John Abdou

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Just two months remain until the beginning of preseason practice for the Bucknell men's water polo team and second-year head coach John Abdou recently announced the addition of three recruits that will join the program this fall. Two-thirds of the class, Brian Barron and Matt Napleton, were high school teammates at Fenwick High School in Illinois.

"With the loss of only three seniors, some might have thought the need for a large recruiting class was not there. However, the need for a strong class was there," commented Abdou, who guided the Bison to their third consecutive finish above .500 finish last fall. "These three young men are ready to make an immediate positive impact on the program. They are also all high-character individuals who are well-rounded student-athletes."

Bucknell posted a 17-16 record in 2008 while facing 17 nationally ranked opponents. The Bison lost all-conference players Gabriel Heiber and Alex Lampley as well as Alex Lovell to graduation. Barron and Napleton will join Sean Coghlan, whose hometown is Chicago, to give Bucknell three Illinois natives.

Following is an alphabetical list of the three Bucknell men's water polo recruits that comprise the Class of 2013:

Brian Barron (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick)

Matt Napleton (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick)

Brett Thompson (Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach)

Class of 2013 Bios:

Brian Barron (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) - Brian Michael Barron ... born March 26, 1991 in Hinsdale, Ill. ... son of Michael and Mary Barron ... three-sport star at Fenwick High School ... four-year letterwinner in water polo and swimming ... also earned three letters in cross country ... two-time All-America selection in water polo ... also earned all-state and all-conference honors twice in water polo ... helped water polo squad to three state titles ... three-time swimming All-American ... two-time all-state swimmer ... swimming team captain as a senior ... all-conference cross country runner in 2007 ... has four siblings between the ages of 13 and 20 ... father, Michael, was a swimmer at Iowa State (1979-83) ... sister, Meghan, is a member of swimming & diving team at Penn and will be a junior in 2009-10 ... brother, Danny, will be a freshman at Fordham in 2009 and will play water polo ... high school teammate of fellow Bison recruit Matt Napleton ... expected to major in engineering.

Abdou on Barron: "Brian is one of the top players coming out of Illinois this year. He brings speed and athleticism to the table. I have been watching him for two years and am excited about what he brings to the attacker position at the next level."

Matt Napleton (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) - Matthew Paul Napleton ... born May 7, 1990 in Palos Heights, Ill. ... son of Steve and Carol Napleton ... participated in swimming and golf in addition to water polo at Fenwick High School ... started on three state championship water polo teams ... Third Team All-America selection as a senior ... two-time all-state selection ... goalie who posted a 2.2 goals-against average as a senior ... helped team set a record for fewest goals allowed in state tournament (10 goals in three games) ... has seven siblings ... high school teammate of fellow Bison recruit Brian Barron.

Abdou on Napleton: "I am excited to bring Matt into the program with senior Nick Donahue and junior Miles Gilhuly still here. It gives Matt a window of opportunity to serve an apprenticeship and learn from those two talented veterans. He brings size, athleticism and coachability to our team and he has the chance to become a top Division I goalie. This is the perfect situation for him to blossom."

Brett Thompson (Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach) - Brett Andrew Thompson ... born June 21, 1990 in Phoenix, Ariz. ... son of Russell and Susan Thompson ... four-year member of water polo team at Laguna Beach High School ... team captain as a senior ... two-time All-CIF selection ... first-team all-league as a senior and second-team all-league as a junior ... two-time team Defensive Player of the Year ... earned team's Coach's Award as a junior ... named an Athlete of Character for both water polo and swimming ... three-year member of swimming and diving squad ... also played volleyball as a freshman and sophomore.

Abdou on Thompson: "Brett is the ideal heir apparent to follow in the footsteps of the senior class that recently graduated. He also possesses size, athleticism and coachability and is an ideal person for our program. We will look for him to play two-meter defense immediately as well as learn to play elsewhere in the pool. It is exciting to think about the kind of career he can have at Bucknell."

Release courtesy Bucknell Athletic Communications