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Merrill Moses

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Merrill Moses
Personal information
BornAugust 13, 1977 (1977-08-13) (age 47)[1]
Harbor City, California, U.S.
Home townRancho Palos Verdes, California
Alma materPepperdine University
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[2]
Weight215 lb (98 kg)[2]
Sport
Country United States
SportWater polo
PositionGoalkeeper
University teamPepperdine Waves
Medal record
Men's water polo
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing Team
FINA World League
Bronze medal – third place 2003 New York Team
Silver medal – second place 2008 Genoa Team
Silver medal – second place 2016 Huizhou Team
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2007 Rio de Janeiro Team
Gold medal – first place 2011 Guadalajara Team
Gold medal – first place 2015 Toronto Team

Merrill M. Moses (born August 13, 1977) is a United States Olympic silver medalist, three-time Olympian, and three-time Pan American Games gold medalist water polo goalkeeper. He played college water polo for Pepperdine University, where he was an All-American and helped lead the team to the 1997 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship. Moses is now associate head coach in water polo at Pepperdine.

Early and personal life

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Moses was born in Harbor City, California, to Max, an orthopedic surgeon, and Marlene Moses. He is Jewish.[3][4][5][2][6][7] He grew up in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.[8] He is an Eagle Scout.[9][10] He has five older siblings.[11] Moses has a six-foot-eight-inch wingspan.[12]

He and his wife Laura have three children, Adrianna Nicole, Makenna Merrill, and Brooklyn Ann.[8][13] The family lives in Newbury Park, California.[8]

Water polo career

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High school

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Moses attended Peninsula High School ('95).[8] As a teenager, he switched from football to water polo, and moved to goalkeeper in his sophomore year.[14][15] While he was in high school, Moses was the Bay League MVP and an All-California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section selection as a senior, and competed with the US Junior National Team.[16] He was named a first team All-American his junior and senior years.[15]

College

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Moses attended Pepperdine University ('09) on a full scholarship and was the starting goalkeeper in water polo for four seasons for the Pepperdine Waves from 1995-98.[8][15][17] In 1995 he made 165 saves.[18] He was All-American honorable mention in 1996 (when he made 218 saves), first team in 1997 (207 saves), and second team in 1998 (224 saves).[18][8][15] He was also All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation all four years, and 1997 MPSF Goalkeeper of the Year.[8][16] He helped lead Pepperdine to the 1997 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship, and was named Conference Player of the Year, game and team MVP, and all-NCAA Tournament first team.[4][8][15][18] He graduated from Pepperdine in 1999 with a degree in public relations.[8]

Team USA

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He first became a member of the USA Men's National Water Polo Team in 1997.[4] Moses was the starting goalkeeper for Team USA at the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympics.[8] He was a goalkeeper on the team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, making 70 saves in the tournament.[19][20][21] In the championship game, the USA team won the silver medal, defeated by Hungary.[14] He was named to the Olympic All-Star Team.[22]

In December 2010, Moses' Olympic silver medal was stolen by thieves when his parents' house was burglarized.[14] The thieves also stole both a ring and a watch that he had been given by the US Olympic Committee.[21][22][23]

Moses was also on Team USA at the London 2012 Olympic Games, at which he made 63 saves and the team came in 8th.[24] He was also on Team USA at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, at which the team came in 10th.[2]

Moses won gold medals with Team USA at the 2007 (30 saves), 2011 (36 saves; stopping over 65% of shots), and 2015 Pan American Games.[8][19]

He played at the Water Polo World Championships in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015, with his top finish being 4th in 2009.[2]

Moses won a bronze medal at the 2003 FINA World League Super Final, a silver medal at the 2008 FINA World League Super Final (in which he made 37 saves), and a silver medal at the 2016 FINA World League Super Final.[19][2]

International

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Moses played for Club Olivar of Zaragosa, Spain, in the Spanish professional league in 2000-01.[15] From 2008-09 he played professionally for VK Šibenik, Croatia, winning the Yellow Cap Award for being the most consistent player in the Croatian First League of Water Polo, and from 2009-11 he played for Sportiva Nervi, Italy.[13][17][19]

He won the Best Goalkeeper Award in the 2006 Swimming Union of the Americas (ASUA) Cup.[15]

Moses was named the 2007 Premier League Best Goalkeeper while playing for the New York Athletic Club, as well as MVP of the 2010 USA Water Polo Men's National Championships.[15][13]

Coaching

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In 2012 he served as co-Head Coach at Pepperdine University.[2] Moses is now associate head coach in water polo at Pepperdine.[8]

Honors

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Moses was inducted into the New York Athletic Club Hall of Fame in 2009, and into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.[25][8][13] In 2015 he was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[26] In 2018 he was inducted into the Jewish Sports Heritage Association Hall of Fame in New York.[27][28]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "California Birth Index, 1905–1995". Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services. Sacramento, California: State of California. Archived from the original on April 27, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Merrill Moses; Water Polo". Team USA. Archived from the original on May 1, 2015.
  3. ^ Bloom, Nate (August 5, 2006). "Tribe members at Rio games". Jewish Standard.
  4. ^ a b c Brownne, Bob (July 26, 2008). "Off to Beijing". Tank Town Media.
  5. ^ Gabe Friedman (July 31, 2016). "2016 Olympics: 7 Jewish American Olympians to watch in Rio". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  6. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Merrill Moses". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  7. ^ "Highlights of Israeli and Jewish American athletes from Rio 2016". Cleveland Jewish News. August 13, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Merrill Moses Bio". Official Athletic Site: Men's Water Polo. Pepperdine University. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  9. ^ "Merrill Moses". NBC Olympics.
  10. ^ Wendell, Bryan (August 1, 2012). "How Scouting helped this Team USA water polo goalie in his quest for gold". Bryan on Scouting.
  11. ^ "Merrill Marc Moses". 40 Under 40. Pepperdine University. December 8, 2016.
  12. ^ "Olympians; Merrill Moses". New Jersey Jewish News. August 4, 2016.
  13. ^ a b c d "Merrill Moses – Associate Head Coach – Staff Directory". Pepperdine University Athletics.
  14. ^ a b c Cazeneuve, Brian (January 18, 2011). "Brian Cazeneuve: In search of Merrill Moses' stolen Olympic silver medal". Sports Illustrated.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h "Olympic Water Polo player: Merrill Moses". Ventura County Star. June 20, 2008.
  16. ^ a b "2013 Hall of Fame Inductee: Merrill Moses". Official Athletic Site: Men's Water Polo. Pepperdine University.
  17. ^ a b "Merrill Moses heads to London on an Olympian quest [WATER POLO]". Easy Reader News. July 12, 2012.
  18. ^ a b c "2010 Pepperdine Men's Water Polo Records Book". June 17, 2010 – via Issuu.
  19. ^ a b c d "National Team; 2012 Media Guide" (PDF).
  20. ^ "USA Water Polo Men's National Team". Usawaterpolo.org. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
  21. ^ a b "Burglars steal water polo player's Olympic silver medal in Manteca". San Jose Mercury News. AP. January 11, 2011. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  22. ^ a b Burkin, Christian (January 11, 2011). "Olympic medal theft stings family". Recordnet.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  23. ^ Wong, Lonnie (January 11, 2011). "Olympic Medal Stolen In Manteca; Silver medal belonging to water polo player taken – KTXL". Fox40.com. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  24. ^ "National Team; 2015 Media Guide" (PDF).
  25. ^ "Petri, Beaubien, Moses, and Wright Inducted Into NYAC Hall of Fame". USA Water Polo. April 23, 2009.
  26. ^ "MERRILL MOSES; Water Polo - 2015". Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
  27. ^ "merrill moses". Twitter. April 29, 2018. Honored to be inducted into the Jewish Sports Heritage Association Hall of Fame in New York! #halloffame #hardwork #goals #thankful
  28. ^ "Jewish Sports Heritage Association Induction Ceremony". Five Towns. NY Patch. February 7, 2018.
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