BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Bucknell University alumnus Rade Joksimovic will compete for Australia during a two-game series versus the United States this weekend in California.
The series begins on January 10 at the Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine, Calif., at 6:00 p.m. Pacific/9:00 p.m. Eastern and concludes on January 11 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., at 1:00 p.m. Pacific/4:00 p.m. Eastern. Tickets for both matches are on-sale now and can be purchased by CLICKING HERE. Both matches will stream live on Overnght.com and the Overnght app with LIVE stats available at 6-8Sports.com.
Joksimovic is among three current/former CWPA affiliated participants in the series joining another Bucknell connection.
For the United States, Bucknell head men’s and women’s coach John McBride will serve as an assistant coach for Men’s National Team head coach Dejan Udovicic, while former Brown University assistant coach Jake Ehrhardt is among the 20 athletes slated to compete for the United States versus the Aussies.
USA vs Australia
- Saturday, January 10 – 6:00 p.m. Pacific/9:00 p.m. Eastern – Woollett Aquatics Center (Irvine, Calif.)
- Sunday, January 11 – 1:00 p.m. Pacific/4:00 p.m. Eastern – Mt. San Antonio College (Walnut, Calif.)
Among the best water polo players in the history of the Bison program and water polo on the East Coast, Joksimovic was among three finalists for the 2019-20 Cutino Award presented annually by the Olympic Club in San Francisco for the most outstanding player in the collegiate game,
As a senior in 2019 he earned Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) Division I First Team All-America honors. The inaugural Bucknell water polo player to earn First Team All-America recognition, the laurel marked his fourth All-America nod after previously garnering Second Team honors in 2018, Honorable Mention in 2017 and Third Team honors in 2016. The senior joined Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Hall of Fame member Scott Schulte as the only multi-time All-America selection in Bucknell men’s water polo history last season, and stands alone as the only Bison to ever earn a spot on the All-America teams three times.
A four-time Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Player of the Year honoree and the 2019 MAWPC Championship Player of the Tournament, Joksimovic proved an instrumental part in helping Bucknell win the title to advance to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships for just the second time since 1985. In the Bison record books, Joksimovic finished his Bucknell career second in points (714), second in goals (527), fifth in assists (187), first in steals (317), and tenth in ejections drawn (124). The senior also finished his career having started the most games in Bucknell history (120).
Joksimovic compiled 139 goals in 2019 while adding 42 assists for 181 points, the sixth-most in a single season in school history. One of Joksimovic’s finest moments came in the NCAA Tournament win at No. 9 and previously undefeated Harvard University, where he scored six goals en route to helping Bucknell advance to the quarterfinal stage in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
The sole athlete named to the 2019 ACWPC First, Second or Third Team All-America teams from an institution not in the state of California, he stands as the most honored men’s water polo athlete from any institution outside the state of the California in the history of the sport as the four-time MAWPC First Team selection and MAWPC Championship All-Tournament First Team pick (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019); 2016 MAWPC Rookie of the Year, 2016 MAWPC Championship Rookie of the Tournament; 2016, 2018 and 2019 MAWPC Championship Most Valuable Player; 11-time MAWPC Player of the Week; seven-time MAWPC Rookie of the Week; and two-time MAWPC Rookie of the Week concluded his tenure among the best-of the-best in the history of NCAA water polo.
