MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine men's water polo associate head coach Merrill Moses was given the ultimate honor in his sport on Tuesday, as he willbe inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame. He joins four others in the class of 2021, and the date of the induction ceremony will be announced when available.
"It's a tremendous honor to be inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame," Moses said. "I feel blessed that I have been able to represent Team USA and my country for over 20 years, as it's something I feel very strongly about. It is such a great honor to be among the elite athletes that are in the hall of fame."
A three-time All-American, Moses joined the Pepperdine water polo program in 1995, and helped the Waves capture their first national championship in 1997 as the starting goalie and one of three tri-MVPs of the NCAA tournament. In the same season, he was named MPSF Goalkeeper of the Year. He left Pepperdine as the all-time leader in saves with 818. He is currently in third place all-time.
"Pepperdine means everything to me," said Moses on his time in Malibu. "Without Pepperdine I wouldn't be the man I am today or the water polo athlete that I was. Pepperdine propelled my career to play for the USA. I was a walk-on and (Head Coach Terry) Schroeder gave me a chance to play, and after our 97 championship was when I got invited to train with Team USA. Now I am back coaching at the university that I love and am trying to bring back another championship for Pepperdine. It's gone full circle. I am very excited to be alongside coach Schroeder in this journey."
With Team USA, Moses was a part of three Olympic Games (2008, 2012 and 2016), earning the silver medal in the 2008 Olympics as the ninth-seeded team in the tournament. He almost never reached the Olympics, however, when after failing to make the 2004 Olympic team, he left the sport. Former Team USA head coach and current Pepperdine head coach Terry Schroder reached out to bring him back to the pool, convincing Moses to give it one more shot. He was also instrumental in Team USA's gold medals at three Pan-American Games (2007, 2011 and 2015), as well as two silver medals at the 2008 and 2016 FINA World League Super Finals. Abroad, Moses played for professional clubs in Spain, Italy and Croatia and played domestically for the New York Athletic Club.
"USA Water Polo means the world to me as well," Moses said. "It has been a big chunk of my life for over 20 years. The organization has done a great job in representing the athletes and Team USA in all levels, from age group all the way to the Olympic team. Again, I feel honored to be a part of an elite group of athletes that are being inducted into the hall of fame and I plan on being. A part of USA water polo for the rest of my life helping grow the sport, being part of tournaments and hopefully playing in some masters events as well."
Moses has been an assistant coach at Pepperdine since 2012, taking over as interim head coach when Schroeder took a leave of absence to coach Team USA in the 2012 Olympics and led the team to an 11-13 overall record. Upon Schroeder's return to Pepperdine, he moved into the role of assistant coach in 2013, and was elevated to associate head coach in 2017.
Moses joins Tony Azevedo, Ericka Lorenz, Kami Craig and Courtney Matthewson as the inductees for the 2021 class.
