Jesse Smith (water polo)

Jesse Smith (born April 27, 1983) is an American water polo utility player. He was an All-American at Pepperdine University. He then played in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics for the United States national team. He helped the team win the silver medal in 2008. He currently plays for Panathinaikos in Greece.

Jesse Smith

Personal information
Born	April 27, 1983 Kailua, Hawaii
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Water polo
Medal record Men's water polo Representing the  United States Olympic Games 2008 Beijing Team FINA World League 2016 Huizhou Team Pan American Games 2007 Rio Team 2011 Guadalajara Team 2015 Toronto Team 2019 Lima Team

Career

High school

Smith played water polo for Coronado High School. He helped the team win three San Diego Section CIF Division II titles from 1998 to 2000. He was named the San Diego Union Tribune Player of the Year in 1999 and 2000.[1]

College

Smith then played for Pepperdine University. He was named to the All-American first team in 2002 and 2004. In 2003, he led Pepperdine with 55 goals.[1]

International

At the 2003 Pan American Games, Smith scored in three games and helped the U.S. win the tournament. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, he scored nine goals. The U.S. finished seventh.[1] Smith scored six goals in the 2005 FINA World Championships, but the U.S. finished in 11th place.[1]

Smith, who scored eight goals, was a member of the team that won a gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games. He was also a member of the teams that finished fifth in both the 2006 and 2007 FINA World League Super Finals. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Smith scored three goals and helped win a silver medal for the U.S.[1]

In 2009, Smith played on the U.S. fourth-place teams at the World Super League Final and World Championships. The U.S. also finished fourth in the 2010 FINA World Cup. In the 2011 Pan American Games, Smith scored six goals, as the U.S. won the gold medal in that tournament again. He scored three goals at the 2012 Summer Olympics; the U.S. finished eighth.[1]

Professional

Smith has played professionally for Greece's Ethnikos Piraeus, Olympiacos Piraeus, Egypt's Gezira, Turkey's Galatasaray, Italy's Savona and Montenegro's Jadran Herceg Novi.

Personal

Smith was born in Kailua, Hawaii, on April 27, 1983.[1] He lives in Thousand Oaks, California.[2] He is 6 feet, 4 inches tall.[1]

Smith is married and has two sons, Brooks and Samuel.[2] His father played water polo at Coronado High School. His brother played water polo at Stanford.[3]

See also

• List of Olympic medalists in water polo
• List of players who have appeared in multiple men's Olympic water polo tournaments

References

1. "Jesse Smith" Archived 2012-07-28 at the Wayback Machine. usawaterpolo.org. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
2. "Jesse Smith". teamusa.org. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
3. "Jesse Smith" Archived 2012-08-01 at the Wayback Machine. london2012.com. Retrieved August 23, 2012.

External links

• Jesse Smith at International Olympic Committee
• Jesse Smith at Olympic Channel
• Jesse Smith at United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
• Jesse Smith at Olympedia