Six days after coaching the Pepperdine Waves men’s water polo team to the brink of a national title game appearance, Terry Schroeder was named the Golden Coast Conference Coach of the Year for the second time during his hall of fame coaching career.
Schroeder was tapped for the honor, voted on by the GCC’s six coaches annually, on Dec. 13. The coach guided the Waves to a 25-8 overall record that included a 4-1 conference record and a GCC tournament title. Pepperdine’s season closed on Dec. 7 when it was downed, 17-13, by national runner-up Pacific in a NCAA Tournament semifinal matchup.
Schroeder won the GCC Coach of the Year award in the conference’s inaugural season in 2016. He is a member of four hall of fames including the Capital One Academic All-America Hall of Fame, International Swimming Hall of Fame, Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame and U.S. Water Polo Hall of Fame.
Schroeder is in his second stint as Pepperdine’s water polo coach. From 1986 to 2005, he coached Waves teams to 340 wins and a 1997 national championship. Schroeder coached USA Water Polo in two Olympics before returning to Pepperdine in 2013.
The Waves’ loss in the national semifinals capped the team’s best season since the national title season. Sophomore attacker Balazs Kosa led Pepperdine with three goals. Sophomore attacker Curtis Jarvis, sophomore attacker Sean Ferrari, senior utility George Mooney and senior two-meter player Sean Thomas scored two goals each. Senior center Chris Dilworth and freshman utility Jake Gordon also recorded goals.
Pepperdine beat UC Davis, 15-12, in the tournament’s quarterfinals on Dec. 5.
Dilworth and Kosas were named to the NCAA All-Tournament team after the postseason event was finalized. Dilworth scored six goals against UC Davis. In addition to his goal, he also had an assist against Pacific.
Kosa had four goals and two assists against UC Davis. He had three assists against Pacific. He led Pepperdine with 12 total points in the NCAA Tournament.