MALIBU, Calif. – On Friday, Oct. 3, reigning MPSF champion Pepperdine swim and dive will begin its season with the annual Rodionoff Invite. The meet honors eponymous former head coach and 2025 Pepperdine Hall of Fame Inductee Nick Rodionoff's legacy.
The 38-event meet extends through Saturday, Oct. 4 at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool. On both days diving will begin at 10 a.m. with swimming set for 11 a.m.
The Waves welcome Azusa Pacific, Biola, Cal Lutheran, Cal State Pueblo, The Master's, San Diego, Utah Tech, and Westmont to the pool.
For those unable to attend, results will be available on the Meet Mobile app with a subscription.
In conjunction with the school-wide Waves Weekend celebration, the team will also be honoring alumni with a social and meet throughout the two days. The festivities conclude with a banquet for Coach Rodionoff's Hall of Fame induction.
"Historically we've seen a lot of success at this meet" said Head Coach Ellie Monobe. "To have it paired with our alumni weekend, Waves Weekend, and the honoring of Nick Rodionoff makes for a very exciting, higher energy competitive environment."
Pepperdine re-enters the pool for their first taste of competition since last February, where they placed first at the MPSF Championships.
A bulk of that production is returning—with an impressive 13 seniors on the roster. This year's team captains are AJ Adams, Anna Ryan, and Ava Langheim.
Langheim hopes to make a splash for the dive team this weekend. After an injury last season, she will make her anticipated return for the Waves.
Ansley Halbach will help lead the charge for Pepperdine in the freestyle and IM. Last season she not only won the MPSF 400-yard IM, but ended the season named to two all-conference teams.
Another MPSF champion for the Waves is Sophia Ware. The sophomore out of Allen, Texas won the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard medley relay as a freshman. She was named to the All-MPSF First Team at the end of the season.
After a very successful 2024-25, the team has added a handful of new faces to the program comprising the Class of 2029.
Freshman Sophia Blietz joins from Santa Clarita, Calif. where she twice qualified for state.
Paige Easton's addition to the roster pairs her up with older sister Elliot, who is currently a senior. Paige holds the record for most points scored for Berkeley Prep in Tampa, Fla.
Aliyah Fan gives the Waves a second set of sisters (junior Kiana). The younger Fan was most recently a 2023 All-American in the 400-yard freestyle.
Jackie Johnson is the newest member of the dive team. She hails from Omaha, Neb. where she qualified for state in each season of her high school career. As a senior, she earned a state championship in the 1-meter.
Maile Sullivan joins the blue and orange after a slew of dominant performances in Southeast Asia. While in Singapore she swept the field, taking first in all her events at the 2023 and 2025 IASAS Swimming Championships.
Ava Taylor hopes to make an impact for the Waves in her first year as well. A team captain at Los Gatos High School (Calif.), she represented her school in state qualifiers for four years.
The Waves will next prepare for the first dual meet of the season at home on Thursday, Oct. 9 against San Diego State.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE SWIM AND DIVE
Pepperdine swimming & diving has a rich history spanning four decades, having posted top-five finishes in its conference in 32 of 39 seasons. The Waves have captured three conference championships in the past four seasons under Ellie Monobe, its first three conference titles, winning its first MPSF Championship in 2025 after joining the conference the season prior. In 38 seasons in the PCSC, the Waves saw 48 individual champions and 20 PCSC Swimmer or Diver of the Year awards. Andreea Trufasu stands as the program's lone Olympian, having competed in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
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