Swimcloud
Sage Hopkins

Sage Hopkins

Head Coach

Sage Hopkins is in his 16th season as the head coach of the San Jose State University women's swimming and diving program. He was named to the post full-time in April, 2006, after serving the 2005-06 season as the interim head coach. Under Hopkins' leadership, the Spartans enjoyed several of their best seasons ever. His dual meet record as San Jose State's head coach after the 2020 season is 111-45-2. Hopkins became the first Spartan women's swimming and diving head coach to record 100 dual meet victories in the 2018 season. The Spartans have had unprecedented success in the classroom under Hopkins' leadership with the program being named a College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America team in each of the last 15 semesters. Hopkins came to San Jose State from the De Anza Cupertino Aquatics (DACA) club program, where he had served as the associate director and associate head coach since 2000. His duties included managing day-to-day operations of the corporation, as well as directing the DACA Saratoga High School programs. He was involved in daily coaching of national-level swimmers of high school and college ages. Hopkins has also served as an assistant coach at De Anza College in Cupertino, Calif. Previously, Hopkins was the head coach and chief operating officer of the Bakersfield Swim Club between 1997-2000. He was an assistant coach of the men's swim team at his alma mater, Cal State Bakersfield, from 1995-97. In the 1995-96 season, Hopkins helped guide the Roadrunners to NCAA Division II national runners-up distinction. He was selected by USA Swimming in 1999 to be a staff coach of the girl's National Select Camp. Hopkins has coached swimmers to dozens of world rankings over the years, as well as coaching four athletes onto the USA Swimming national team, including Gabe Woodward in 1999 and 2000 while with the Bakersfield Swim Club. Woodward went on to medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Hopkins holds American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Level 5 certification, the highest attainable. He has earned ASCA Fellow status (2000), been named Central California Swimming Coach of the Year (1999), served as meet director of the 1999 Speedo Junior National Championships, and was a speaker at the ASCA World Clinic in both 2000 and 2002. In January 2008, Hopkins was presented with the 2007 Marie Samora Award by USA Swimming's Zone 1-North, in appreciation of his outstanding service to the athletes, coaches and volunteers of United States Swimming. He is a past Chair of Zone 1-North and served on the board in various capacities for several years. He remains a member of Pacific Swimming's Senior Committee. A 1997 cum laude graduate of Cal State Bakersfield with a bachelor's degree in English, Hopkins was a captain of the swim team and a seven-time All-American. As a club swimmer, Hopkins trained under U.S. Olympic team coach Mike Hastings. He and his wife, Tammy, reside in San Jose, Calif., with their son, Gunner.