Pepperdine Waves

Last updated
Pepperdine Waves
Pepperdine Waves logo.svg
University Pepperdine University
Conference West Coast Conference (primary)
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (men's volleyball, women's indoor track & field)
GCC (men's water polo)
NCAA NCAA Division I
Athletic directorTanner Gardner
Location Malibu, California, U.S.
Varsity teams17
Basketball arena Firestone Fieldhouse
Baseball stadium Eddy D. Field Stadium
Soccer stadium Tari Frahm Rokus Field
Other venues Alumni Park
Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool
Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center
Zuma Beach
MascotWillie the Wave
NicknameWaves
Fight song"Fight For Pepperdine"
ColorsBlue, white, and orange [1]
     
Website www.pepperdinewaves.com
Pepperdine athletics wordmark.svg

The Pepperdine Waves are the athletics teams of Pepperdine University, located outside the city of Malibu, California. They compete at the Division I level of the NCAA. The school is a member of the West Coast Conference for the majority of its programs. Pepperdine University was recently ranked by the Sears Cup as having the most successful athletic program for non-football Division I schools (Stanford was ranked the most successful Division I athletic program with football). Pepperdine University sponsors seventeen NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics teams. There are also several intercollegiate sports clubs such as men's soccer, men's and women's lacrosse, surf team, Ultimate Frisbee and men's rugby.

Contents

Pepperdine's chief athletic rival is the Loyola Marymount Lions, who are also in the WCC.

Nickname

Since the school's founding, the school's nickname has been the Waves. It was selected by president Batsell Baxter, as the general consensus among faculty and students was that there were too many animal names in college athletics at the time. Though the school was located in South Los Angeles at the time, the name has stuck, becoming more appropriate after the school's move to Malibu. [2]

Sports sponsored

Men's sportsWomen's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Beach volleyball
Cross countryCross country
GolfGolf
TennisSoccer
Track and field†Swimming and diving
VolleyballTennis
Water poloTrack and field†
Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

Baseball

Pepperdine Waves baseball players celebrate a home run during a 2010 game Nate Johnson (4665504186) (cropped).jpg
Pepperdine Waves baseball players celebrate a home run during a 2010 game

Major league pitcher Jon Moscot pitched for the baseball team in 2011 and 12. [3] [4] [5] Other Waves pitchers who went on to success in the majors include Dan Haren, [6] Randy Wolf, [7] and Noah Lowry. [8]

Basketball

Pepperdine sponsors both men's and women's NCAA Division I college basketball teams.

Men's

The Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team began play in the 1938–1939 season, and has amassed 12 regular-season conference titles and three conference tournament championships. It qualified for the NAIA men's basketball tournament seven times during the 1940s and 1950s. It has made 13 appearances in the NCAA tournament, six in the National Invitation Tournament, and three in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI), and it won the CBI championship in 2021. Thirty-eight former Waves have been drafted or played National Basketball Association as recently as 2021 (Kessler Edwards) and 2023 (Maxwell Lewis).

Women's

The Pepperdine Waves women's basketball team began play in the 1975–76 season and has won four conference regular-season titles and three conference tournament championships. The Waves have made four appearances in the NCAA tournament and six in the Women's National Invitation Tournament advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2019. [9]

Women's beach volleyball

The Pepperdine Waves women's beach volleyball team represents Pepperdine University in women's beach volleyball. [10] Pepperdine launched its beach volleyball program in 2011. [10]

Men's golf

The men's golf team has won 20 West Coast Conference championships (1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2019) [11] They won the NCAA Division I Championship in 1997 and 2021.

Pepperdine golfers who have won at the professional level are Brent Geiberger (2 PGA Tour wins), Jason Gore (1 PGA Tour win, 7 Korn Ferry Tour wins), Andrew Putnam (1 PGA Tour win, 2 Korn Ferry Tour wins), Jeff Gove (3 Korn Ferry Tour wins), Michael Putnam (3 Web.com Tour wins), and Byron Smith (1 Korn Ferry Tour win, 4 Canadian Tour wins).

Women's soccer

The women's soccer team, launched in 1993, has earned an invitation to the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship tournament 12 times, qualified with a national seeding five times, and advanced to the Round of 16 in 2002, 2005, 2014, and 2021. [12] National Women's Soccer League teams have selected seven Pepperdine players in NWSL Drafts: Roxanne Barker (2013, 32nd overall), [13] Michelle Pao (2014, 24th overall), [14] Lynn Williams (2015, 6th overall), [15] Brianna Visalli (2018, 19th overall), [16] Hailey Harbison (2019, 9th overall), [17] Michelle Maemone (2019, 23rd overall), [18] and Joelle Anderson (2021, 26th overall). [19]

Men's tennis

In 1982 Brad Gilbert transferred to Pepperdine University, playing for Allen Fox. He became an All-American and reached the finals of the 1982 NCAA Championship. Gilbert is a 1999 inductee into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame. [20]

Andrew Sznajder played college tennis at Pepperdine, where he was a two-time All-American selection (1987 and 1988; he was # 3 in college rankings both years). [21] [22] In 1988, he won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association indoor individual championship. He turned pro in his sophomore year. [21] Israeli tennis player Boaz Merenstein also played for the school.

Water polo

A Waves water polo match in 2018 Nikos Delagrammatikas Lunges (46002431511).jpg
A Waves water polo match in 2018

Merrill Moses, three-time Olympic water polo player and silver medalist, played water polo for the Waves for four years from 1995-98. [23] [24] [25] He was All-American honorable mention in 1996, first team in 1997, and second team in 1998. [23] [24] He was also All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation all four years, and 1997 MPSF Goalkeeper of the Year. [23] He helped lead Pepperdine to the 1997 NCAA championship, and was game and team MVP. [23] [24] Moses is now Associate Head Coach in water polo at Pepperdine. [23]

Former sports

Football

Pepperdine played football from 1946 to 1961. At the end of the inaugural 1946 season the Waves defeated Nebraska Wesleyan University in the 1947 Will Rogers Bowl. [26]

Facilities

Traditions

Mascot

The school's first mascot was Roland the Wave (a nod to the popular cheer "Roll on you Waves!"). From 1945 to 1950 the school used a wave costume (less amorphous than the current mascot's) on the sidelines. In 1951, Joe the Pelican was introduced at a football game. The idea was quickly dropped, however, because of the expense of caring for a live pelican. In 1952, Willy the Wave made his debut. Willy has always had the head and "hair" of a wave, though he has gone through several costumes, including one with white hair representing the foam of a wave, and the early 1990s version which bore a strong resemblance to the Mac Tonight mascot of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese commercials at the time. In 1996, Willy was replaced with King Neptune as part of a re-branding effort. The nickname never took off, however, and was scrapped in 2003. It was not until 2006, however, that Willy made his final return to Pepperdine athletics, this time with a larger wave head and usually wearing boardshorts and an Aloha shirt. [27]

School colors

Since the founding, the school's colors have been blue and orange. They were chosen by President Baxter over the final choice of blue and gold as at the time, no other Pacific school used the colors, which represented the blue of the Pacific Ocean and the oranges grown by the state of California. (Cal State Fullerton has since adopted similar colors, though their shades are darker than Pepperdine's.) [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Coast Conference</span> College athletics conference

The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, and Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulane Green Wave</span> Intercollegiate athletics teams of Tulane University

The Tulane Green Wave are the athletic teams that represent Tulane University, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tulane competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the American Athletic Conference. There are 14 Green Wave intercollegiate programs, two of which compete outside The American. Beach volleyball and bowling, women's sports that are not sponsored by The American, compete in Conference USA (CUSA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCLA Bruins</span> Sports team name of University of California at Los Angeles

The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I. UCLA is second to only Stanford University as the school with the most NCAA team championships at 124 NCAA team championships. UCLA offers 11 varsity sports programs for men and 14 for women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UC Irvine Anteaters</span> Sports teams of the University of California, Irvine

The UC Irvine Anteaters are the athletic teams fielded by the University of California, Irvine. Its athletics programs participate in the NCAA's Division I, as members of the Big West Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. For earlier years of the school's existence, the teams participated at the Division II level with great success as explained below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn State Nittany Lions</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Penn State University

The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The intercollegiate athletics logo was commissioned in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego State Aztecs</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of San Diego State University

The San Diego State Aztecs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent San Diego State University (SDSU). The Aztecs compete in NCAA Division I (FBS) as a member of the Mountain West Conference (MW); they will become a member of the Pac-12 Conference in 2026. The Aztec nickname was chosen by students in 1925; team colors are scarlet (red) and black. The university currently fields 17 varsity teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Providence Friars</span> Athletics program of Providence College

The Providence Friars are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Providence College, located in Providence, Rhode Island. They compete in the Big East Conference for every sport except for ice hockey, where they compete in Hockey East. The Big East Conference was founded in 1979 by former athletic director and men's basketball coach Dave Gavitt. On December 15, 2012, Providence and the other seven Catholic, non-FBS schools announced that they were departing the Big East for a new conference; on March 7, 2013, it was officially confirmed that Providence's new conference would operate under the Big East name. The women's volleyball team, which had been an associate member of the America East Conference before the Big East split, remained in that conference for one more season before joining the Big East for the 2014 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UIC Flames</span> Athletic teams of the University of Illinois Chicago

The UIC Flames are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Chicago, located in Chicago, Illinois, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) since the 2022–23 academic year. The Flames previously competed in the D-I Horizon League from 1994–95 to 2021–22; in the D-I Mid-Continent Conference from 1982–83 to 1993–94; as an NCAA D-I Independent during the 1981–82 school year; and in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1949–50 to about 1980–81.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fresno State Bulldogs</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of California State University, Fresno

The Fresno State Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent California State University, Fresno. The university is a member of NCAA Division I's Mountain West Conference (MW). It was a member of the Western Athletic Conference from 1992 until 2012, when it left for the Mountain West alongside fellow WAC member Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of St. Francis College

The St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers were the 21 teams that represented St. Francis College in athletics. The Terriers were members of NCAA Division I and participated in the Northeast Conference (NEC) except in two sports that the NEC does not sponsor—men's and women's water polo. The water polo teams respectively competed in the Collegiate Water Polo Association and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UC Davis Aggies</span> Sports teams of University of California, Davis

The UC Davis Aggies are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Davis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Guerrero</span> American college athletics administrator

Dan Guerrero is an American former athletic director for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He also has served as the chairman of the Selection Committee for the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Guerrero was roundly criticized for many of his hiring decisions, particularly in football and men's basketball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Beach State athletics</span> Collegiate athletic teams of California State University, Long Beach

Long Beach State athletics, or simply Beach athletics, are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Long Beach. Teams compete in 19 sports at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level. Long Beach State is a founding member of the Big West Conference, and also competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and the Golden Coast Conference for sports not sponsored by the Big West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepperdine Waves men's basketball</span> American college basketball team

The Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team is an American college basketball team that represents Pepperdine University in NCAA Division I, the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Waves compete in the West Coast Conference and are coached by Ed Schilling. The Waves have competed in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 13 times and are 3rd all-time in WCC Tournament wins and championships. The Waves most recently appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2002. Thirty-eight former Waves have been drafted or played in the NBA including Doug Christie and Dennis Johnson, an inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The most recent Waves drafted into the NBA are Kessler Edwards (2021) and Maxwell Lewis (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UT Martin Skyhawks</span> Athletic teams representing University of Tennessee at Martin

The UT Martin Skyhawks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM) in Martin, Tennessee, United States. The Skyhawks athletic program is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I level including the Football Championship Subdivision. The UTM mascot is Captain Skyhawk. The school colors are navy and orange. They were known as the Pacers until 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McKendree Bearcats</span> Athletic teams representing McKendree University

The McKendree Bearcats are the intercollegiate athletic programs that represent McKendree University, located in Lebanon, Illinois, United States, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) as a provisional member since the 2012–13 academic year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominican Penguins</span> Athletics team for Dominican University of California

The Dominican Penguins are the athletics teams that represent Dominican University of California, located in San Rafael, California, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Pacific West Conference as a provisional member for most of their sports since the 2009–10 academic year ; while its men's lacrosse team competes in the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL) at the Division I level of the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA). The Penguins previously competed in the California Pacific Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1996–97 to 2008–09.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepperdine Waves women's basketball</span> College basketball team

The Pepperdine Waves women's basketball team is the basketball team that represents Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, United States. The school's team currently competes in the West Coast Conference. The team's last appearance in the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament was in 2006. Their home arena is the Firestone Fieldhouse, a multi-purpose facility that hosts basketball, volleyball, and many other athletic and university events. They share this facility with the Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship</span> Water polo tournament season

The 1997 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 29th annual NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate water polo. Tournament matches were played at the International Swimming Hall of Fame Aquatics Complex in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, during December 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of University of California, Santa Cruz

The UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Santa Cruz. The Banana Slugs compete in Division III of the NCAA, mostly in the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference (C2C). There are fifteen varsity sports – men's and women's basketball, tennis, soccer, volleyball, swimming and diving, cross country, track & field, and women's golf. UCSC teams have been Division III nationally ranked in tennis, soccer, men's volleyball, and swimming. UCSC maintains a number of successful club sides.

References

  1. ↑ "Official Colors | Resources | Pepperdine Community" . Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  2. ↑ We Are The Waves - PepperdineSports.com
  3. ↑ Bill Vilona (June 7, 2014). "Moscot's rise shows draft's flaws". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  4. ↑ "2011 Men's All-America Baseball Team (Division I)". Jewish Sports Review.
  5. ↑ Dick Dornan (June 13, 2012). "Pepperdine baseball enjoys banner season". Malibu Times.
  6. ↑ "MLB: Ex-Angels pitcher Dan Haren, also of Bishop Amat and Pepperdine, signs with Washington Nationals". 4 December 2012.
  7. ↑ "Randy Wolf to be Inducted into West Coast Conference Hall of Honor".
  8. ↑ "Former Giant Noah Lowry moves on after pitching career cut short - the San Francisco Examiner".
  9. ↑ "2019 Postseason WNIT". womensnit.com. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  10. 1 2 "Program History" (PDF). pepperdinewaves.com. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Pepperdine Golf – Records Book – 2012–13 Men's Golf" (PDF). Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Waves Battle #1 Seminoles in NCAA Round of 16" (Press release). Pepperdine Waves. November 20, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  13. ↑ Arnold, Geoffrey C. (January 18, 2013). "Portland Thorns select four players in college draft". The Oregonian . Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  14. ↑ "15. Michelle Pao" (in Swedish). Damallsvenskan. March 24, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Morgan Brian No. 1 pick by Houston Dash in NWSL draft". ESPN. January 16, 2015.
  16. ↑ Halloran, John D (August 3, 2020). "'Night and day' experiences: Bri Visalli finds success in second NWSL stint". The Equalizer. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  17. ↑ Rael, Chris (January 17, 2019). "2019 NWSL College Draft Recap". Soccer Today. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  18. ↑ Vejar, Alex (May 2, 2019). "Utah Royals FC rookie Michelle Maemone relishing opportunity as a starter". The Salt Lake Tribune . Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  19. ↑ Jackson, McKenzie (February 23, 2022). "Joelle Anderson, one of Pepperdine Soccer's Best, Signs with National Soccer League Club". The Malibu Times. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  20. ↑ "CSTV.com: #1 in College Sports". Archived from the original on 2007-04-25. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  21. 1 2 Andrew Sznajder | Bio | ATP World Tour | Tennis
  22. ↑ "Player profile – Andrew SZNAJDER (CAN)". Davis Cup. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 "PEPPERDINEWAVES.com Merrill Moses Bio: Pepperdine University Official Athletic Site: Men's Water Polo". Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  24. 1 2 3 "Olympic Water Polo player: Merrill Moses". www.vcstar.com.
  25. ↑ "Merrill Moses heads to London on an Olympian quest [WATER POLO]". July 12, 2012.
  26. ↑ Grenley, Dave (June 3, 2010). "The History of Pepperdine Football". Pepperdine Waves. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  27. ↑ The Story of the Pepperdine Mascot - PepperdineSports.com
  28. ↑ School Colors: Blue & Orange - PepperdineSports.com
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.