Heather Moody

Medal record
Women’s Water Polo
Competitor for the United States
Olympic Games
Silver	2000 Sydney	Team Competition
Bronze	2004 Athens	Team Competition
World Championship
Gold	2003 Barcelona	Team Competition

Heather Moody (born August 21, 1973 in Rexburg, Idaho) is an American water polo player, who won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She was team captain of the US Women's National Team that captured the bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and the only member of the team not from California. Her position is center forward.

In 1999 and 2001, Heather was United States Water Polo Player of the Year.

In September 2001, Moody became the first American woman water polo player to play professionally, when she signed with top European Nautical Club of Vouliagmeni in Greece. She had been approached by a number of international club teams, but chose the Greek club after consulting with women’s national team coaches Guy Baker and Kyle Kopp, the latter of whom played in the Greek professional league for four years before retiring in 2001.

In June 2005, Bill Barnett resigned as coach of the U.S. women's water polo team because he couldn't come to terms on a contract. Heather Moody, serving as assistant coach, became interim head coach at the FINA World Championships in Montreal one month later. The rookie coach guided the United States to the championship game in women's water polo in July 2005, but lost to Hungary 10-7 in two overtimes. In September, Guy Baker replaced Heather Moody as head coach of the U.S. women's water polo team, leaving his positions as national team director and head coach of the U.S. men. Moody resumed the role of assistant coach.

In February 2007, Moody was inducted into the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) Hall of Fame with fellow Olympic medalists Natalie Golda and Nicolle Payne. The three women were members of the bronze medal 2004 U.S. Olympic team in Athens, and are the first women added to the NYAC Hall of Fame.

In March 2007, Heather Moody served as an assistant coach of the USA Women's National Water Polo Team, which defeated Australia to win the gold medal at the FINA Water Polo Championships. In August 2008, Moody was still in her post as an assistant coach with the USA Women's National Water Polo Team when they were defeated in the gold medal match by the Netherlands at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

She now lives in Long Beach, California, where she coaches men's and women's water polo at Cal State Long Beach in addition to her work with Golden West Water Polo Club.

External links

• Heather Moody's U.S. Olympic Team bio
• Heather Moody's U.S. Water Polo player biography
• Heather Moody's Golden West College coach bio
• USA Water Polo: Water Polo Olympic Medalists to be inducted into NYAC Hall of Fame.