The Hosmer family name may already be etched in the history of water sports at University of the Pacific, but Matthew Hosmer still has work to do.

The senior student-athlete is competing at an All-American level for Pacific water polo, having scored 42 goals as the Tigers’ regular season winds down with an NCAA Tournament berth still a strong possibility.

Pacific will play No. 1 ranked Stanford at home on Saturday.

Hosmer has plenty of family support with his father, mother and two sisters—all of whom competed at Pacific—cheering him on.

Todd Hosmer ’94 was a standout water polo player and swimmer and his wife Christine Hosmer ’95 excelled in swimming. Sister Taylor ’20 was a swimmer for the Tigers and sister Natalie ’21 played water polo.

Matthew Hosmer is competing in both sports, although water polo is where he excels and places his emphasis.

"I always knew that University of the Pacific was my favorite school, ever since I was a kid,” Hosmer said. “I remember watching the 2013 water polo team play (as national runners-up) and just being so amazed. Pacific is where I always wanted to attend.”

Todd and Christine Hosmer have moved from Stockton to El Dorado Hills, but they still travel to all of Matt’s games – home and away.

“We are enjoying watching him play his senior year and it’s rewarding to see the success he has had both team-wise and with his own play,” said Todd Hosmer, who works for a home construction company. “We do not put any pressure on him. We want him to enjoy the rest of his college career.”

As a 2008 inductee into Pacific’s Athletics Hall of Fame athlete, the older Hosmer knows what is at stake: “This is a huge match we have against Stanford Saturday.”

Christine (Dalonzo) Hosmer, a teacher, enjoys the atmosphere at the Douglass M. Eberhardt Aquatics Center and the camaraderie of parents and fans.

“It is very special and unique and it’s a great place for him to play,” she said. “We are extremely proud of the career he has had, and we love coming back to our alma mater to watch games.”

Matthew Hosmer scored two goals on Saturday as the Tigers celebrated Homecoming and Family Weekend by defeating No. 10 Pepperdine 18-13 to improve their record to 17-3 heading into the showdown with Stanford.

Ultimately, Matthew Hosmer would like to play water polo professionally, but his main goal is more immediate: an NCAA championship. He got close in 2019 when the Tigers lost to Stanford in the NCAA championship game in Stockton.

"We didn't come away with the championship, but we got very, very, very close. Right when it happened, I went up to (Coach) James Graham and said, 'We'll be back.’ I've always thought about that to this day. I'm thinking about it now."