After last year’s record-setting season, Mitchell Hopper ’25 leads the wave of excitement for University of the Pacific’s swimming teams through the 2024-25 season.

Hopper, from Happy Valley, Oregon, holds the Pacific record for the 100-meter individual medley, breaking the previous mark by nearly a second with a time of 48.60 seconds. Hopper earned the feat during the 2024 National Invitational Championships in Ocala, Florida, cementing the first broken school record in five years.                                                           

“One of our team values we have spoken a lot about is legacy,” Hopper said. “Having my name on a leaderboard that will potentially be there for a few years or even longer is so special knowing I’ve made an impact here at Pacific.”

Hopper was designated as one of the captains for his senior season, taking on a leadership role that sixth-year head coach Katelyne Herrington attributes to a boost of the overall morale and success of the team. Pacific holds a combined 7-1 record, including an unblemished 3-0 mark on the men’s side.

“Mitchell has been the catalyst to our success,” Herrington said. “His success has provided a lot of competitiveness, hope and drive for our program. His teammates are motivated by his achievements and his energy.”

Hopper began learning how to swim at six months old by floating alongside his parents’ boat. His passion for swimming at an early age matured into his drive to compete collegiately.

“I knew I wanted to swim at the Division I level and get an engineering degree,” Hopper said. “My main focus was looking at California, and Pacific checked all of the boxes for me. The engineering program is exactly what I wanted to pursue, along with swimming competitively.”

Hopper has his eyes set on breaking even more records and putting the Pacific swimming program on the college map. The Tigers collectively have earned a dozen personal best times this year and qualified in the men’s 200 medley relay for the National Invitational Championships at the end of the season.

“I’m super close to three more team records that I want to add,” Hopper said. “We’re going to have very good dual meets, and we expect some more wins. We’re looking for much more improvement.”

As Hopper swims through his final season, he looks to leave his mark for the future of the program at Pacific.

“I want to be someone that the new classes below me strive to beat,” Hopper said. “I want to be the guy that they look up to and try to chase.”

Pacific swimming will host four meets to ring in 2025 with back-to-back days Jan. 17-18 at the Eberhardt Aquatics Center against Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara. See the men’s swimming schedule and women’s swimming schedule.