Long Beach State University
(4) UC San Diego / (5) UC Irvine
Men’s Water Polo Set For Big West Championships Semifinals
11/20/2025 9:15:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
The winner of the tournament will automatically earn a bid to the NCAA Championships.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – After having a perfect run in Big West regular season, No. 7 Long Beach State Men's Water Polo team will head into the Big West Championship as the top seed and will start with the semifinals on Saturday at Noon at the Anteater Aquatics Complex at the UC Irvine campus.
The Beach (16-8) will face the winner of (4) UC San Diego (20-9) and (5) UC Irvine (15-11) for a spot in the tournament finals. LBSU looks to go back-to-back after winning the title last season, edging three higher-seeded opponents for the championship and an automatic NCAA Championships bid.
On the other side of the story this year, the Beach maintained consistency throughout the season, defeating conference rivals and earning the top seed heading into the conference tournament. LBSU's success this season has had the same name: sophomore Gabi Acosta. He had a standout regular season, leading the team with 61 goals, three goals fewer than his freshman year. In his first year with the Beach, Acosta earned both Freshman and Player of the Year honors as well as Second Team All-America recognition.
Another key piece of the Beach offense has been local product Caleb Francisco. The junior had impressive games this season, including a career-high eight goals against No. 5 Fordham to tie the school record for most goals scored in a single game. Francisco ranks second on the team with 57 goals.
Long Beach State added Second Team All-America transfer from California Baptist, Toring Stanley, for his final collegiate season, and the senior showed his strength in the pool for the Beach. Stanley scored 30 goals in the regular season and led the team in both assists (27) and steals (20).
On defense, both transfer William Whitstone and sophomore Joe Jenness split time in the cage during the season, with Jenness stepping into the starting role late in the year. Jenness had massive performances coming off the bench against UC No. 12 Santa Barbara and No. 15 UC Irvine to secure wins for the Beach. Against No. 8 UC Davis in the Big West finale, Jenness shut down the Aggies' offense, recording 12 saves in a standout performance by the sophomore goalkeeper.
The semifinals are set for Saturday at noon at the Anteater Aquatics Complex, live on ESPN+, with live stats provided through TheFOSH.net.
