Golden Valley High water polo standout will stay home to play at UC Merced
The opportunity to play water polo in college and to play close to home was too good to pass up for Golden Valley High senior Justice Hose.
The Cougars standout made his college choice official this week, signing his national letter of intent to play water polo at UC Merced.
“This is rally big for me,” Hose said. “It’s a really good opportunity to play some high level water polo.”
Family, friends, coaches and Golden Valley administrators gathered on the pool deck at the high school on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate Hose.
It was a special moment that was about a decade in the making.
“They seen me work for so many years now at water polo,” Hose said. “They spent a lot of time and effort to help me get here.”
Hose played a utility role for the Cougars, which meant he was asked to do a little bit of everything.
“I think UC Merced is getting a pretty good, well-round player,” said Golden Valley coach Pamela Solano. “He actually reminds me a lot of myself when I played. He does anything I ask him to do. We asked him to guard, post-up, shoot from outside. He water polo IQ is great.”
Hose started playing water polo at the age of eight or nine and instantly fell in love with the sport.
He started taking it seriously in high school when he felt their could be a future for him to continue playing in college.
UC Merced was a perfect fit.
“Obviously it’s close to home and the campus is really nice,” Hose said. “The team looks really nice. I’ve been able to go to some of their games.”
Hose joins the Bobcats program as they get ready to transition from NAIA to Division II. He said that was another reason he wanted to join the program.
Hose says he plans to major in civil engineering. He compiled a 3.85 GPA at Golden Valley.
“He definitely has the ability to make an impact at UC Merced,” Solano said.
Hose is ready for the challenge that the next chapter of his life and water polo playing career will bring.
“It means a lot to me because I really love the sport,” he said. “To play at a higher level is really good and very important to me. It’s a step in the right direction. I’ve very excited, words can not describe it.”
