Swimming has been the most consistent thread running through Sara Newman’s life since she first jumped in a pool at the age of four, and she’s showing no signs of slowing down. Newman enters her 5th year as the Lopes’ assistant coach having helped the program reach some of its highest points, including Women’s, Men’s, and Combined Regional titles in 2022 and a combined 5th-place finish at CSC Nationals this past spring.
A Phoenix native through and through, Newman swam varsity at Shadow Mountain High School — where she was also a varsity athlete on the dance team and served in student government for three of her four years — while competing at the club level with Phoenix Swim Club. Though she chose not to swim collegiately, she remained active in endurance sports through triathlon competition and continues to stay connected to the sport with Mesa Aquatics Club on their Masters swimming team.
Her coaching résumé is one of the more layered, since Newman got her start under the tutelage of Olympic gold medalist Misty Hyman at Melrose Paradise & Recreation Club, where she trained and coached from 2012 through 2015. From there, she stepped into an interim head coaching role with the LifeTime Colorado Springs USA Swim Team (also managing the club’s aquatics program) before returning to the Valley to join Paradise Valley Country Club as an assistant coach. Her most prominent head coaching role came at North Canyon High School, where she served as Head Swim & Dive Coach from 2018 through 2023 — overseeing everything from preseason planning and weight room schedules to meet event selection and state meet preparation. She holds a Level 2 National Credentialed Swim Coach certification through the NFHS.
In addition to competitive swimming, Newman has designed and implemented aquatic cross-training and performance programs for athletes in football, basketball, and track and field. Her experience ranges from working with youth and collegiate athletes to Olympic-level competitors and state championship programs, using aquatic training to improve conditioning, recovery, mobility, and overall athletic performance. These opportunities have reinforced her belief that the principles of high performance extend well beyond a single sport.
Inspired by her experiences training under Hyman, Newman developed a passion for the mental side of performance that ultimately led her into sport psychology. She earned both her Bachelor of Science in Sport and Performance Psychology and her Master of Science in General Psychology from Grand Canyon University and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Sport and Performance Psychology at the University of Western States. On a personal note, the former Sara Schumacher and husband Chad Newman will celebrate their 3rd wedding anniversary this December.
