Long Beach State Picked To Finish Second in Big West Conference; Spanish Duo Named to Preseason All-Big West
1/9/2026 12:05:00 PM | Women's Water Polo
The Beach will open their season at the Fullerton Mini with four matches.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The 2026 Big West Women's Water Polo Preseason Poll and Preseason All-Big West Team were announced Friday by the conference office.
Long Beach State was picked to finish second, behind current Big West Champions Hawai'i, being edged by one point. The Beach received two first-place votes while the Rainbow Wahinereceived five. UC Irvine rounded the top three with 39 points and one first-place vote. Tied in fourth are UC Davis and UC San Diego, followed by UC Santa Barbara, CSUN, and Cal State Fullerton wrapping up the poll.
Along with the preseason poll, the Big West also released the preseason All-Big West team, where Spanish duo Rita Gurri and Elisa Portillo were recognized by the coaches on the preseason team.
Portillo was selected after earning Second Team All-America and First Team All-Big West in her junior year at the Beach. Ranked fourth in program history with 177 goals scored, the senior looks to break leading scorer Cassie Azevedo (2003-06) record of 209 goals. Gurri comes from an impactful freshman year, ranking third on the team with 39 goals scored while being named to the All-Big West Freshman Team.
The Beach will start their season at the Fullerton Mini on January 16 and 17, facing CSUMB and San Diego State on the first day and closing the first weekend against Biola and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
2026 Big West Women's Water Polo Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rank Institution Points
1. Hawai'i 45 (5)
2. Long Beach State 44 (2)
3. UC Irvine 39 (1)
T-4. UC Davis 28
T-4. UC San Diego 28
6. UC Santa Barbara 18
7. CSUN 12
8. Cal State Fullerton 10
First-place votes in parenthesis
