OLYMPIC TRADITION | PARIS 2024

Pepperdine Athletics was represented by seven individuals in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Pepperdine Athletics' all-time player/coach Olympian total stands at 60.
 
The Waves had Team USA representation in three different sports (women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's water polo) and six total sports including those representing their home countries.  

In review, the Waves had one athlete alumna win a gold medal in Lynn Williams with women's soccer. Three Pepperdine coaches and alumni led their respective teams to silver and broze medals on the coaching side of the games– Marcio Sicoli, Canada Women's Beach Volleyball (Silver), Marv Dunphy, USA Women's Volleyball (Silver) and Jack Kocur, USA Men's Water Polo (bronze). These results bring new totals for Pepperdine's all-time medal count: nine gold, eight silver and six bronze. Though coaches do not receive medals, Pepperdine coaches would add another seven gold medals, four silver medals and five bronze medals. 

Link: Pepperdine's complete Olympic history

 

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ATHLETES

LYNN WILLIAMS / WOMEN'S SOCCER / USA
Lynn Williams '15 is competing in her second Olympics. She is the second Wave to participate in soccer at the Olympics (Roxanne Barker, South Africa, 2012 and 2016). Williams has been named an alternate forward. She was an All-American first team selection in 2014 and scored 39 career goals for the Waves, second-most all-time at Pepperdine. Williams has been part of the USWNT since 2016. She was the 2016 NWSL MVP and has been part of four NWSL championship teams. Most recently, Williams won the 2023 NWSL Championship with her current team, Gotham FC. Williams is also the highest goal-scorer in the entire NWSL with 79 goals.
 




MAYAR SHERIF / WOMEN'S TENNIS / EGYPT
Mayar Sherif '18 is competing in her second Olympics. She will be the first Egyptian to participate in women's tennis for multiple Olympics. Sherif played two seasons for the Waves after transferring from Fresno State. She received All-American honors in both singles and doubles in 2017 and in singles in 2018. As a pro, she became the first Egyptian to make it into a Grand Slam main draw at the 2020 French Open, and the first to win a match at a Grand Slam at the 2021 Australian Open. As of early July 2024, she was ranked 82nd in the world in singles.
 

LUISA STEFANI / WOMEN'S TENNIS / BRAZIL 
Luisa Stefani is competing at her second Olympics. At the 2021 Olympics, Stefani and doubles partner Laura Pigossi earned the bronze medal, becoming Brazil's first Olympic tennis medalist. Stefani earned All-American honors in singles in each of her three seasons with the Waves (2016-18). She reached the semifinals of the 2016 NCAA singles tournament. As a professional, she's reached the doubles quarterfinals of the U.S. Open and the third round of the Australian Open and the French Open. She is currently ranked 17th in the world in doubles by the WTA.








 

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COACHES

Marcio Sicoli will be heading to Paris and making his third appearance at the Olympics as the coach of the Canadian duo of Brandi Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Parades. He has previously coached the U.S. pair Kerri Walsh Jennings and April  Ross who he helped take home the bronze medal in 2016. Sicoli was also the coach of the gold medal-winning U.S. pair of Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor in 2012. He has also been an assistant coach for his home country and the Brazilian Olympic women's beach volleyball team from 2000-04. During this time, one of their duos earned a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics.
 




Marv Dunphy '74, men's volleyball head coach emeritus, will be taking part in his ninth Olympics. This will be his fourth consecutive time working with the U.S. women's volleyball team, this time as a consultant coach. He was head coach of the gold medal-winning U.S. men's team in 1988.
 






Brian Goorjian '76 is once again the head coach of the Australian men's basketball team. This is his fourth Olympics. He led the Aussies to the quarterfinals in 2008, ninth place in 2004 and led Australia to its first-ever medal in men's basketball at the Olympics, as his team collected bronze.





Jack Kocur A former water polo player for Pepperdine from 1993-97 and the head coach of the Waves from 2006-11 was an assistant coach for the U.S. men's water polo at the 2016 Olympics. He was also ​a video scout coach for the U.S. team at the 2012 Olympic Games.






 

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SCHEDULES/RESULTS

Full Results

Women's Soccer Results
Group B: USA def. Zambia - 3-0
Group B: USA def. Germany - 4-1
Group B: USA def. Australia - 2-1
QF: USA def. Japan - 1-0
SEMIS: USA def. Germany - 1-0
GOLD: USA def. Brazil, 1-0
Lynn Williams Gold Medal Story

Beach Volleyball Results
Pool D: Melissa/Brandie (CAN) def. Poletti/Michelle (PAR) - 2-0
Pool D: Esmee/Zoe (SWI) def. Melissa/ Brandie (CAN) - 2-1
"Lucky Loser Round:" Melissa/Brandie (CAN) def. Hermannova/Stochlova (CZE) - 2-0
Round of 16: Melissa/Brandie (CAN) def. Nuss/Kloth (USA) - 2-0
QF: Melissa/Brandie (CAN) def. Alvarez/Moreno (ESP) - 2-0
SEMIS: Melissa/Brandie (CAN) def. Brunner/Huberli (SUI) - 2-1
SILVER: Ana Patricia/Duda (BRA) def. Melissa/Brandie (CAN) - 2-1
Marcio Sicoli Silver Medal Story

Women's Volleyball Results
Pool A: China def. USA - 3-2
Pool A: USA def. Serbia - 3-2
Pool A: USA def. France - 3-0
QF: USA def. Poland - 3-0
SEMIS: USA def. Brazil - 3-2
SILVER: Italy def. USA, 3-0
Marv Dunphy Silver Medal Story

Men's Water Polo Results
Group A: Italy def. USA - 12-8
Group A: USA def. Romania - 14-8
Group A: Greece def. USA - 13-11
Group A: USA def. Montenegro - 12-7
Group A: USA def. Croatia - 14-11
QF: USA def. Australia -11-10
SEMIS: Serbia def. USA - 10-6
BRONZE: USA def. Hungary, 11-8
Jack Kocur Bronze Medal Story

Women's Tennis Results
Round 1, Singles: C. Wozniacki (DEN) def. Mayar Sherif (EGY) - 2-6, 7-5, 6-1
Round 1, W. Doubles: Stefani/Haddad (BRA) def. Yuan/Zhang (CHN) - 6-4, 6-4
Round 1, Mixed Doubles: Wang/Zhang (CHN) def. Stefani/Seyboth (BRA) - 3-6, 6-3, 10-8
Round 2, W. Doubles: Boulter/Watson (GBR) def. Stefani/Haddad (BRA) - 6-3, 6-3

Men's Basketball Results
Group A: Australia def. Spain - 92-80
Group A: Canada def. Australia - 93-83
Group A: Greece def. Australia - 77-71
QF: Serbia def. Australia - 95-90