Hall of Fame
From the 2017 Hall of Fame program:
For 20 years, beginning as a student and working his way up to the position of Associate Athletics Director, Michael Zapolski – best known as “Zap” – was an invaluable member of the Waves’ Athletics Department who helped promote and support many of Pepperdine’s greatest achievements.
After first growing up in Wheaton, Illinois, then moving to Boulder City, Nevada, where he graduated from Boulder City High School, Zapolski arrived at Pepperdine in the fall of 1981. He wrote for the Pepperdine Graphic his first two years, then was named the school’s Sports Information Director in October 1983, early in his junior year.
His early duties included disseminating press releases and statistical updates, records upkeep, producing media guides, maintaining local and national media contacts and overseeing game operations.
In 1984, Zapolski served in a sports information capacity with an Athletes in Action basketball team during a summer tour of Eastern Europe.
After two years of handling SID duties while still a student, Zapolski remained in the position in a full-time capacity following his graduation from Pepperdine in 1985. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism with magna cum laude honors.
His duties expanded over the years as he became an Assistant Athletics Director in 1999 and an Associate Athletics Director in 2001. At one time or another he supervised the marketing, facilities and athletic training departments, as well as various Pepperdine teams, and coordinated event contracts and scheduling.
Technology evolved under his watch, as stat-keeping went from pencil and paper to computers, the typewriter gave way to the desktop computer and the school’s first official athletics website came into existence.
During his tenure, Zapolski helped promote many of the greatest teams in Pepperdine history, including six NCAA championship squads (baseball in 1992, men’s golf in 1997, men’s volleyball in 1985, 1986 and 1992 and men’s water polo in 1997), plus 108 teams that advanced to NCAA postseason play and 103 programs that won either regular-season or tournament conference titles. A total of 134 athletes earned All-American status during his 20 years.
He was the media coordinator as Pepperdine hosted the 1995 and 2000 NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championships and the 2000 NCAA Collegiate Men’s Water Polo Championships.
Zapolski also earned a master’s degree in business administration from Pepperdine in 2000.
He returned to his native Midwest in 2003, leaving Pepperdine to become the Director of Athletics at Anderson University, an NCAA Division III school in Anderson, Indiana. He worked there for five years before becoming the Director of Athletics at Augustana College, an NCAA Division III school in Rock Island, Illinois.
Zapolski is heading into his 10th year at Augustana. He has held positions on NCAA Division III committees for men’s basketball, women’s soccer and men’s tennis.
He and his wife Stacey, a fellow Pepperdine graduate, live in Davenport, Iowa. They have three children: Haley, Luke and Noah.
