Huntington Beach native Alys Williams celebrated upon retirement from international water polo
The Alys Williams story is one of determination.
She was the last player cut from the 2016 Olympic U.S. women’s water polo team.
That disappointment didn’t keep the defender from Huntington Beach down for long, however. Williams became the first player in Team USA history to go from last cut to the Olympic roster for 2020, helping the U.S. win its third straight gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Williams, 29, has now retired from international water polo. She was honored Monday night prior to the Team USA women’s exhibition match against China at Long Beach City College.
“Being part of the women’s senior national team for 8.5 years has meant more to me than I will be able to explain in a few sentences,” she said in a statement. “I honestly don’t even know where to begin. All the people I was lucky enough to meet and work with throughout this process have given me opportunity after opportunity to grow as not only an athlete, but as a person. I joined the national team as a sophomore in college with narrow minded goals, and zero clue how influential this team would be in my life. My teammates, coaches and other staff pushed me beyond limits I thought were possible, and I will forever be grateful for them.”
Williams was born in Fountain Valley and grew up in Huntington Beach. She attended Edison High after some time in the Newport Beach Water Polo Club, where she was coached by her father, Robert, and she also played for Huntington Beach Water Polo Club. She still holds Chargers career records for goals (353) and assists (214).
At UCLA, she helped the Bruins reach three national championship games from 2014-2017, twice earning third-team All-American honors.
Williams married fellow UCLA water polo alum Cody Moore in 2020, and the couple have a 7-month-old baby boy, Parker.
“What stands out most while looking back isn’t the wins and losses, or the teams made and not made, but the relationships formed day to day both at Los Alamitos [Training Center] and while traveling around the world,” she said. “The girls I got to play with throughout the two quads I was a part of will be in my life forever ... While I may be retiring from my playing days, I still have so much love for the sport and can’t wait to continue to be involved in any way I can. Go Team USA!”
U.S. coach Adam Krikorian called Williams undoubtedly one of the most selfless teammates ever to play for Team USA.
“After the personal disappointment of 2016, Alys re-committed herself both physically and mentally to become one of the best defenders in the world,” Krikorian said in a statement. “Her transformation helped to build a consistent presence in training and was, ironically, someone we leaned on heavily to provide us with the courage necessary for the biggest of moments.”
Team USA, which swept three exhibition matches against Australia earlier this month, has won the first two of three matches against China.
Newport Beach natives Maddie Musselman and Kaleigh Gilchrist each scored twice in Monday night’s 21-11 win. Jenna Flynn paced the Americans with five goals, and Tara Prentice scored four.
Team USA and China conclude the three-game series on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Torrance Aquatic Center. The match will stream live on Overnght.com with a subscription, while live stats will be provided at 6-8sports.com.
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