Pepperdine University will be well-represented in Rio De Janeiro next month on the United States Men’s Olympic Water Polo Team. The roster, which was announced on July 7, includes former Pepperdine goalie and current Waves assistant coach Merrill Moses and former Pepperdine standout Jesse Smith, as well as Pepperdine alums Jack Kocur and Alex Rodriguez, who will serve as assistant coaches.Â
Both Smith and Moses helped Team USA qualify for the Olympic Games by earning a gold medal at the 2015 Pan-American Games in Toronto, Canada. They were also both members of the 2008 U.S. team that took home a silver medal from the Beijing games.
Moses, who will be competing in his third Olympic Games, will serve as the team’s starting goalkeeper. He played for Pepperdine from 1995-1998, where he was a two-time All-American and led the Waves to a national championship in 1997. He earned MVP honors at the 1997 NCAA National Championships.Â
Moses returned to Malibu in 2012 to serve as assistant coach for the Waves, and has been with the program ever since.
Smith will be playing in his fourth consecutive Olympics and will serve as a utility player for the team. He played for the Waves from 2001-2005 and earned first-team All-American status in 2002 and 2004. He made his Olympic debut in 2004 while still playing for Pepperdine and has been a part of the U.S. National Team since 2000.
Kocur and Rodriguez were also actively involved in the Pepperdine program. Kocur played for the Waves from 1993-1997 and returned to Malibu to serve as head coach from 2006-2011. Rodriguez played at Pepperdine from 1996-1997.
Moses and Smith are two of five Pepperdine players who have competed in what will now be six Olympic Games. Current Pepperdine head coach Terry Schroeder also represented Team USA in the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games.Â
Team USA will begin its Olympic run with a match against Croatia on August 6.