Alan Huckins

BRIDGEPORT, Pa.  -- For Hartwick College, Brown University, Utica College, Connecticut College and Harvard University, the race for the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Northern Division Championship begins this weekend as the five teams will meet at Hartwick and Utica this weekend.

The schedule opens up on Friday, March 13 in Utica, New York as Utica will play Colorado College in non-conference action at 8:00 p.m. before the Pioneers host Brown and Connecticut College for games on Saturday, March 14.

On Saturday, Brown will face Colorado at 10:00 a.m. in non-conference play before Utica opens up the Northern Division slate at noon versus the Connecticut College Camels.  The Camels will wrap-up play at Utica at 3:00 p.m. in a non-conference game against Colorado.

Sixty-miles away in Oneonta, Hartwick will host the New York Athletic Club, Brown and Harvard in a series of non-collegiate and CWPA Northern Division games on the 14th.

Although the divsiion games will not decide the outcome of the Northern Division Championship and which teams go to the Eastern Championship, for the Hawks this weekend's meetings against the Bears and Crimson could decide the regular season title race and which team will be No. 1 for the division tournament on April 18-19 at Connecticut College.

Hartwick will face NYAC at 10:00 a.m. to begin the schedule of games in Oneonta before squaring off with Harvard at 1:30 p.m..  Following games by Brown (3:00 p.m.) and Harvard (6:00 p.m.) against NYAC, the highlight of the divisional weekend will occur as the No. 13-nationally ranked Hawks will meet the Bears at 7:30 p.m..

Hartwick (13-6, 0-0 CWPA Northern Division) enters the weekend in the midsts of a 12-collegiate game winning streak with wins over California Baptist University (16-10 W), Marist College (13-8 W, 16-12 W), California State University-Bakersfield (13-10 W), University of Michigan (9-7 W), Princeton University (8-6 W), University of Maryland (15-9 W), Bucknell University (13-9 W), Siena College (18-6 W), Iona College (18-11 W), Wagner College (16-6 W) and St. Francis College (25-9 W) as Hartwick is quickly approaching the program record of 17-consecutive victories.

In the history of the match-ups, Hartwick is 21-4 against Brown, including a 4-0 record last year, and 19-0 versus Harvard, with a 2-0 mark in 2008.

Overall, Hartwick has won 15-consecutive games versus Brown dating back to April 23, 2003 when the Bears knocked off the Hawks 5-3 in the opening round of the Eastern Championship tournament.  Since the Bears' last win in the season, the Hawks have outscored Brown 205-100 with a seven goal average margin of victory.