University of the Pacific alumnus Alex Obert’s ’16 decision to come out of retirement for one more Olympics paid off—the water polo standout won a bronze medal with Team USA.

“The support I received from Pacific during the Olympics and this entire run really shows how special of a place it is,” Obert said. “It’s been almost 10 years since I graduated from Pacific, but it still feels like I just left. Pacific is an amazing place and it changed my life. Thank you to everyone at Pacific for your support.”

Prior to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Obert had just moved from California to Minnesota to begin a new chapter in his life in the finance industry with his wife, two-year old daughter and second child on the way.

“My family moved to Minnesota two days prior to my departure for the Olympics, and I hadn’t had the chance to sleep in my own bed until after I returned,” Obert said. “A lot of the guys on the team made tremendous sacrifices to play at a high level for a long time, and the bronze medal is a culmination of the hard work that a lot of us put in over the last 10 years.”

Obert, a three-time Olympian and three-time All-American from Loomis, California, gave it one last go and played a vital role in Team USA’s medal run. In what he said would be his final international competition, Obert saw action in all eight matches for the Americans and scored a pair of goals from the center position.

Obert logged 16 minutes in a critical 11-10 shoot-out victory over Australia in a match that was streamed live on Pacific’s campus during a watch party on the second floor of the Don and Karen DeRosa University Center in The Lair. The win advanced USA to the semifinals.

"Getting a chance to tune in and see him compete at the most elite level and the passion that it takes to play at that level, the dedication, it's like a dream come true for him, but it's a dream come true for all of us," said Pacific water polo head coach James Graham. "It's just so spectacular to watch."

Obert and the Americans went on to defeat Hungary 11-8 in another shootout to earn the medal.

Pacific’s former director of operations, Jack Kocur, also earned a bronze medal, serving as assistant coach for the team. He was on campus this past spring to coach the USA Youth National Team at the 2024 Pacific Cup.

Kocur coached Obert on three separate occasions in his career, starting in 2013 when Obert was a junior at Pacific. The two reunited again in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.

“Alex deserves all the recognition and every accolade he has earned in his career," Kocur said. “In 2013, I saw Alex as a young, talented athlete with so much potential and he fully embraced it. Alex has always been the ultimate servant to his team.

“He would do anything the team ever asked him to do. He would guard, he would set, he would post-up, he would double post-up and be the ultimate team player. It was truly an honor to watch him evolve over the years.”

Obert was one of four former Pacific water polo student-athletes to compete in the Olympics along with Luke Pavillard ’19 (Australia), John Hedges (Australia) and Clara Vulpisi ’23 (Canada).

Pavillard shined for the Australians and registered a pair of four-goal games. The first came in the group stages as he led Australia to an 8-3 victory over Serbia, the eventual gold medalist. Pavillard did it again in the quarterfinals in the tough 11-10 loss to Obert and the Americans.

"I always say I'm rooting for my boys," Graham said. "We love Team USA but when you get a chance to see both of your athletes competing on opposite teams, it's just super exciting. Every time I saw one of them make a great play, I was out of my seat for each one of them.”

Pavillard totaled 12 goals in the Olympics. Hedges also made a pair of appearances for the Australians as the goalkeeper saw action against Spain and Japan.

On the women’s side, Vulpisi was part of a Canadian team that finished eighth. The goalkeeper made seven saves against the Netherlands in the group stage and a pair against Spain, which went on to win the gold medal.

Graham and the Tigers now turn their attention to the 2024 season which begins Saturday, Sept. 7 in Providence, Rhode Island. The home opener is slated for Sunday, Oct. 13 against Long Beach State at the Douglass M. Eberhardt Aquatics Center. See the full water polo schedule