Mustang polo star to 49ers

Costa Mesa High water polo standout Kyle Thorsness won’t have to go far from home to continue his career.

Thorsness has been accepted to Long Beach State and plans to walk on with the 49ers, he said on Wednesday. The senior, who also swims for Costa Mesa, led all of Orange County with 157 goals scored last fall.

He also helped lead the Mustangs water polo team to its second straight playoff appearance and second place in the Golden West League.

Now he’ll get the chance to play for a close-to-home Division I program whose new coach ? Gavin Arroyo ? is a two-time member of the U.S. Olympic men’s water polo team (in 1996 and 2000).

“I was able to take it to the next level,” Thorsness said. “It’s kind of unreal. This is what high school water polo players dream about.”

Thorsness was the Golden West League MVP last fall and was selected to the All-CIF Southern Section Division II second team. He also made the Daily Pilot Dream Team.

He said playing water polo at Long Beach State was a situation that “all seemed to work out.”

“They have a good water polo team, for starters, and it’s close,” Thorsness said. “This way, I don’t have to leave all my friends.”

Thorsness led the team in scoring in both his junior and senior seasons. He had two 11-goal games last season, against Orange and Hoover of Fresno.dpt-sign27.IMGGraphicInfoPL1QCB1K20060427PL1QCB1KNo Caption