Coaches
Sergio Lopez
Head Coach/Aquatics Director
Sergio Lopez joined The Bolles School staff in 2007 as head swimming coach and aquatics director. Lopez will guide both the upper school swimming and diving teams and the Bolles Sharks club program.
Lopez, a native of Barcelona, Spain, and a 1988 Olympic bronze medalist in the 200 meter breast stroke, came to Bolles from West Virginia University where he served as head coach of the Mountaineers' men's and women's swimming and diving teams since April 2004.
In Lopez's three seasons at WVU, both the men's and women's team continually improved. He guided the men's team to its first-ever Big East Championship in 2007 and was named Big East Men's Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2007. The women's team had the highest placing in program history at the Big East Championships in 2007, finishing third. Under Lopez, West Virginia's swimming and diving honors improved from zero to 18 All-American honors, zero to 31 individual and relay Big East champions (27 men, 4 women), two Big East men's swimmers of the year, and 11 Big East records (8 men, 3 women).
During Lopez's tenure, West Virginia swimmers have also competed at the World Championships, U.S. Nationals, European Championships, World University Games, Mediterranean Games, and Central American Games. Lopez served as coach of the Mexican national team at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.
Lopez also founded and directed West Virginia Aquatics, a USA Swimming club. Lopez hired and oversaw a staff of a head coach and five assistants to guide over 100 registered USA Swimming members. He also organized swim meets and coordinated fundraising efforts, helping to foster interest and awareness of swimming in the community and state.
Prior to West Virginia, Lopez served as associate head coach of the Northwestern University swim program in 2003 and an NU assistant from 2000-03. While at Northwestern, Lopez helped the Wildcats' program produce seven All-Americans, eight Big Ten champions, eight Big Ten championship meet records, a Big Ten swimmer of the year and a Big Ten freshman of the year. Under Lopez's guidance, 43 of the school's 56 records were broken over four seasons.
While at Northwestern, Lopez also served as head coach of Wildcat Aquatics and Northwestern Aquatic Swimming Association. He hired and oversaw the coach of the program and coached the men and women during the summer season. He took five swimmers to the 2004 Olympic Trials and 11 swimmers to the 2002 USA World Swimming Trials.
From 1997-2000, Lopez was head coach at Hillenbrand Aquatics in Tucson , Arizona , where his responsibilities included coaching the senior national training group. He grew the senior-high school program from 12 swimmers in 1997 to over 100 in the 2000 season.
Lopez was the technical director at the Cantabric Swimming Federation in Santander, Spain, from 1996-97. In 1995-96, he served as a volunteer coach at Arizona, and in 1994-95 he was also a volunteer coach at the Honved Swim Club in Budapest, Hungary.
Lopez earned a National Coaches Title from the Spanish Swimming Coaches Association in 1995. He holds a bachelor's degree in independent studies in kinesiology from American University, graduating in 1992.
Lopez was a member of the Spanish national team from 1984-96, joined by Bolles alumnus and Sharks assistant coach Martin Zubero '87 on the squad. In addition to an Olympic medal, Lopez won a silver medal in the 1993 world championships in the 400 medley, has held European and U.S. Open records in the 200 breast and has held or currently holds 14 records in Spain, two at Indiana University where he began his collegiate career, and eight at American University. Lopez earned nine All-American honors in the breast, 500 free and intermediate medley at Indiana and American.
There have only been three people from Spain winning Olympic medals in swimming and all three are now employed at The Bolles School. Joining Lopez in this honor are Martin Zubero, who won the Gold medal in the 1992 Olympics and his brother and fellow Bolles alumnus, David '77, who brought home the Bronze medal for Spain in 1980.
Lopez is married to the former Sandy Carlos and they have two children, Harley (8) and Cobi (6).
Katie Adams
Diving Head Coach
Katie Adams joined the Bolles staff as head diving coach in 2000. She has guided the boys' and girls' divers to seven straight district titles, regional titles in 2004 and 2005, as well as two state titles and a runner-up for the girls and four top-3 finishes at state for the boys. Adams has also served as an age group swim coach for the Bolles Sharks club program for 20 years.
From 1979-1985, Adams was the Director of Franchise Sales and Leasing for Athletic Attic. She began her collegiate career at Florida State University earning All-America honors as a swimmer for two consecutive seasons. She was also a member of FSU's student circus traveling team for two years. Adams finished college at the University of Florida, lettering as a diver. She earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from UF.
Jon Sakovich
Assistant Coach
Jon Sakovich joined the Bolles swim staff in 2000, working primarily with the Sharks club program and assisting with the high school team. Prior to Bolles, Sakovich served as head age group coach with the Clearwater Aquatic Team for four years. He began his coaching career in Gainesville with Florida Aquatics. Sakovich has coached swimmers to numerous NAG (national age group) Top 16, Junior National, and Senior National qualifying times.
Sakovich grew up training in a hotel pool and the ocean while swimming for the Saipan Swim Club in the Northern Mariana Islands. He participated in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, for Guam where he was introduced to the University of Florida swimming head coach and former Bolles coach Gregg Troy. Sakovich then attended UF and was a four-year teammate of Bolles graduate and fellow assistant coach Martin Zubero.
Sakovich earned a bachelor's degree in recreation from UF. He and his wife, Angele, have two sons: John and Joseph.
Clare Williams
Assistant Coach
Clare Williams joined the Bolles swim program in the fall of 2006. Prior to Bolles, she coached at James Wood High School in Winchester, Virginia, for two years. She grew up in Dallas, Texas, where she trained with the Dallas Mustangs from the time she was an age group swimmer through high school, competing at both state and national levels.
Williams attended Denison University in Granville, Ohio, where she earned All-American honors for three consecutive years. She was also awarded Academic All-American honors and was named the captain of her team her senior year of college. Williams graduated from Denison in 2004 with a degree in psychology.
Jason Calanog
Assistant Coach
Jason Calanog joined The Bolles School swimming staff as a senior assistant coach in August 2007. Prior to Bolles, Calanog served as a student assistant coach at West Virginia University, his alma mater. He helped coach the men's team to the program's first Big East Championship title and the women's team to that squad's highest finish. Calanog coached numerous All-Americans, Olympic trials qualifiers, Big East champions, and senior national swimmers while at West Virginia University. Under his tutelage, numerous swimmers have competed for their native countries at various international meets.
Calanog swam for the Mountaineers in 2000, competing in the butterfly and freestyle and also trained for the Philippine National Team.
He has coached the Whalers Swim Club in West Windsor, New Jersey, and West Virginia Aquatics Club in Morgantown, West Virginia. He coached age group to senior swimmers at West Virginia Aquatics. Calanog plans to serve as a national team coach for the Philippines.
Christian Bahr '93
Assistant Coach
Christian Bahr is a 1993 graduate of The Bolles School after boarding at the school for his final two high school years. From Bolles, Bahr went on to Southern Methodist University where he graduated in 1998, having earned nine NCAA All-American honors and going on to be team captain his senior year. He was a member of the U.S. National Team and represented the United States at the 1997 World University Games in Sicily, Italy. Bahr placed ninth at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Bahr joined the Bolles coaching staff in 1999, working with swimmers at every level of the program. Bahr moved on to become a producer for First Coast News, spending five years producing every program the station offers. He returned to Bolles in 2006 as a part-time coach, working with the Tiger Shark group in the Sharks age-group program.
Bahr currently serves as an assistant age group coach with the Sharks, guiding the Hammerheads group. He also assists coaching the senior swimmers in the high school program.