Peter Maller was definitely not a typical Washington College student. In fact, he would not have been a typical student on any United States campus.
Born in Durban, Peter was a veteran of the South African Army and a nationally ranked tennis player in his homeland when at the age of 20 he decided to give Washington College “a bash.”
At the beginning of the 1987 season, which was Peter’s first year in the States, he was not even in the Shoremen’s starting lineup. But by mid-season he had worked his way into the doubles rotation, playing No. 2 with Rich Phoebus. At season’s end, Peter would earn All-America recognition for the first time by reaching the elite eight of the NCAA doubles tournament.
After his freshman year, Peter became an integral part of a team that played in three NCAA Final Fours and won four Middle Atlantic Conference titles.
While 1988 was a successful year – Peter won the MAC doubles crown with Dave Marshall and was selected the team’s most improved player – 1989 was his breakout year. Peter won the conference singles championship and became an All-American for the second time by reaching the Sweet 16 in the NCAA singles tournament. In addition to being an All-American on the court, Peter was an Academic All-American in the classroom.
Peter truly epitomized the term “student-athlete.” He was superb in class, and played with class. A magna cum laude graduate, Peter walked away with some of Washington College’s most prestigious hardware: the Eldridge Eliason Award and the Alfred Reddish Award. He also received the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Graduate Scholarship, which assisted him in pursuing a master’s of business administration degree at Florida State University.
Peter finished his Washington College career two wins shy of the century mark in singles (98-36), and ranks sixth in program history in singles victories.
Peter is now a naturalized American citizen, is married to the former Trisha Green, and has three children, Hailee, Jaida and Josh. They live in Baltimore, where Peter heads his own financial planning firm, Heritage Financial Consultants.
Peter continues to be active in the Washington College community with membership in the Sho’men Club, the Visiting Committee, and the Alumni Board Task Force.
Washington College considers it an honor and a privilege to induct Peter D. Maller into its Athletic Hall of Fame on this sixth day of October 2007.
Update 3/20/19: Peter Maller now has four children: Hailee, Jaida, Josh, and Cole and now serves as the the head of Maller Wealth Advisors.
