Long Beach State University Athletics
Photo by: John Fajardo
Long Beach State Picked To Finish Second In Golden Coast Conference
8/31/2022 9:21:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
The defending champions, Long Beach State split the top votes with Pacific and UC Santa Barbara.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – With the season just around the corner, Long Beach State was picked to finish second in the Golden Coast Conference in the 2022 season as the league announced its Preseason Coaches Poll Wednesday morning.
Long Beach State received a pair of first place votes on the heels of an unbeaten campaign in 2021 that saw the Beach reach the NCAA postseason for the 13th time and the second time in the last three years under head coach Gavin Arroyo.
Arroyo was named the Golden Coast Coach of the Year for that effort, and top scorer Rafael Real Vergara was selected as the Golden Coast Conference Player of the year. A first-team All-American, Vergara returns after leading Long Beach State with 70 goals scored last season.
Pacific took over the top spot in the poll, just edging the Beach with three first place votes to two. UC Santa Barbara was picked to finish third and grabbed the final first place vote, while San Jose State and Pepperdine were tabbed to finish fourth and fifth respectively. UC Irvine rounded out the poll as the unanimous bottom pick.
The Beach kicks off the season this upcoming weekend with four games as part of the Triton Invitational, starting with Westcliff on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m.
2022 Golden Coast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Pacific – 23 (3)
2. Long Beach State – 20 (2)
3. UC Santa Barbara – 17 (1)
4. San Jose State – 14
5. Pepperdine – 10
6. UC Irvine – 6
Long Beach State received a pair of first place votes on the heels of an unbeaten campaign in 2021 that saw the Beach reach the NCAA postseason for the 13th time and the second time in the last three years under head coach Gavin Arroyo.
Arroyo was named the Golden Coast Coach of the Year for that effort, and top scorer Rafael Real Vergara was selected as the Golden Coast Conference Player of the year. A first-team All-American, Vergara returns after leading Long Beach State with 70 goals scored last season.
Pacific took over the top spot in the poll, just edging the Beach with three first place votes to two. UC Santa Barbara was picked to finish third and grabbed the final first place vote, while San Jose State and Pepperdine were tabbed to finish fourth and fifth respectively. UC Irvine rounded out the poll as the unanimous bottom pick.
The Beach kicks off the season this upcoming weekend with four games as part of the Triton Invitational, starting with Westcliff on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m.
2022 Golden Coast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Pacific – 23 (3)
2. Long Beach State – 20 (2)
3. UC Santa Barbara – 17 (1)
4. San Jose State – 14
5. Pepperdine – 10
6. UC Irvine – 6
Players Mentioned
Attacker
/ Men's Water PoloMWP vs. Pomona-Pitzer Highlights
Saturday, November 24
2018 Golden Coast Conference Champions
Sunday, November 18
LBSU Fast 5 Austin Stevenson
Wednesday, November 30
LBSU Fast 5 Jacob Fujioka
Wednesday, November 16
