highlight of the week was participating in the Swim Across America Open Water Swim, which is a fundraiser for cancer research. We all swam the two miles and raised over $1,000 in the process. We are also looking forward to honoring the legacy of Coach Colleen and the program she has built by working hard each day both in and out of the pool."
McKendree will get their season going in Colorado on the base of the United States Air Force Academy for their second-ever participation in the Rare Air Invitational. They will begin with a match against (RV) Air Force and the University of California, Merced on Saturday, September 6th, and then will face Whittier College and California State, Fullerton the next day, Sunday, September 7th.
The team will return to the Land of Lincoln momentarily on Saturday, September 20th with an in-state matchup against Augustana College over in Rock Island with a start time of 2:00 PM CT.
Next, the Bearcats will head east for a three-game stint at the Penn State Behrend Invitational, with matchups against the Lions and Washington & Jefferson College on Saturday, September 27th. An old WWPA matchup will be played on Sunday when the team goes up against Mercyhurst University at 7:00 AM CT.
Figueras and company will waste no time after Erie, as they embark on a seven-game road trip out in the golden beaches of California from Wednesday, October 1st to Saturday, October 4th. The Bearcats will rematch against Cal State Fullerton and face Concordia University Irvine and Cuesta College (exhibition) within the first couple of days. The team will then participate in the prestigious annual Gary Troyer Tournament over the final two days, with all opponents based in California. Matchups for the tournament include the University of California San Diego and California Baptist University on Friday, then Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges and a redo with CUI on Saturday.
Fans will get to see their Bearcats at home for the first time all season as they host the WWPA Bearcat Clash from October 11th to 12th. McKendree will get to play their first true conference games within the event as they play Ottawa University Arizona, then Salem University for Senior Night on that Saturday. On Sunday, the Bearcats will wrap up their home stand against WWPA for Gannon University and a second meeting with Augustana before the squad take a two-week break.
The final regular season stretch will take place at the Salem Invitational in West Virginia, as McKendree goes up against Gannon and Mercyhurst on Saturday, October 25th, and will take on both Salem and Washington & Jefferson the following day on Sunday.
Regardless of regular season standing, the Bearcats will participate in the WWPA Championships from Friday, November 21st, to Sunday, November 23rd as the team looks to capture its first conference title. All contests will take place at the SPIRE Aquatics Center in Geneva, Ohio, and will be hosted by Gannon.
Should McKendree come away with victories with the WWPA crown, they would receive an automatic bid to the 2025 National Collegiate Water Polo Championships on the campus of Stanford University and Avery Aquatic Center from Friday, December 5th, to Sunday, December 7th.
The full 2025 McKendree men's water polo schedule can be found HERE.
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