In 2023-24, Lieutenant Johan C. Lopez, USMS enters his 11th season as the Head Diving Coach for the United States Merchant Marine Academy Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving Team. Since his arrival at Kings Point, Lopez has made a tremendous impact on the program. He has contributed to the success of the men’s and women’s teams as Skyline, Metropolitan & Landmark Champions.
During his tenure at Kings Point, Lopez has coached multiple divers to NCAA qualifying marks and has attended several NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships. His divers have received All-American Honors and Academic All-American Honors. In addition, his divers have received numerous Diver of the Year awards at the Skyline, Metropolitan, and Landmark Conference Championships. As a coach, Lopez has been awarded Coach of the Year for the Skyline, Metropolitan and Landmark Conference multiple years, where he has received individual and Coaching Staff of the Year awards.
In the summer of 2019, Lopez was selected to participate in the United States Olympic Committee Coach Accelerator Program. The Coach Accelerator Program (CAP) provides national and junior national team level coaches with a foundational base of high-performance coaching knowledge and skills that are practical and scientifically based. This is a select program which past coaches have found invaluable for improving their coaching effectiveness and moving one step closer to becoming an Olympic coach. As a member of the CAP, Lopez will continue to receive education annually to continue his development as a coach.
In the winter of 2019, Lopez was invited to speak at the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) National Convention in Myrtle Beach, S.C. where he led two different sessions over the course of the event. The sessions of “How to take coaching risks without jeopardizing your season” and “How to expose athletes to high level competition early in the season” received great reviews. In addition, he played a key role in the DIII Breakout Sessions.
In the fall of 2016, Lopez was appointed to the USA Diving Senior Rules Subcommittee, nominated by Leslie Hasselbach Adams (High Performance Manager at USA Diving). The Rules Committee interprets technical diving rules and considers proposed amendments to the rules for recommendation to the Board of Governors. The Senior Subcommittee, in particular, deals with rules for athletes that are involved and compete for USA Diving at the International/Olympic level of the sport. Lopez has been an active member of USA Diving since 2008.
In the summer of 2016, Lopez was appointed to the NCAA Committee for Division III Swimming & Diving for four years. During his final year on the committee, Lopez was unanimously voted to be the Chairman of the Committee. He was the first diving coach to ever be appointed to the position. The purpose of the committee is to develop policies and procedures governing the administration and conduct of the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships. As the chairman, Lopez was responsible for sustaining and advancing the Association’s mission, traditions, values, and reputation.
Outside of his faculty duties at Kings Point, Lopez is also the head coach of Olympic Weight Lifting Team (KP Lift), head coach of the Aerial Club (KPAC), advisor for the Recreations and Outdoors Club, and advisor to the Kings Point Endurance Club (KPEC). He also serves on various committees and programs such as Mentoring Program, Candidate Evaluation Board (CEB), PE&A Hiring Committee, Weight Room Committee, PE&A Leadership Committee, PE&A Culture Committee, Honor Board Committee, and Team Movement Committee.
Prior to his time at Kings Point, Lopez served the previous four years at his alma mater, Herbert H. Lehman College. He was a member of the coaching staff that led the Lehman Lightning Team to the 2012 and 2013 CUNYAC Championship.
Lopez earned his Bachelors of Science in Dietetics, Food & Nutrition from Herbert. H. Lehman College in 2009, where he was a member of the Men’s Swimming & Diving Team. He was named team captain his senior year, CUNYAC diving champion (2007, 2008, 2009), CUNY All-Star (2007, 2008, 2009), and Diver of the Year (2007, 2008, 2009). In addition, he contributed to the success of Lehman Lightning team’s four-year winning streak at CUNY Swimming & Diving Championship Team. He then went on to earn a Master's Degree in Sports Management at Southern New Hampshire University where he graduated with the honor of "Outstanding Graduate" with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
