Pepperdine University Athletics

From the 2014 Hall of Fame program:

Alan Herrmann holds a rare distinction at Pepperdine, as he’s one of just two student-athletes ever to earn both All-American first team and Academic All-American first team honors. Plus, he was a National Player of the Year and a leading member of the 1997 water polo national championship team.
 
Herrmann was a decorated high school athlete at Dana Hills High School in Orange County, earning three-time All-South Coast League and two-time All-CIF acclaim. He was also a member of the U.S. Junior National and Youth National teams.
 
The 2-meter man made his mark in Malibu right away, leading the Waves in goals as a 1993 freshman with 51, and again as a sophomore (62) and junior (54). That led to All-American honorable mention honors his first season, and spots on the second team the next two years. In 1994, the Waves finished fifth at the NCAA Championships, and Herrmann made the All-Tournament team.
 
A decision was made to redshirt Herrmann and fellow senior Jack Kocur for the 1996 season in order to give the Waves their strongest possible team in 1997. That move paid off as Pepperdine won its first national championship in the sport.
 
The Waves were the top-ranked team for much of the 1997 season, losing only once before the postseason began. Despite a fourth-place finish at the MPSF Championships, the Waves still advanced to the NCAAs as the at-large team. Once there, Herrmann, Jeremy Pope and Merrill Moses would be named the tri-Most Valuable Players at the NCAA Championships as the Waves defeated UC Davis in the semifinals (13-8) and USC in the championship (8-7 in overtime) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
 
Although he didn’t lead the Waves in scoring that year (finishing second with 51 to Pope’s 54), Herrmann would be named the 1997 National Player of the Year by USA Water Polo and Field Player of the Year by the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. He earned All-American honors for the fourth time with a spot on the first team. He also collected All-MPSF honors all four years, including three times on the first team.
 
Herrmann’s 218 career goals rank seventh all-time at Pepperdine. During his four years in the pool, the Waves had a combined win-loss record of 67-38 (.638) and finished no worse than eighth in the national rankings. The 1997 squad went 25-3 and set a school record that still stands with an .893 winning percentage.
 
Away from the pool, Herrmann excelled in the classroom and graduated with a degree in accounting in 1997. He earned CoSIDA Academic All-American first team honors in 1997-98 and was Pepperdine’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1994-95.
 
He trained with the U.S. National Team in 1997 and 1998, but decided to forego professional water polo to begin his career in accounting. Herrmann is currently a partner at Grant Thornton LLP and is the firm’s tax practice leader for Southern California.
 
Herrmann and his family, which includes wife Jodi (a fellow Pepperdine graduate) and children Kamryn and Gavin, reside in Laguna Niguel, California. He sits on the executive board of Junior Achievement of Orange County.