Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Alma Mater:
- Pepperdine, '24 / UCLA, '25
Prior to his first stint with the Bruins, heย served as the interim head coach at Harvard-Westlake School from March to July 2022. He has also served as a coach at the LA Premier Water Polo Club since November of 2018, serving as the head coach for the 16U boy's water polo team. He also served as an assistant coach for the 18U and 14U boy's water polo teams with LA Premier WPC. He has also had previous experience working with 12U boy's and girl's teams.
Tierney, a center/defender (Sierra Madre, Calif./Harvard-Westlake School) played one season with the Bruins 2024, helping the team win an NCAA title, while scoring 41 goals and being named a Third-Team All-American. He was also an Honorable Mention All-MPSF selection in 2024 and was named to the MPSF West All-Tournament Team.
Prior to UCLA, Tierney was a standout at Pepperdine, where he served as team captain his senior year (2023) and was named an Honorable Mention All-American in 2020. While with the Waves, he 137 goals for a total of 223 total points (86 assists). He was a two-time All-GCC selection and earned All-WCC honors his last year at Pepperdine.
This past summer (2025), he helped guide the UCLA men's and women's water polo teams to silver medals at the 2025 FISU World University Games in Germany where the Bruins were representing as Team USA.
ย
Career Highlights (UCLA)
โข ACWPC All-American (Third Team - 2024)
โข All-MPSF (Honorable Mention - 2024)
โข MPSFย West All-Tournament Team (2024)
โข MPSFย Newcomer of the Week (Oct. 14, 2024)
โข ACWPCย All-Academic Honoree (Outstanding -ย 2024)
โข 2-time UCLA Athletic Director's Honor Roll (Fall 2024, Spring 2025)
Career Highlights (Pepperdine)
โข ACWPC All-American (Honorable Mention - 2020)
โข All-WCCย (Second Team - 2023)
โข 2-time All-GCCย (Honorable Mention - 2021, 2022)
โข WCC Player of the Week (Sept. 26, 2023)
โข GCC Player of the Week (Feb. 24, 2021)
โข 2-time ACWPCย All-Academic honors (2022, 2023)
โข WCC All-Academic Team (Honorable Mention - 2023)
โข WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll (Bronzeย - 2023)
โข GCC All-Academic Team (2021)
โข Pepperdine Scholar-Athlete (2021, 2022, 2023)
2024 (UCLA) -ย UCLA Statistics
Played in all 28 games โฆ was second on the team in scoring with 41 goals on 68 attempts, converting at a 60.3 percent rate โฆ was sixth on the team in total points (52) with 11 assists โฆ scored a season- and career-high five goals two times on the year, in a win vs. Pomona-Pitzer (Sept. 8) and in a win at No. 7 Cal (Nov. 2) โฆ he scored at least one goal in 21 of the 28 games he played, including 12 multiple-goal games, and three games with a hat trick โฆ scored at least one goal in six straight games (Sept. 7 to Sept. 14) โฆ recorded six steals and three field blocks โฆ also drew five exclusions.
2023 (Pepperdine) -ย Pepperdine Statistics
Competed in 27 games as a senior โฆ scored 38 goals and handed out 20 assists โฆ drew 10 exclusions and collected 18 steals โฆ had three goals and three assists vs. UC Davis (9/23) โฆ registered 12 multi-goal games.
2022 (Pepperdine) -ย Pepperdine Statistics
Appeared in all 27 games as a junior โฆ posted 40 goals and 28 assists on the year โฆ had a season-high four goals vs. Pomona-Pitzer (10/1) โฆ also had five assists vs. Pomona-Pitzer (10/1) โฆ scored a goal in 23 of 27 games, with 12 multi-goal games.
2021 (Pepperdine) -ย Pepperdine Statistics
Played in 20 games โฆ had 35 goals and 24 assists for 59 points โฆ tied for eighth in the GCC with 26 steals โฆ scored a goal in 18 of 20 games, with 12 multi-goal games โฆ had a pair of four-goal, two-assist games at Loyola Marymount (9/12) and at Pomona-Pitzer (10/2) โฆ had two goals and four assists in the win vs. No. 2 California (10/3).
2020 (Pepperdine) -ย Pepperdine Statistics
Was second on the team with 24 goals and 38 points โฆ ranked seventh nationally in points โฆ appeared in all 14 games โฆ had a season-high five goals against LMU (2/21) โฆ had four goals against Air Force (2/27) โฆ scored multiple goals in six games โฆ Pepperdine's 2020 season was played in the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Team USA
Invited to national team training camp in summer 2022 โฆ named to U.S. Junior National Team that competed at 2021 FINA Junior World Championship in Prague, Czech Republic โฆ played with the U.S. Youth National Team in 2018-19 โฆ won a gold medal and was MVP at the 2019 Youth Pan American Championship in Trinidad & Tobago โฆ also played at the 2018 FINA Youth World Championship in Hungary.
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High School/Club
Graduated from Harvard-Westlake School, located in Los Angeles, Calif., in 2020 โฆ played three years of varsity water polo โฆ was named the 2019 CIF Southern Section Player of the Year โฆ also selected as a First-Team All-American in 2019 and theย 2019 Mission League Most Valuable Player โฆ as a senior, scored 51 goals, assisted on 36 more and had 27 steals โฆ played club forย L.A. Premier Water Polo Club.
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Personal
Full name: Nicholas Morgan Tierney, prefers Nicoย โฆ born in Pasadena, Calif. โฆ parents are Alan Tierney and Michelle Keithย โฆ has one younger brother, Jaxsonย Tierneyย โฆย his grandmother, Debbie Keith, earned her teaching credentials at UCLAย โฆ says he chose to attend UCLA because he, "Wantedย to be a part of a winning culture and learn as much as possible."ย โฆ greatest athletic thrill was when he competed in the 2021 Junior World Championships โฆ admires MLB star Mike Troutย and American professional golfer, Scottie Schefflerย โฆ enjoys playing golf and baseball in his spare time โฆ he is the fourth generation of his family to live in his hometown of Sierra Madre, Calif.ย โฆ majored in sport administration at Pepperdine and is working on a master's degree in Transformative Coaching and Leadership at UCLA.
| Nico Tierney's Career Statistics | ||||||||
| Year | GP | GOALS | SHOTS | PCT | AST | STL | FB | EE |
| 2020 | 14 | 24 | 54 | .444 | 14 | 21 | 5 | 5 |
| 2021 | 20 | 35 | 85 | .412 | 24 | 26 | 14 | 11 |
| 2022 | 27 | 40 | 90 | .444 | 28 | 29 | 8 | 15 |
| 2023 | 27 | 38 | 96 | .396 | 20 | 18 | 5 | 10 |
| 2024 | 28 | 41 | 68 | .603 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 5 |
| Totals | 116 | 178 | 393 | .453 | 97 | 100 | 35 | 46 |
