Long Beach State University Athletics
Men's water polo gets ready for season
8/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Aug. 28, 2010
Long Beach, Calif. - With the first game only a week away, the Long Beach State men's water polo team looks ready to get the 2010 season started after practicing hard all summer. After losing five seniors from last year, head water polo coach Gavin Arroyo is happy with what he's seen so far from this year's young and talented squad - which includes the nation's top recruit, Nick Rascon.
With eight incoming freshmen, the 49ers boast one of the top recruiting classes in the country, and possibly the best in school history.
"It's the best recruiting class we've gotten since I've been here," Arroyo said. "I don't think Long Beach State has ever gotten the top recruit in the country."
At El Toro High School, Rascon was named CIF Division I co-player of the year and first-team All America. He also played two years on the U.S. Junior National team. Some other notable recruits include Devin Mefford, Rob Robinson, Matt Kidwell and 6-foot-11 Dan Matulis.
Some returning players to watch out for include this year's lone senior, Patrick van der Linde, and juniors Jordan Koeppen, Matt Farrington, Shane Luth, Taylor Clute and Alexsandr Petrovic - last year's leading scorer.
"I'm really happy with this group," Arroyo said. "The younger guys have really responded. I think they are rising to the challenge and taking it very seriously. I'm proud of their efforts over the summer."
Long Beach State opens the 2010 season at the UC Irvine Tournament on Saturday, September 4 and Sunday, September 5 . Check back later this week for the preview.
Players Mentioned
