New Mexico State University Athletics

Sam Hernandez will begin his second season as a volunteer diving coach with the New Mexico State swimming and diving program.

During the 2017-18 season, Hernandez assisted diving coach, Miranda King, in coaching two divers who qualified for NCAA Zone E Diving Championships. Raina Brommer qualified for zones during the first meet of the season against Northern Colorado after posting a score of 291.70 in three-meter dive and 250.45 in one-meter dive. MacKinna Hauff qualified for zones on Nov. 10 when she broke the school record during the three-meter diving event with a score of 312.20.  

Hernandez is a two-time Acapulco Cliff Diving Champion and is the only American to win the title twice during the 20th Century. Sam is also a two-time world record holder for high diving at 156-feet and 158-feet. He organized, produced and promoted the first international competition for women’s high diving in 1996.

Hernandez started the first swimming and diving team at Garfield High School in Los Angeles while he was a student. He also served as the assistant diving coach for the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Los Angeles, as well as volunteered to coach many of the local high school and college diving programs. Hernandez was coached by Dr. Sammy Lee, as well as trained with Greg Louganis.