LEWISBURG, Pa. (November 17, 2023) – In their first contest of the 2023-24 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Championships, Mount St. Mary's had difficulty converting chances into the back of the net, falling to the No. 3 seeded Bucknell Bison, 17-7, at Kinney Natatorium.
 
With the result, the Mount moves to the consolation side of the bracket, facing Johns Hopkins Saturday (Nov. 18) with opportunities to move up in the final standings by tournament's end.
 
The duo of Chrysostomos Valavanis and Aaron Tarr accounted for all the Mountaineers goals. Valavanis – named to the All-MAWPC Second Team earlier Friday – had four, and the freshman Tarr added three. Wes Reising assisted on two of the shots. In the cage, Joseph Maxson played the bulk of the game, finishing with seven saves. Sherif Hosni jumped in during the second half, contributing four stops.
 
The contest wound up being a wire-to-wire win for the Bison, who built up a 3-0 lead before Tarr supplied the first Mount goal. Bucknell increased the advantage to 10-3 by halftime, and answered Tarr's opening third quarter goal to maintain the edge throughout the second half.
 
First sprint Saturday is set for 5:30 p.m. from Lewisburg.
 
Bucknell 17, Mount St. Mary's 7
 
Team                       1    2    3    4
#6 Mount St. Mary's        1    2    2    2
#3 Bucknell                4    6    3    4
 
Goals: Valavanis 4, Tarr 3

Saves: Maxson 7, Hosni 4