The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2024-25 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
They may have entered the Big West Conference Championship tournament as an underdog, but that’s exactly what the Long Beach State men’s water polo team needed to make history. The Beach won three games in three days last weekend at UC Davis to win its first Big West title and the automatic bid for NCAA Championships next month.
“We didn’t do as well as we wanted to during the course of the season, so the guys came in with a chip on their shoulders,” LBSU coach Gavin Arroyo said. “That mentality may have been a blessing in disguise for us. We weren’t playing worried. We were playing like we had something to prove.”
LBSU beat UC Santa Barbara 12-9 in the 5/6 seeding game, beat regular season conference champion UC Irvine 15-13 in the semifinal and UC San Diego 10-8 in the championship game. The Beach now prepares for the first round of the NCAA Championships at Stanford on Dec. 6 against Fordham.
“I think this team went through a lot of high expectations early on with a lot of new faces and it just takes time to click,” said Arroyo, who thinks that simplifying the postseason approach has been a key to success. “Just getting really proficient at simple things, and familiarity always gives you confidence going into the final stretch when there’s lots of distractions. The more familiar you can be with yourself and your teammates is something I always liked as a player.”
LBSU senior goalkeeper Aaron Wilson was named the tournament MVP after making eight saves in the championship game. Redshirt sophomore Francisco scored 10 goals in the tournament for the Beach while senior Bruno Chiappini chipped in six goals and freshman Gabi Acosta had five.
The NCAA Tournament opener is Friday, Dec. 6 against Fordham. This is the second NCAA appearance in the last four years for LBSU.
Below are Big West tournament photos by Luiza Moraes, courtesy LBSU Sports Information Department.
