Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Picked To Finish 7th In MPSF
8/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Aug. 14, 2008
Long Beach, Calif. - The Long Beach State men's water polo team was picked to finish in seventh place in the 2008 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) men's water polo coaches' pre-season poll. The 49ers are coming off a 17-15 campaign in 2007. USC is picked to win the 2008 MPSF title, followed by Stanford and 2007 NCAA champion California.
Third year head coach Gavin Arroyo, the 2007 MPSF co-Coach of the Year, welcomes back 11 letterwinners from last season's squad. Senior Jake Kinne and junior Jeff Greenwood headline the 49er offense. Greenwood led the 49ers in scoring with 49 goals last year. In just two short years Greenwood has tallied 95 career goals to rank 23rd on the 49er career chart. Kinne, who was third on the team with 39 goals, was an honorable mention All-MPSF and All-America selection. Junior Justin Koeppen also returns some offensive firepower after scoring 32 goals in 2007.
In goal the 49ers will have to replace third team All-MPSF selection Steve MacKenzie. MacKenzie recorded 275 saves (9.82 spg) last year, a mark which ranked third on the 49er single season chart. Junior Derek Wiebe-Bailey is the lone returning goalie. Wiebe-Bailey played in seven games last year, averaging 6.43 saves per game.
The 49ers kick off their season on September 6 & 7 when they compete at the UC San Diego Triton Invitational in La Jolla.
2008 MPSF Pre-Season Poll (2007 Record)
1. USC, 63 points, 7 first place votes (19-3/6-2, NCAA Finalist)
2. Stanford, 53 points, 1 first place vote (17-8/5-3)
3. California, 49 points, 1 first place vote (28-4/7-1, NCAA Champion)
4. UCLA, 46 points (21-7/5-3)
5. Pepperdine, 36 points (27-10/3-5)
6. UC Santa Barbara, 32 points (19-14/3-5)
7. Long Beach State, 19 points (17-15/2-6)
8. UC Irvine, 18 points (14-11/4-4)
9. Pacific, 8 points (14-17/1-7)
