Pepperdine University Men's Water Polo

Moses, a two-time Olympian and former All-American water polo player for the Waves, returned to Pepperdine in 2012 and will be in his fifth year as a member of the coaching staff in 2016. As the interim co-head coach of the Waves in 2012, Moses helped Pepperdine to an 11-13 overall record and the team achieved a national ranking as high as #4 during the regular season. Upon the return of Dr. Terry Schroeder as head coach, Moses moved into the position of assistant coach in 2013. Moses played for Schroeder both with the Waves and the U.S. National Team. Moses, a goalkeeper who helped lead Pepperdine to the 1997 NCAA championship and the United States to a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics, had been playing both professionally and with the U.S. squad for more than a decade before also turning his attention to coaching. "The most exciting part about this is coming back to my alma mater, and to be a part of trying to bring another national championship to Pepperdine," said Moses at the time of his hiring. "I get the chance to work with `Willo' Rodriguez and to try to get this year's team to where it needs to be to compete for a championship, and then I get the chance to work for years to come with Coach (Terry) Schroeder." Said Director of Athletics Dr. Steve Potts at Moses' hiring: "I'm so thrilled that Merrill Moses is coming back to rejoin the Pepperdine family. His experience as an Olympian, a U.S. National Team member and a national champion will be inspiring to our student-athletes and they will learn so much from him." Moses had given up water polo in 2004 and was working in the mortgage industry before getting a call to rejoin the U.S. squad in 2006. He went on to become the starting goalkeeper for the United States at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. In 2008, Moses was part of a team ranked ninth in the world, but the Americans got hot at the right time and made it all the way to the gold-medal game. Moses also helped the U.S. to gold medals at the 2007, 2011 and most recently the 2015 Pan American Games and he was part of eight top-five finishes in the FINA World League Super Finals, including a second-place result in 2008 and a third-place standing in 2003. He has played professionally in Croatia, Italy and Spain and with the New York Athletic Club (he was named MVP of the 2010 USAWP Men's National Championships). Still an integral part of the U.S. Men's National Team, Moses plans to compete in the 2016 Olympics after helping the Americans qualify this past summer at the Pan American Games. Moses has worked as a coach at many of Terry Schroeder's camps and has done private coaching in the past. A native of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., who attended Peninsula High School, Moses played four seasons for the Waves between 1995-98. He earned All-American first team honors in 1997 and was on the second team in 1998 and honorable mention in 1996. He was also named All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation all four years, including the first team in 1997. Moses graduated from Pepperdine in 1999 with a degree in public relations. Moses was named one of three tri-MVPs of the 1997 NCAA Championships after Pepperdine defeated USC, 8-7 in overtime, for the school's first-ever NCAA title in the sport. Moses was inducted into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013. He and his wife Laura have two children, Adrianna Nicole and Makenna Merrill. Merrill Moses Position: Assistant Coach Alma Mater: Pepperdine '99 E-Mail: Merrill Moses, a two-time Olympian and former All-American water polo player for the Waves, returned to Pepperdine in 2012 and will be in his fifth year as a member of the coaching staff in 2016. As the interim co-head coach of the Waves in 2012, Moses helped Pepperdine to an 11-13 overall record and the team achieved a national ranking as high as #4 during the regular season. Upon the return of Dr. Terry Schroeder as head coach, Moses moved into the position of assistant coach in 2013. Moses played for Schroeder both with the Waves and the U.S. National Team. Moses, a goalkeeper who helped lead Pepperdine to the 1997 NCAA championship and the United States to a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics, had been playing both professionally and with the U.S. squad for more than a decade before also turning his attention to coaching. "The most exciting part about this is coming back to my alma mater, and to be a part of trying to bring another national championship to Pepperdine," said Moses at the time of his hiring. "I get the chance to work with `Willo' Rodriguez and to try to get this year's team to where it needs to be to compete for a championship, and then I get the chance to work for years to come with Coach (Terry) Schroeder." Said Director of Athletics Dr. Steve Potts at Moses' hiring: "I'm so thrilled that Merrill Moses is coming back to rejoin the Pepperdine family. His experience as an Olympian, a U.S. National Team member and a national champion will be inspiring to our student-athletes and they will learn so much from him." Moses had given up water polo in 2004 and was working in the mortgage industry before getting a call to rejoin the U.S. squad in 2006. He went on to become the starting goalkeeper for the United States at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. In 2008, Moses was part of a team ranked ninth in the world, but the Americans got hot at the right time and made it all the way to the gold-medal game. Moses also helped the U.S. to gold medals at the 2007, 2011 and most recently the 2015 Pan American Games and he was part of eight top-five finishes in the FINA World League Super Finals, including a second-place result in 2008 and a third-place standing in 2003. He has played professionally in Croatia, Italy and Spain and with the New York Athletic Club (he was named MVP of the 2010 USAWP Men's National Championships). Still an integral part of the U.S. Men's National Team, Moses plans to compete in the 2016 Olympics after helping the Americans qualify this past summer at the Pan American Games. Moses has worked as a coach at many of Terry Schroeder's camps and has done private coaching in the past. A native of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., who attended Peninsula High School, Moses played four seasons for the Waves between 1995-98. He earned All-American first team honors in 1997 and was on the second team in 1998 and honorable mention in 1996. He was also named All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation all four years, including the first team in 1997. Moses graduated from Pepperdine in 1999 with a degree in public relations. Moses was named one of three tri-MVPs of the 1997 NCAA Championships after Pepperdine defeated USC, 8-7 in overtime, for the school's first-ever NCAA title in the sport. Moses was inducted into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013. He and his wife Laura have two children, Adrianna Nicole and Makenna Merrill.

Schroeder returned to Pepperdine in 2013 for his second stint as the head coach of the Waves' program. He is entering his 24th season in 2016. In his first 20-year term (1986-2005) as Pepperdine's head coach, Schroeder was one of the top collegiate water polo coaches in the nation. After coaching an unheralded USA squad to the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics and again leading the Americans at the 2012 Games, he earned the right to be known as one of the best coaches in the world. He was also one of the best players the sport has ever seen, as he served as the U.S. team captain for a decade and helped the Americans to a pair of silver medals. The Waves have enjoyed tremendous success under Schroeder. Pepperdine earned eight NCAA Championships berths and claimed the program's first-ever national championship in 1997. The 1997 squad went 25-3 (.893) and posted the best winning percentage in school history. The campaign ended with an 8-7 overtime win over local rival USC in the NCAA title game, held at the International Swimming Hall of Fame Aquatics Complex in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Not only was Schroeder the 1997 National Coach of the Year, he also earned Mountain Pacific Coach of the Year honors in 1997 and 1998 and was the Big West Conference Coach of the Year in 1989. He also led the Waves to a third-place NCAA finish in 1991, fourth place in 1989 and fifth place in 1987, 1990 and 1992. In the midst of a rebuilding project, Schroeder has led the Waves to back-to-back 11-win seasons these past two years. The Waves finished sixth at the MPSF Tournament in 2014. Schroeder posted a record of 340-220 (.607) in his first 20 seasons as head coach, and is now 371-264 (.584) after 23 years. Schroeder stepped down from his position as Pepperdine's head coach to join the U.S. National Team after the 2005 season. While he still contributed to the Waves' program over the years, he agreed to return as a volunteer assistant in 2012 before taking over as head coach again in 2013. During his hiatus, the U.S. men's water polo squad became one of the top stories of the 2008 Beijing Olympics as he led a group that included Pepperdine alums Merrill Moses and Jesse Smith to the silver medal. His U.S. squad entered the Olympics ranked ninth in the world but the team won its group and defeated Serbia in the semifinals before falling to Hungary in the gold-medal game. He also coached the Americans at the 2012 London Olympics to an eighth-place finish. Regarded as one of the world's all-time outstanding players, Schroeder was the U.S. National Team's captain from 1983-92 and was part of the team for 16 years. He was a four-time Olympian for the U.S. (including the boycotted 1980 Games), which won silver medals in 1984 and 1988 and placed fourth in 1992. He helped the U.S. win its first-ever major international competition in 1991, as the Americans captured the FINA Cup in Barcelona by beating longtime nemesis Yugoslavia in the title game. Noted as a leading spokesman for the sport of water polo, Schroeder has been featured in numerous national publications, including Sports Illustrated and the New York Times. He modeled for a statue that was unveiled prior to the 1984 Olympic Games, which sits outside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. He also carried the U.S. flag at the closing ceremonies of the 1998 Seoul Olympics. Schroeder was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 2013, the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2005, the U.S. Water Polo Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985. As a Pepperdine student-athlete, he earned All-American honors in 1977, 1978 and 1980 and is the school's leader in goals scored in a career (392) and a season (138 in 1978). The Waves finished fourth at the NCAA Championships three times with Schroeder. He graduated with honors from Pepperdine in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in sports medicine. He completed his doctorate studies at the Palmer-West Chiropractic School in Sunnyvale, Calif., and operates a chiropractic office in Westlake Village, Calif. He and his wife, Lori, have two daughters, Leanna and Sheridan.