Li Hongping (; born 14 February 1963) is a Chinese-American former diver who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics. Hongping Li, an NCAA champion and two-time Olympian who has been one of the most successful NCAA coaches for more than a decade, is in his 14th year as USC's head diving coach. He was named to the position on July 1, 1999.
Diving career
Originally from Beijing, Li was a 12-time national champion and a two-time Olympian while competing for China. He finished fourth on the 3-meter springboard at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, earned gold medals on platform at the 1981 FINA World Cup in Mexico City and the 1981 World University Games and won bronze on 3-meter at the 1986 World Championships. He also qualified for the 1980 Olympics, but did not compete because of the Chinese boycott.
Coaching career
Li, a two-time NCAA Coach of the Year (2002, 2006) and nine-time Pac-10 Women's (2001-02-03-05-06-09-10-11-12) and 2009 Pac-10 Men's Diving Coach of the Year and the winner of the 1998 and 1999 United States Olympic Committee's "Diving Developmental Coach of the Year" award, came to USC after serving as the head coach of the Mission Viejo (Calif.) Nadadores Diving Team since 1993.
Li led the Nadadores to the 1998 Junior National Championships team title as well as every Western National team title since 1996. He served as an assistant coach at Mission Viejo from 1989 to 1993, helping the club to consecutive junior team titles from 1991 to 1993.
At Mission Viejo, he produced eight Junior National champions who won a combined 20 individual titles. Among the elite divers Li coached was Erica Sorgi, who has captured five senior national titles since 1996.
Li, 49, was named the 1998 and 1999 U.S. Diving Outstanding Age Group Coach of the Year, was a U.S. team coach at the 1999 Pan Am Games, the 1998 World Diving Championships, the 1998 Goodwill Games and the 1997 World Junior Championships, and earned the Coach of Excellence award at the 1995 Senior National Championships.
Li has had sustained and broad success since joining the USC staff. He has directed eight men's and women's divers to a combined 34 All-American honors, six NCAA titles and 27 conference titles.
In 2001, Li guided Brennan to a pair of All-American honors (and her third consecutive Pac-10 1-meter title) and Fusaro to her first at the 2001 NCAAs. Both also reached the top three at the 2001 U.S. Indoor Championships. Brennan was named Pac-10 Diver of the Year, Fusaro was tabbed as Newcomer of the Year and Li earned his first Pac-10 Coach of the Year honor. A year earlier in 2000, Li helped guide Brennan to her first two All-American honors.
He earned NCAA Coach of the Year honors after directing the women's diving squad to superb results at the 2002 NCAA Championships. Hartley won a pair of NCAA titles and made three finals appearances on her way to 2002 NCAA Women's Diver of the Year while Fusaro also made three NCAA finals appearances. Senior diver Kellie Brennan also scored and just missed earning All-American honors. Also in 2002, Hartley won a silver and a bronze at the 2002 Commonwealth Games while Fusaro qualified for the 2002 U.S. national team.
In 2003, three of Li's divers earned All-American honors. Vincent became Li's first men's diver at USC to do so, taking third in the platform at the 2003 NCAA Championships. At the women's NCAAs, Hartley was a three-time All-American while Nicci Fusaro earned one All-American honor. Hartley also swept the 2003 Pac-10 Championship diving events on the women's side (Fusaro took a pair of seconds) and Vincent won the platform title in the men's meet. For their efforts, Li was named 2003 Pac-10 Women's Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season and Hartley was named Pac-10 Women's Diver of the Year for the second straight year.
Li also served as head coach for the U.S. Diving team that competed at the 2003 Grand Prix Diving Championships in Rome, Italy.
In 2004, Vincent earned All-American honors on the platform, continuing Li's streak of having Trojans earn All-American honors each year he's been at USC. Hilde won his first Pac-10 platform title weeks earlier. Additionally, Hartley represented Canada at the 2004 Olympics (winning bronze on platform synchro) while Li's club diver Rachelle Kunkel made the U.S. team placing 9th on 3-meter springboard. Li was also an assistant coach on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Diving team.