Men's Water Polo | 7/20/2026 10:00:00 AM

ERIE, Pa. – Gannon University men's water polo head coach Zarko Sadikovic has announced the Golden Knights' 2026 schedule, one that features one of the program's toughest slates in recent years.

The 22-match regular-season schedule opens August 29-30 at the Bruno Classic, hosted by Brown University in Providence, R.I., before Gannon travels to invitationals hosted by Washington & Jefferson, Salem and Mercyhurst.

The Golden Knights will also host the WWPA Erie Classic in November before traveling to Biola University in California for the 2026 Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championship.

"We have one of the toughest schedules we've had in recent years, and we're excited about that," said Sadikovic. "It will challenge us, expose areas where we need to improve, and provide opportunities to earn quality wins. Our players are looking forward to competing against top-level opponents and measuring themselves against the best."

Gannon opens the season on August 29 with contests against Fordham and LIU before wrapping up the Bruno Classic on August 30 against Iona and host Brown. The Golden Knights continue tournament play the following two weekends at the Washington & Jefferson Invitational and Salem Invitational.

At the Salem Invitational, Gannon will face Fresno Pacific, a member of the WWPA West Division, after defeating the Sunbirds 17-12 in the third-place match at the 2025 WWPA Championship.

Gannon will also take on Johns Hopkins, a team that opened the 2025 season with a 20-19 victory over the Golden Knights before finishing 21-7 overall and advancing to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship match, where the Blue Jays fell to Augustana, 16-15, in four overtimes.

The Golden Knights then return to Erie for the Mercyhurst-hosted Laker Invitational.

Gannon's lone regular-season home contest comes on October 4 against George Washington at Hallman Aquatics Center. The Revolutionaries finished 16-16 overall in 2025, posted a 7-5 mark in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference and advanced to the conference tournament championship match.

Gannon and George Washington will meet for the first time since 2022, when the Revolutionaries recorded a 19-10 victory. The October 4 matchup will be the latest meeting in a series that dates back to 2002.

Following the WWPA Conference Weekend hosted by Salem, the Golden Knights return to Hallman Aquatics Center to host the WWPA Erie Classic on November 7-8.

Gannon will look to build on its success against Salem after sweeping the Tigers in conference play last season, recording a 21-15 victory before setting a program record with 28 goals in a 28-22 win. The Golden Knights also split two meetings with McKendree in 2025, opening the season series with a 15-14 victory before falling 19-16 in the rematch.  

The 2026 season marks Gannon's fourth year as a member of the WWPA after joining the conference in 2023.

The postseason begins November 20-22 at the WWPA Championship, hosted by Biola University in La Mirada, Calif. The winner of the conference championship will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, scheduled for December 4-6 at Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla, Calif.

The Golden Knights enter the 2026 season after posting a 14-10 overall record and a 3-1 mark in Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) play last season. Sadikovic's team secured the No. 1 seed in the WWPA East Division, hosted the 2025 WWPA Men's Water Polo Championship at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio, and recorded the program's highest finish in the WWPA Tournament with a third-place showing.