Developing Olympians: Sergio Lopez on Coaching Ryan Murphy & Caeleb Dressel

In the SwimSwam Podcast dive deeper into the sport you love with insider conversations about swimming. Hosted by Coleman Hodges and Gold Medal Mel Stewart, SwimSwam welcomes both the biggest names in swimming that you already know, and rising stars that you need to get to know, as we break down the past, present, and future of aquatic sports.

Sergio Lopez has built up programs everywhere he’s been a head coach. Currently, he’s the head coach at Virginia Tech, but he also won a conference title while captaining the West Virginia program. His most legendary stop, though, may have been being the head coach at the Bolles School Sharks, where he coached Olympic champions Ryan Murphy, Caeleb Dressel, and Joseph Schooling, who were all in high school at the time.

Listen to Sergio think back to coaching Murphy and Dressel and what he recalls about what he learned as a coach by working with such immense talents.

  • 0:00 Sergio Lopez Introduction
  • 1:30 Preparing VT Swimmers for Paris
  • 7:50 Murphy & Dressel Making 3rd Olympics
  • 11:17 Managing Different Kinds of Athletes
  • 14:30 Developing High Schoolers
  • 20:13 Making a Plan for Murphy to Make the Olympics
  • 23:31 Watching Dressel Practice
  • 26:38 Relationship Now

 

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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Just a swim mom
2 hours ago

Such a great coach, person, and mentor to all the athletes whatever level. Sergio is the best of the best.

Rick Paine
2 hours ago

great coach, great person

Tanner
3 hours ago

Didn’t he also coach Condorelli and Schooling?

Z Tech
3 hours ago

well this is a nonsequitor but the 2017 women’s 4×100 where sjostrom set the wr has just vanished from the web it seems…

Long Strokes
4 hours ago

Sergio has always been my favorite coach. I might be biased, but he’s the best unsung hero in the coaching world.

sadswammer
4 hours ago

didn’t Santo also train there at around the same time?

Steve Nolan
Reply to  sadswammer
2 hours ago

đź–•

Admin
Reply to  Steve Nolan
2 hours ago

Was gonna delete this but now I see the context lol.

Shogun
5 hours ago

Except he didn’t coach Caleb

LBSWIM
Reply to  Shogun
4 hours ago

Caleb trained with the team, but just did not go to their high school was something I read awhile ago. Who trained him?

Bolles swammer
Reply to  LBSWIM
4 hours ago

Jason calanog (now at South Carolina)

bobthebuilderrocks
Reply to  LBSWIM
4 hours ago

Jason Calanog

Bolles swammer
Reply to  Shogun
4 hours ago

So you didn’t watch the interview then? One of the first things he said about Caleb is how he wasn’t his primary coach, but he still had meaningful interactions. No where did he take credit

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

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