Pepp Talk: Recent Episodes
Pepperdine Waves
Meet the coaches, student-athletes and administrators that make up the Pepperdine University Department of Athletics in this podcast interview series.
Ellie Monobe joined the Pepperdine Athletics staff this summer as the new head coach of the women’s swimming and diving program. The former national champion swimmer at Cal spent the last four years at UC Santa Barbara. It wasn’t your usual interview process, as she interviewed over Zoom and took the job without visiting campus due to the pandemic. Now she’s building rapport with the team and getting the Waves ready to compete in 2021.
This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@WavesSwimDive
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Merrill Moses, associate head coach of the Pepperdine men’s water polo team, returns to the podcast for the third time to talk about the events of the last year. That includes the 2019 Golden Coast Conference Tournament title, which sent the Waves to the NCAA Championships for the first time since he was a player leading Pepperdine to the 1997 national title. Then, the pandemic interrupted their expected spring and summer plans, and postponed the fall 2020 season to early 2021. We talk about what this team and the upcoming season might look like.
This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.
Episode 2 with Merrill Moses
Episode 54 with Merrill Moses
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@MerrillMoses
@PeppWaterPolo
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Scott Wong, now in his sixth season as the Pepperdine women’s volleyball head coach, is heading into a season unlike any other. His fall 2020 season has been pushed to early 2021 so we discuss what the past year has been like for his team, and what this year’s team looks like.
This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.
Episode 7 with Scott Wong
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@WavesVolleyball
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Skye Barnett had a great run as a Pepperdine student-athlete about a decade ago: a standout on the women’s basketball team who was honored for her academics and who received the first-ever Maurice Hilliard Award because of her faith. She returned to Malibu last year to become the Director of Basketball Operations for the women’s program. Enjoy her life story and tales of her time with the Waves.
This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@DOBOSkyeB
@WavesHoops
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Gerald Brown was a three-time All-WCC first team pick in the 1990s and one of the top scorers in Pepperdine men’s basketball history. After a professional career that included a season in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns, stops all over the world and a brief run with the Harlem Globetrotters, he transitioned into coaching, and now he’s back at Pepperdine as an assistant coach.
This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@MrGeraldBrown
@PeppBasketball
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Kevin Wright, Pepperdine’s Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine, had the lead role in putting together the Waves’ return-to-play plan to safely bring student-athletes back to campus and to start competing during the pandemic. That’s a significant part of this podcast, plus we touch on his days as a student-athlete playing men’s volleyball at Pepperdine before transitioning into the world of athletic training.
This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@Pepkneeguy
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
One of the all-time greats in Pepperdine men’s volleyball history, Paul Carroll joins the podcast this week. The Australian was a National Player of the Year just over a decade ago, and after a successful professional career, he returned to Pepperdine in the past year to begin his coaching career. We talk about playing for the Waves and overseas, and what it’s now like to be a coach.
This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@paul_carroll12
@PeppVolleyball
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Pepperdine assistant baseball coach Danny Worth tells us his story – three great seasons playing for the Waves, becoming a high MLB Draft pick, playing in the Majors for parts of six seasons, and returning to Malibu to start his coaching career.
This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@DannyWorthWaves
@PeppBaseball
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
On our season four opener and milestone episode number 100, Pepperdine Athletic Director Dr. Steve Potts returns to the podcast for the second time to talk about the last six months and being the AD during a pandemic, when sports have been postponed, everyone’s working from home and life is one Zoom meeting after another.
This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.
Episode 50 with Dr. Steve Potts
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@StevePottsAD
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Pepperdine women’s golf coach Laurie Gibbs joins the podcast to talk about the last few months at home since the cancelation of the spring championships. Her All-American senior Momoka Kobori has graduated and won’t be back next year, but three very talented recruits will be joining the program, giving the Waves another opportunity to add to their long list of postseason success.
Episode 42 with Laurie Gibbs
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@WavesGolf
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Pepperdine men’s basketball head coach Lorenzo Romar joins the podcast to talk about the last couple of months and how his team has handled the pandemic and their time at home. We also look ahead to next season, which should feature an extremely veteran-heavy squad. And we talk about his life, from his time in the NBA (including going up against the likes of Michael Jordan and Pepperdine legend Dennis Johnson) through a couple of decades of a brilliant coaching career.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PeppBasketball
@CoachRomar
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Pepperdine women’s soccer head coach Tim Ward and his veteran group of Waves are looking forward to a great fall 2020 season – whatever that ends up looking like. We discuss the 2018 and 2019 seasons, how his spring exhibition season was cut short due to the pandemic and students being sent home, what life’s been like at home (with a lot of talk about music) and his hopes for this fall. Plus, you’ll get to hear his rendition of “Sweet Pepperdine” that was played at the Pepp Espys.
Episode 11 with Tim Ward
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@WavesSoccer
@HeadCoachWard
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
The Pepperdine baseball team was off to a great start in the 2020 season under head coach Rick Hirtensteiner – 12-3 and ranked 16th in the country – when everything was called off in mid-March. We talk with the Waves’ skipper about what led to their success, what he and the rest of the Waves are doing now and how they’ll maintain their great form next year.
Episode 29 with Rick Hirtensteiner
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PeppBaseball
@Coachhirty
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Pepperdine women’s tennis coach Per Nilsson had his Waves rolling in the middle of March, ranking in the top 15 and boasting the nation’s top singles player. But that’s when the season unfortunately came to an end with the cancelation of the spring season. We talk about how his team reacted to it, what they’ve been doing and what comes next – which includes the return of his two seniors in 2020-21, which should put the Waves among the very elite next season.
Episode 25 with Per Nilsson
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@WavesTennis
@PeppTennisCoach
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Pepperdine women’s basketball coach Kristen Dowling makes her first appearance on the podcast. She returned to Malibu for the third time last summer to take over as head coach and she had a very good first season with the Waves. On this week’s episode of #PeppTalkatHome, we talk about her path to the job, this season’s successes, how things have changed since her student-athletes went home due to the pandemic and the bright future for the program.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@WavesHoops
@CoachKristenD
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
PeppTalkatHome continues with a remote conversation with Pepperdine men’s volleyball head coach David Hunt. His young Waves were growing every day in the gym but unfortunately the season was cut in half and their development came to a halt. Still, the future is bright for the program. This week’s interview covers last year’s MPSF title, the growth that the 2020 team saw, the reaction to having the season end and a look ahead.
Episode 46 with David Hunt
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PeppVolleyball
@PeppVB
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Every previous episode of Pepp Talk was conducted in person but with the global pandemic, we’ve shifted to #PeppTalkatHome and we’re doing our first remote interviews via computer. Our first guest in this new setup is men’s tennis coach Adam Schaechterle. He’s had a remarkable first two seasons in charge of the program and got the Waves back into the nation’s top 20. We talk about the team’s quick rise, but also about what’s happened in the last month since their terrific season ended prematurely.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PeppTennis
@aschaechterle
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
The Pepperdine women’s golf team hopes to make another successful postseason run and if the Waves do so, it’ll be senior Momoka Kobori leading the way. She had a very good first three seasons but has taken things to another level as a senior, including her first career victory. The New Zealand native is by far the Waves’ most experienced player.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@WavesGolf
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
The 2020 season starts this week for Wil Jensen and the Pepperdine baseball team. Jensen is expected to be the Waves’ ace again this year. He was one of the nation’s top pitchers in the country as a 2018 sophomore when he unfortunately was injured and underwent Tommy John surgery. But he’s fully healthy after a long rehab process and hopes to lead Pepperdine to a great season.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PeppBaseball
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Sahith Theegala is one of the top golfers in Pepperdine men’s golf history, as he’s a two-time All-American who ranks #1 all-time in scoring average in the program’s record book. He heads into the final semester of his college career fully healthy after having to sit out last year with a wrist injury. He leads an incredibly talented Waves team that expects to be a contender for the NCAA championship.
Sahith’s first appearance on the Pepp Talk podcast (episode 34, March 2017)
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@SRTheegala
@PeppGolf
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Paige Fecske is one of the top three-point shooters in Pepperdine women’s basketball history and she’s on the verge of scoring her milestone 1,000th career point. She came back for a fifth season after missing almost all of last year with a shoulder injury.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@WavesHoops
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Rob Mullahey has come a long way since being cut from his high school volleyball team. He was a Freshman All-American in 2018 and helped lead the Pepperdine men’s volleyball team to the MPSF title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament last season. Now one of two seniors on a very young team, he’s hoping for a successful end to his time with the Waves.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PeppVolleyball
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Colbey Ross, junior point guard for the Pepperdine men’s basketball team, has had an extraordinary 2 1/2 seasons so far with the Waves. He’s already set numerous school records, with the most notable one happening recently when he became the school’s all-time assist leader. He’ll break the career points record either this season or next. His competitive fire sets him apart and makes him one of the nation’s top players.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@cdot_ross
@PeppBasketball
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Barbara Sitanggan, a senior point guard for the Pepperdine women’s basketball team, helped the Waves to their best season in a decade last year, and now she’s back and ready to break the program’s all-time assist record in her final year. She earned the West Coast Conference’s annual Sportsmanship Award last summer.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@barb_sitanggan
@WavesHoops
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Kameron Edwards, a redshirt senior on the Pepperdine men’s basketball team, is looking forward to a hugely successful final season with the Waves amidst some pretty high expectations for this year’s team. Staying healthy is paramount for Edwards, who’s had a rough go at times the last three seasons. He gets one more year to play with his brother Kessler and leave his mark on the program.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@_Kam20
@PeppBasketball
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Hana Lishman, a senior on the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team, is one of the top liberos in the program’s history. This past summer, the Hawai'i native earned a spot on the USA Volleyball Collegiate National Team.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@hana_lishman
@WavesVolleyball
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Laura Ishikawa is a redshirt sophomore defender on the Pepperdine women’s soccer team. She’s gone from redshirt to part-time starter to full-time starter over her three seasons and is an important part of a young Waves’ defense that has played very well in the 2019 season.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@IshikawaLou
@WavesSoccer
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Marko Asic, a redshirt senior on the men’s water polo team, makes his second Pepp Talk appearance. But since his first episode, he’s been through a lot, including shoulder surgery and a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. He’s had a lot of ups and downs in the last year and he’s very open about his experience about living and playing with diabetes.
Episode 23 with Marko Asic
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@PeppWaterPolo
@PepperdineRoger
Sofia Shah is a senior on the Pepperdine women’s swimming and diving team, as well as a 2020 Olympic hopeful for her native Nepal. In addition to swimming for the Waves, she’ll be competing at a number of international meets over the coming months attempting to become Nepal’s representative at next year’s games in Tokyo.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@WavesSwimDive
@PepperdineRoger
Cori Persinger, a senior on the Pepperdine cross country and track teams, has developed from a “runner” to a “racer” and is one of the Waves’ top competitors. She’s an outstanding student who also serves on the Waves Leadership Council and works with the Pepperdine Volunteer Center.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@PeppXCTrack
@PepperdineRoger
Tarah Wylie, a senior middle blocker for the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team, is a former West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year who’s in the midst of her final season with the Waves. We talk about her terrific playing career and other fun things like her love of dogs.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@WavesVolleyball
@tarahwylie
@PepperdineRoger
Hailey Stenberg is a senior midfielder/forward with the Pepperdine women’s soccer team who’s been a big part of two West Coast Conference championship teams, and is looking for a third title in her final season.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@WavesSoccer
@hsten_
@PepperdineRoger
Joshua McCarthy has played in three NCAA Men’s Golf Championships in his first three years at Pepperdine and the senior left-hander hopes to not only make a fourth appearance, but to win a national championship next spring. We talk about the Waves’ unprecedented collection of talent and depth and all about his golfing career.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@PeppGolf
@PepperdineRoger
Chris Dilworth is a fifth-year senior and one of the top players for Pepperdine’s men’s water polo team. As the Waves start the 2019 season this week, he’s got high hopes for his final year, which includes winning the Golden Coast Conference Championship in Pepperdine’s own pool in November and advancing to the NCAA Championships. Here is Chris’ story.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@PeppWaterPolo
@Chris__Dilworth
@PepperdineRoger
Jalen Frantal, a senior runner on Pepperdine’s cross country and track teams, is also president of the Waves Leadership Council. He’s fully engaged throughout campus as a member of several other groups. As the Waves get ready to race for the first time this fall, here is Jalen’s story.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@PeppXCTrack
@jalenfrantal
@PepperdineRoger
Hannah Frohling, a senior outside hitter on the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team, has many accomplishments to her name, including All-WCC honors on the court and multiple all-academic awards off it, while she also serves as vice president of the Waves Leadership Council in 2019-20. This is her story.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@WavesVolleyball
@hannahfrohling
@PepperdineRoger
Brooke Zenner is a senior defender on the Pepperdine women’s soccer team. This summer, she wrote a story that appeared on a website called Speak about the adversity she faced during her first three seasons. We discuss that and more on the return of the Pepp Talk podcast.
Brooke’s story in Speak
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@WavesSoccer
@BrookeZenner5
@PepperdineRoger
On April 29, an interview with new Pepperdine men's basketball coach Lorenzo Romar aired on SB Nation Radio and Sports Byline USA on the "College Sports Insiders" show. Pat Olson, voice of the San Francisco Dons, was the interviewer. Thanks to all of them for sharing the interview with us and allowing us to post it here.
Pedro Iamachkine is a four-year member of the Pepperdine men’s tennis team. The Peruvian standout had a great junior career and has continued to play well in his time with the Waves, and he’d like to continue on with that professionally in the future. This week’s podcast tells his story.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@PeppTennis
@PepperdineRoger
As a freshman last year, Ashley Lahey earned All-American honors and helped the Pepperdine women’s tennis to the quarterfinals of the 2017 NCAA Championships. She and the rest of the Waves have even loftier goals this season. Here is Ashley’s story.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@WavesTennis
@PepperdineRoger
The Pepperdine women’s beach volleyball team finished as the national runner-up last season and has its sights on an NCAA championship in 2018. With the season getting started this weekend, junior standout Skylar Caputo is this episode’s guest.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@skylarcaputo
@WavesBeachVB
@PepperdineRoger
College baseball season starts this week. Senior righthanded pitcher Kiko Garcia comes on the podcast to talk about the 2018 Pepperdine baseball team, his four seasons wearing a Waves uniform, succeeding academically and more, including his experience as a Little League Baseball world champion.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@imkiko19
@PeppBaseball
@PepperdineRoger
With the season-ending Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference Championships coming up next week, this week’s Pepp Talk podcast guest is one of the top swimmers for Pepperdine, junior Julia Sneden.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@WavesSwimDive
@PepperdineRoger
Amadi Udenyi has had many ups and downs during his time with the Pepperdine men’s basketball team, and as a fifth-year senior heading into the homestretch of his college career, he’s hoping to remain healthy and finish strong. We talk about why he’s kept coming back despite the adversities that he’s faced, and how he became one of the all-time assist leaders in the program’s history.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@PeppBasketball
@AUdenyi_5
@PepperdineRoger
Pepperdine men’s volleyball season is well underway and this week’s podcast guest is senior middle blocker Clay Carr. We talk his development during his time as a Wave, from not playing as a freshman to earning a starting job as a junior and senior. He tells us about the 2018 team, plus the only thing he’s more passionate about than volleyball.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@PeppVolleyball
@PepperdineRoger
Yasmine Robinson-Bacote is an outstanding junior forward with the Pepperdine women’s basketball team, a returning All-West Coast Conference first team selection and a double-double machine who ranks among the conference’s top scorers and rebounders. She shares her story on the first Pepp Talk podcast of 2018.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@YRB25_
@WavesHoops
@PepperdineRoger
The 2018 Pepperdine men’s volleyball season gets underway soon and to help preview the season, we’ve got first-year head coach David Hunt (1:12) back on the podcast, as well as senior libero Weston Barnes (17:53).
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@PeppVolleyball
@PeppVB
@WBarnez
@PepperdineRoger
The Pepperdine women’s soccer team won its second straight WCC title and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, so we’re recapping another wonderful season for the Waves by talking to WCC Coach of the Year Tim Ward (1:30) and All-American and WCC Player of the Year Bri Visalli (28:52) about their highly successful 2017 campaign.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@WavesSoccer
@HeadCoachWard
@brivisalli
@PepperdineRoger
Lynn Williams is the most prominent and successful player in Pepperdine women’s soccer history, and she recently sat down for an interview for the podcast. The only first team All-American in program history, she’s gone on to be an MVP and Golden Boot winner in the NWSL and a regular with the U.S. National Team over the past year. Hopefully, she’ll have a chance to achieve her dream of representing the U.S. in the World Cup and the Olympics in the coming years. She tells us about leaving Fresno for Malibu, her time with the Waves, overcoming injuries and the highlights of her young professional career.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@lynnraenie
@WavesSoccer
@PepperdineRoger
Two Pepperdine student-athletes with truly rare stories are on the podcast this week, Kevin Hempy of men’s basketball (1:01) and Lauren Stigers of women’s swimming and diving (18:24). Hempy is both a basketball player and a first-year law student. Stigers both swims and dives for the Waves. In both cases, there are very few known instances of Division I student-athletes trying to do these two things at once.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@PeppBasketball
@WavesSwimDive
@PepperdineRoger
With the women’s volleyball and men’s water polo seasons nearing their conclusions, we brought on two of their senior student-athletes -- Ashley Harris (1:03) and Kenneth Keller (22:10) -- to reflect upon their time at Pepperdine as they close out their college careers.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@WavesVolleyball
@PeppWaterPolo
@PepperdineRoger
This is our second straight basketball season preview podcast, this time with Pepperdine men’s head coach Marty Wilson. We talk about how he’s built the 2017-18 team, what the expectations are and about each player on the roster.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@PeppBasketball
@MartyWilson4
@PepperdineRoger
First-year Pepperdine women’s basketball head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones returns to the podcast to help preview the 2017-18 season, which begins on November 10. We talk about what she’s trying to build and go down the roster to discuss each of the young women on the squad.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@WavesHoops
@DelishaMJones
@PepperdineRoger
Pepperdine Athletics inducted another five greats into its Hall of Fame on October 15. We conducted brief interviews with each of the all-time great Waves on the night of the ceremony: Vilma Charlton of track (1:13), Paul Faries of baseball (7:49), Angela (Lawrence) Hendy of tennis (15:02), Jesse Smith of water polo (21:45) and Michael Zapolski of administration (29:41).
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Complete 2017 Hall of Fame Recap
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@PepperdineRoger
Student-athletes Meagan Harbison of women’s soccer (1:06) and Mark Urban of men’s water polo (16:19) are our guests this week. Both seniors were key members of conference champions a year ago and hope to help their teams repeat this fall.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@WavesSoccer
@PeppWaterPolo
@PepperdineRoger
With this being the 20th anniversary of Pepperdine’s NCAA water polo championship, we brought back Merrill Moses, the starting goalkeeper on that team and the Waves’ current associate head coach, for his second appearance on the podcast. This one is Pepperdine-centric, starting with the 1997 NCAA title and later going into his transition into coaching here.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@PeppWaterPolo
@MerrillMoses
@PepperdineRoger
Student-athletes Nikki Lyons of volleyball (1:03) and Kevin Maeda of cross country/track (15:00) are our interview subjects this week. Lyons is a two-sport standout, being a key member of both the indoor and beach teams. Maeda, in addition to being a top runner, is co-president of Pepperdine Athletics’ Waves Leadership Council.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@WavesVolleyball
@PeppXCTrack
@nikkilyonss
@kp_maeda
@PepperdineRoger
Jonathan Winder, who won a national championship with the Pepperdine men’s volleyball team and was also an AVCA National Player of the Year, returned to campus recently in his position as an assistant coach with the Washington women’s volleyball program. We talked about his time with the Waves, playing for and coaching with Marv Dunphy, his time with the U.S. National Team, how he got into coaching and what he’s doing now.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@PeppVolleyball
@JonathanSWinder
@PepperdineRoger
Jamie Van Horn of the Pepperdine women’s soccer team (1:12) and Zack Rhodes of the men’s water polo team (15:47) were both integral parts of conference champions last year, and both would like to help their respective teams repeat as seniors. They share their stories on this week’s podcast.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@WavesSoccer
@PeppWaterPolo
@PepperdineRoger
The 50th episode of the Pepp Talk podcast features Pepperdine’s Director of Athletics, Dr. Steve Potts. He shares his unique story of going from a law school professor and administrator to becoming an athletic director. We also talk his big three things that make up Pepperdine Athletics’ mission, his philosophy for hiring coaches and what he tells recruits about Pepperdine.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@StevePottsAD
@PepperdineRoger
Robert Radnoti is in his 12th season as the head coach of Pepperdine’s cross country and track programs and he helps preview the 2017-18 school year on this week’s podcast, including this week’s first and only home meet. We also get his story, hearing about his running background and how he left a prominent career in the corporate world to pursue his passion for coaching.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@PeppXCTrack
@CoachRadnoti
@PepperdineRoger
The Pepperdine women’s volleyball team begins its 2017 season this week. Third-year head coach Scott Wong (1:12) joins the podcast to help introduce us to this year’s team. Then, sophomore middle blocker Jasmine Gross (14:51) comes on to talk about her record-setting and All-WCC freshman season. Both share details about the team’s summer trip to Europe and what fans should expect to see this year.
www.PepperdineWaves.com
Related Twitter accounts for this episode:
@PepperdineWaves
@WavesVolleyball
@CoachWongPepp
@jasmineegross
@PepperdineRoger
Max Rooke is the associate head coach of the Pepperdine women's soccer team, the defending WCC champions. He grew up in Reading, England, before coming over the U.S. to play college soccer, which then led to coaching. His interesting story includes his other job as a motivational speaker and mental conditioning coach, which has greatly benefited several of the Waves' teams.
Season two of the Pepp Talk podcast kicks off with an interview with the new Pepperdine men's volleyball head coach, David Hunt. He's packed an incredible amount of experience in the last 10 years, working alongside Marv Dunphy and coaching with USA Volleyball.
A day after legendary Pepperdine volleyball coach Marv Dunphy announced that he was stepping down from the position, we talked about his incredible career -- including four NCAA championships in his 34 years with the Waves -- and his reasons for deciding that now was the time to make the move.
We've got a look back and a look ahead with Pepperdine's basketball coaches this week, as Marty Wilson (1:36) and DeLisha Milton-Jones (24:35) return to the podcast to provide updates on their teams. Wilson chats about his returners and newcomers, while Milton-Jones talks about what life has been like since being promoted from an assistant to the head coach.
This week's podcast looks back at the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championships with junior Corinne Quiggle (1:18), who helped lead Pepperdine to an impressive second-place national finish, and ahead to this week's NCAA Men's Golf Championships with sophomore Roy Cootes (24:45), as he's a big part of why the Waves are back at nationals for the first time since 2011.
The Pepperdine women's golf team competes at the NCAA Championships this week, so we've got head coach Laurie Gibbs on the podcast to talk about this year's team, her 24 years in charge of the Waves and her coaching philosophy that has helped build Pepperdine into a national power in the sport.
Brittany Howard of beach volleyball and Matt Gelalich of baseball are this week's guests on the podcast. Brittany (1:18) is a graduate transfer who will be helping to lead the Waves into this week's NCAA Championships, while Matt (22:19) began his career at Pepperdine way back in the 2011-12 season. Give a listen to their stories!
With Seaver College graduation coming up this weekend at Pepperdine, we've got two outstanding seniors on this week's podcast who have excelled both in the classroom and in their sport. Aaron Barnett of baseball and Izzy Connell of women's track are the department's Scholar-Athletes of the Year for 2016-17 and they tell us about how they achieved so much as student-athletes.
On the eve of the West Coast Conference Golf Championships, we have fifth-year men's golf head coach Michael Beard on the podcast to talk about this year's outstanding team, his own experience as a Pepperdine student-athlete and how he got into coaching.
We've got an all-tennis podcast this week with two of our international student-athletes, both seniors. Apichaya "Jean" Runglerdkriangkrai (1:18) is from Thailand and Guilherme Hadlich (18:31) is from Brazil, and both are standout players for the Pepperdine women's and men's teams, respectively.
We talk to student-athletes Brandon Caruso of baseball (1:21) and Tatiana Wijaya of women's golf (16:30) in this week's podcast. Caruso is a four-year member of the Waves who has an interesting future in the film industry ahead of him. Wijaya, a native of Indonesia, tells us about being an international student-athlete and a standout golfer in her junior season.
Two of Pepperdine's volleyball student-athletes, Delaney Knudsen from the women's beach team and Mitchell Penning of the men's squad, join the podcast this week. Delaney (1:15) was a freshman on the 2014 national champions and now plays #1 on the ladder for the nation's #2-ranked team. Mitchell (23:01) tells an inspiring story about how he turned his life around in high school with the help of faith and volleyball, which led to him becoming a three-year starter for the Waves.
Pepperdine student-athletes Sahith Theegala of men's golf and Christine Maddox join the podcast this week. Sahith (1:15) recently had an amazing four-week stretch where he made the cut at the Genesis Open on the PGA Tour and won his first college tournament. Christine (24:03) was ranked third nationally in doubles as we taped this interview. Both are looking forward to leading their teams far into the postseason later this spring.
William "Bird" Averitt is one of the greatest men's basketball players in Pepperdine history and he still holds all kinds of school and league scoring records. He was the 1973 WCC Player of the Year and an All-American before going on to play in the ABA and NBA. On March 4 he was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor and we caught up with him just after the ceremony.
In the midst of the 2017 West Coast Conference Basketball Championships in Las Vegas, we sit down with WCC Associate Commissioner Jeff Tourial to talk about the tournament and his position, which includes overseeing TheW.tv and working with the conference's television partners.
NCAA beach volleyball season gets underway this weekend. The Waves have a true legend in the sport in Nina Matthies as their head coach, so she comes on the podcast to help preview the upcoming season -- Pepperdine begins the year ranked #4 -- and to also talk about the amazing growth of the sport at the college level and her long, illustrious tenure in Malibu.
Two more Pepperdine student-athletes, David Wieczorek of men's volleyball and Jonathan Allen of men's basketball, join the podcast. A redshirt sophomore, Wieczorek is leading the Waves in kills this season. Allen has earned a starting job late in his senior year. Both talk about their journey to Pepperdine and their time in Malibu playing for their respective teams.
College baseball season begins this week, so we have on second-year Pepperdine baseball head coach Rick Hirtensteiner to talk about the 2017 Waves, who should again be one of the favorites in the West Coast Conference. We also hear about Hirtensteiner's playing days in Malibu, which led to him being inducted into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.
Marcelo Ferreira, third-year head coach of the Pepperdine men's tennis team, comes by to tell his story, from growing up in Brazil to playing college tennis to becoming a coach. We also talk about the 2017 Waves, who are the preseason WCC favorites, and how resiliency is a key word for his squad.
With the West Coast Conference basketball season hitting the halfway point, we bring in two key players on the men's and women's squads, Chris Reyes (1:23) and Megan House (14:25), to talk about their injury-plagued teams and to hear their stories of how they got to Pepperdine.
This week's guest is Sam Lagana, an Associate Vice Chancellor at Pepperdine. He leads the fundraising efforts for the Athletics Department, and you also may know him for his work on the microphone at various Pepperdine events. In 2016, he took on an additional job as public address announcer for the Los Angeles Rams, so that's among the topics we discuss.
The Pepperdine women's tennis team is ranked third in the nation at the start of the 2017 spring season, so we bring on third-year head coach Per Nilsson to talk about this year's team and its chances, as well as how he went from a young tennis player in Sweden all the way to head coach of the Waves.
Legendary volleyball coach Marv Dunphy makes his second appearance on the podcast, this time to preview the upcoming season for the 2017 Pepperdine men's volleyball team.
We're celebrating Pepperdine's fall championships this week on the podcast, as we talk to Rylee Baisden of the women's soccer team (1:15) and Marko Asic of the men's water polo team (18:55). Each was the leading scorer on squads that won the West Coast Conference regular season and the first-ever Golden Coast Conference Tournament, respectively, and they each help recap their team's run to the title.
After 32 years of calling Pepperdine men's basketball games, Al Epstein will make his 950th consecutive broadcast later this week. The 2015 Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame inductee joins us on the podcast this week to talk about broadcasting, great moments in Pepperdine history and some of his other fun jobs of the past.
First-year women's basketball assistant coach DeLisha Milton-Jones brings an amazing resume to the position, including more games played than anyone in WNBA history, two WNBA championships and two Olympic gold medals. She tells us about retiring earlier this year and immediately going to work with the Waves, and what she likes about being a mentor to Pepperdine's young players.
Our interview subjects on the podcast this week are Allie Green of Pepperdine women's basketball and Luisa Stefani of women's tennis. Green is the only senior on this year's squad and is about to reach the 1,000-point milestone for her career. Stefani led the Waves to one of their best seasons in school history last year as a freshman and she began 2016-17 ranked second nationally in singles.
Jeremy Major of the Pepperdine men's basketball team is beginning a senior year that could very well be filled with records and milestones. The four-year starting guard has been a key contributor to the team's success the past few seasons and is on the verge of the program's all-time assists record. We discuss his time in Malibu and the legacy he'd like to leave.
Two more of Pepperdine's terrific student-athletes are on the podcast this week. Lamond Murray Jr. (1:21) is the top returning scorer for the men's basketball program, which begins the 2016-17 season this Friday. Hannah Seabert (14:28), who just became the school's all-time leader in goalkeeper saves, has helped lead the women's soccer team to the 2016 West Coast Conference championship and the NCAA Tournament, which starts this weekend.
The head coach of the Pepperdine men's basketball team, Marty Wilson, makes another appearance on the podcast to preview the 2016-17 season. We talk in general terms about the makeup of the team and its strengths, and then we go through the roster to discuss each member of the Waves.
Ryan Weisenberg is heading into his fourth season as the head coach of the Pepperdine women's basketball program. We discuss this year's team -- which opens with a home exhibition this weekend -- his coaching career, what makes Pepperdine special to him and his family, and how he's incorporated his Star Wars fandom into basketball.
On Sunday, October 16, the Pepperdine Athletics Department hosted its annual Hall of Fame ceremony. Just before the start of the event, we taped short interviews with each of the five inductees for this week's podcast. The Pepperdine all-time greats honored this year were Steve Rodriguez of baseball (1:19), Anna Picarelli of women's soccer (9:18), Julie (Rubenstein) Bennett of women's volleyball (17:07), Scott Doerner of men's tennis (21:48) and Michael Putnam of men's golf (28:42). Hear about their time at Pepperdine and what they thought when they got the call about being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Two of Pepperdine's outstanding current student-athletes are interviewed this week. Bri Visalli (1:47) is an all-conference midfielder for the women's soccer team. She is deeply involved in an annual community service project at the beach. Heidi Dyer (20:17) has excelled in both indoor and beach volleyball for the Waves, earning All-American status in the latter this past spring. It wasn't clear she would ever play volleyball again after having back surgery when she was younger.
Dana Jones is one of the very best players in the history of Pepperdine men's basketball, and he was a four-year starter during one of the program's most successful eras in the early 1990s. The 1993 WCC Player of the Year, 1994 WCC Tournament MVP and Pepperdine Hall of Famer tells us about what it was like to play for the Waves back then.
A.J. Puckett had one of the greatest pitching seasons ever by a Pepperdine baseball player this past season, and that helped him become an All-American first team selection and a second-round draft pick of the Kansas City Royals. We talk about his time with the Waves and life in the minor leagues.
Tim Ward and Pepperdine women’s soccer are synonymous, with Tim having been a member of the coaching staff for 23 of the 24 years the program has been in existence, including head coach for the last 19. In this week’s episode, he recalls a lot of his favorite memories with the program (which includes two WCC titles, eight NCAA Tournament appearances and three Sweet 16s) and we discuss his coaching philosophy and music.
Stacy Davis graduated this spring as the Pepperdine men's basketball program's all-time leading scorer. As he waits to start his professional career, we have a conversation about what might come next for him, as well as his thoughts on his tremendous four years in Malibu.
In her three years since leaving Pepperdine, Kim Hill's volleyball career has reached incredible heights. A tryout earned her a coveted spot on the U.S. National Team, and a few months later she was a starter. The next year, she was MVP at the World Championships. And last month she brought home a bronze medal from the Rio Olympics. We talk about her time at Pepperdine and with USA Volleyball.
In an era where NCAA student-athletes are being given a bigger voice in the process of shaping the future of college athletics, James Gehrels is in the right place at the right time. The senior on the Pepperdine men's volleyball team, who aspires to become an athletic director one day, is a member of the Division I national SAAC and is playing a major part in determining policies regarding student-athlete time demands. We discuss his role and his life as a volleyball student-athlete with the Waves.
With the Pepperdine women's volleyball team about to get the 2016 season underway, this week's episode is a conversation with head coach Scott Wong. The Pepperdine alum was also a standout men's volleyball player back in the day for the Waves. We discuss his life in volleyball and this year's team.
Doug Christie is a Pepperdine basketball legend who earned two-time All-American honors before going on to a 15-year career in the NBA. We talk about how he's stayed close to the program, his playing days in Malibu (which includes a couple of good Tom Asbury and Marv Dunphy stories) and his time in the pros, and in particular with the Sacramento Kings.
Marty Wilson is heading into his sixth season as the head coach of the Pepperdine men's basketball program. We discuss welcoming the newcomers to the squad, the quality of his veteran returners, recruiting, schedule-making and being the head coach at his alma mater.
Water polo icon Terry Schroeder is in his second stint and his 24th season as the Waves' head coach. But on the eve of the Olympics, we primarily discuss his incredible history with USA Water Polo, which includes being named to four Olympic teams as an athlete and being the head coach at two others. We also talk about a newly released book that focuses on his life and USA Water Polo called "Swimming Through Life."
Sean Rooney is one of just a handful of Waves who have won a gold medal at the Olympics as an athlete. The Pepperdine men's volleyball standout was a National Player of the Year before joining the U.S. National Team, and after the conclusion of his playing career, he returned to Malibu as an assistant coach. We talk to him about playing for the Waves and USA Volleyball.
Merrill Moses is headed to his third Olympics as the starting goalkeeper for the USA men's water polo team. He won a national championship at Pepperdine and is now the Waves' assistant coach. He talks about his history with USA Water Polo, being one of the veterans on a young 2016 Olympic team, playing for Terry Schroeder and representing Pepperdine on the world's biggest stage.
Marv Dunphy is a legend in the sport of volleyball. As head coach at Pepperdine University, he's won four NCAA titles, and he's about to head to his seventh Olympics with USA Volleyball (he was the head coach of the USA gold-medal-winning men's team in 1988, and he's a scout coach with the USA women in 2016). He's the first interview subject of the Pepp Talk podcast as we discuss his Olympic history.
What is the newly created Pepp Talk podcast? We're bringing the best of Pepperdine Athletics to our fans in an interview format. Here's a quick introduction, plus some clips from our first few episodes.