Alumni Ben Hallock ’16 and Johnny Hooper ’15 earned the bronze medal in men’s water polo at the 2024 Summer Olympics after Team USA rallied to defeat Hungary 11-8 in a penalty shootout.
The bronze medal in Paris was a historic accomplishment for USA men’s water polo, as it was the team’s first medal since they claimed silver in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Hallock was a dominant force in center, drawing 45 personal fouls – the most among all Olympians.
To open the bronze medal match, Hooper started the scoring to put Team USA up 1-0. Hallock also contributed two goals of his own, including a goal on the power play assisted by Hooper during the first quarter.
Hooper and Hallock were standout players on the boys’ water polo team, where they won back-to-back California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division 1 championships in 2013 and 2014. Hallock began his Olympic career at the 2016 summer games in Rio De Janeiro, where Team USA failed to make it past the group stage. Hooper joined Hallock at the Tokyo 2020 games, where they placed sixth.
Center defender Collin Caras ’25 said it is an honor to play at a school that produces Olympic talent. “Johnny and Ben are among the best players in the world,” Caras said. “To see that success sprout from the pools and program at Harvard-Westlake is really inspiring. Every time that our team puts on our cap, we recognize that we’re not playing just for our team, we’re playing for the people that built this program. The people that built this program are doing great things with their lives. They’re winning bronze medals and inspiring the younger guys.”
