LEBANON, Ill. – The men's water polo team looks to make its first appearance for the 2025 season in Colorado at the Rare Air Invitational, hosted by the United States Air Force Academy on Saturday, September 6th, and Sunday, September 7th. 

McKendree will take on (RV) Air Force and the University of California, Merced on Saturday for day one of the event, and will close out with DIII T-No.5 Whittier College and California State University, Fullerton on day two on Sunday, 

All games can be watched live and on demand for free on the Air Force Falcons YouTube channel at youtube.com/@AF_Falcons. Live stats will also be provided for fans and family to view via The FOSH at thefosh.net/. 

View the "TUNE IN-FO" section below to see all details and specific destinations. 

LONG LIVE COLLEEN 

Tragedy struck McKendree University and the entire water polo community in mid-January of 2025, as late Head Coach Colleen Lischwe passed away unexpectedly after holding the reins of both the men's and women's teams for the past several years and accumulating over 150 wins. Lischwe will be honored as each programs' first inductee into the McKendree Sports Hall of Fame, which will be held later this year. 

THERE'S A NEW GUY IN TOWN 

Former Loyola Marymount University letterwinner and 30-plus-year coach Miguel Figueras steps into his first season as the head of the men's program. His son, Alex Figueras, took over the women's program last spring after Lischwe's passing, and led the team to their first-ever Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) title and NCAA Championships appearance. 

Miguel comes to the Bearcat program after coaching stops like De Smet Jesuit High School, USA Water Polo national teams, Washington University in St. Louis club team, and is still involved with St. Louis Area Polo (SLAP) development club. Over time, he has garnered numerous honors, including being a nine-time coach of the year, a four-time conference champion, a state champion, a silver medal winner, a two-time gold medal winner, and a Hall of Fame inductee, just to name a few. 

GUESS WHO'S BACK? BACK AGAIN. 

McKendree returns 14 players to the waters in the makeup of a 21-person roster. Notable returners include 2024 ACWPC All-American Honorable Mention and WWPA Second Team All-Conference selection Yannick Robertson, WWPA All-Conference Honorable Mention James Ramey, and WWPA All-Freshman Team selection Joshua Gibson. Of those 14 returners, 11 are upperclassmen (juniors and seniors). 

Figueras assembled the seven newcomers, who hail from various places across the globe, including Italy, Greece, France, Canada, and the Bahamas as well as few joining right here in the state of Illinois. 

TUNE IN-FO 

Make sure to keep up with McKendree University Water Polo on  X (Twitter) and Instagram. #NCAAwaterpolo 

For more updates and information on Bearcat Athletics, please continue to visit McKBearcats.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 
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