PEPPERDINE’S 2013 HALL OF FAMERS Two legendary coaches and two Olympians earn their places in the Pepperdine University Athletics Hall of Fame. This year’s group will join 100 individuals, 14 teams, and eight special achievement recipients that have already been enshrined since the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 1980. Meet Pepperdine’s newest Hall of Famers (left to right): NINA MATTHIES, women’s volleyball, has been the women’s volleyball coach at Pepperdine for the past 30 seasons and taken Pepperdine to the NCAA Tournament 20 times. Since the WCC added women’s volleyball in 1985, Matthies has a league-best 11 WCC titles and has set a league record by winning 47 consecutive conference matches from 1988 to 1992. The 10-time WCC Coach of the Year also leads women’s sand volleyball, which achieved the AVCA national championship in the sport’s inaugural season in 2012 and a second-place finish in 2013. Matthies received the AVCA’s National Coach of the Year award in 2013. GUALBERTO ESCUDERO (’72), women’s tennis, began his 37th year as the Waves’ head coach at the start of the 2013–2014 season, and is now the second-winningest women’s tennis coach in NCAA history. Escudero has earned WCC Coach of the Year honors and the ITA West Regional Coach of the Year award three times each. As a student, the Pepperdine alumnus starred on the men’s tennis team for three seasons (1968–1970), leading the Waves to two conference titles during his tenure. MARCOS LEITE, men’s basketball, is a three-time Olympian for his native Brazil. The 6-foot-10 center who played three seasons for the Waves (1973–1976) earned All-American honors in 1976 and was named WCC Player of the Year. Leite ended his career #6 on Pepperdine’s career scoring chart and still ranks #3 all-time with a career scoring average of 18.7 points. He was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 10th round of the 1976 NBA draft and played professional basketball in Brazil and Italy before retiring in 1989. MERRILL MOSES (’99), men’s water polo, is a two-time Olympian and a three-time All-American who started as a goalkeeper for the U.S. in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, winning a Silver Medal at the former. Moses was part of Gold Medal-winning teams at the 2007 and 2011 Pan American Games and played professionally in Croatia, Italy, and Spain, and with the New York Athletic Club. He played four seasons (1995–1998) for the Waves, helping Pepperdine to its only NCAA championship in the sport in 1997. He returned to Pepperdine as the interim head coach in 2012 and became assistant coach in 2013. LOU AND KATHY COLOMBANO are longtime supporters of Pepperdine and its athletics program. In addition to attending many home competitions over the course of the year, they also travel semiregularly with the men’s basketball team. Lou has served on the Athletics Board since its founding and served as its chair. He and Kathy have also been supporters of other areas of the University, including the Center for the Arts, Seaver Board of Visitors, and Crest Advisory Board. Learn more about these new Hall of Famers: pepperdinesports.com
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