Mya Azzopardi, a senior captain, has left her mark on San José State’s women’s swimming and diving program both as a swimmer and a teammate.

With her good spirit at practice and swim meets, Azzopardi has brought joy and confidence to a strong Spartan swim program.

Azzopardi’s time at SJSU is marked by many achievements, including being a 2023 President’s scholar, making the 2025 Academic All-Mountain West team and appearing in five Spartan relays that are on the school’s all-time top 10 list. 

Growing up near the pool wasn’t a choice for Azzopardi. Her older brother played water polo, which led to her spending countless hours roaming the pool deck.

One day, while her mother was having a conversation with her friends, 3-year-old Azzopardi decided to jump into the pool. 

“Not knowing how to swim, I jumped in with my clothes, and my mother was like, ‘This child’s a menace and I have to put her in swimming lessons,’ ” Azzopardi said. 

After going through swimming lessons for her own safety, swimming turned into something that Azzopardi really liked, and she started competing for the first time when she was 6 years old. 

Swimming evidently took off for Azzopardi as she tore through the Maltese record books and worked to become one of the best swimmers ever for Malta.

Azzopardi currently holds 15 national records for Malta across a wide variety of events, marking her as one of the best Maltese swimmers ever.

Nine of those records are individual swims, while six are held as part of a relay team, with her most recent coming on Dec. 21, 2025, at a meet in Cospicua.

Azzopardi expressed pride in what she has accomplished throughout her career.

“Getting all those records obviously means a great deal to me, and if I want to be known as one of the best swimmers Malta has ever had, it’s something I am very proud of and something that I’ll forever be grateful for,” Azzopardi said. 

Azzopardi is no stranger to the international stage, as she competed in the World Aquatics Championships for the first time at the age of 14. 

As a young athlete competing on the highest stage possible, Azzopardi felt a lot of pressure to perform at a high level while competing against people who were twice her age. 

“At a young age, you have so much pressure on your back, and you have to match the mentality of all of these big names you are competing against,” Azzopardi said. “You are going to a competition where you are going to be surrounded by people who are 24 or up to even 30 years old, and they are so experienced and so fast.”  

After she turned 16, Azzopardi went to train in Italy in a program where she trained amongst Olympians, for two years to put herself in the best position to continue improving on the international stage.

After competing against such experienced swimmers, Azzopardi adopted an underdog mentality that she used to help push her through training and keep up with the Olympians she trained with.

“I come from a country where I was one of the best swimmers, but I feel like I would be stuck in a place if I chose to focus on how I am one of the best swimmers in one country,” Azzopardi said. “Instead, I feel like the way I could become better is by going to a place where I am one of the worst.” 

Azzopardi credits this work ethic as one of the things that has not only helped her swimming, but has helped her become a better and more resilient person. 

“I like having to work harder than other people,” Azzopardi said. “I like having to prove myself every day.”

Following her time in Italy, she went to a boarding school for two years in the U.K. to finish studying for exams to help her get into college, while also training with one of the best programs in the country.

She became familiar with the collegiate system in the United States and loved the idea of being able to pursue her education while also competing at a high level.

When it came time, Azzopardi committed to joining SJSU as a swimmer and student in 2022.

Coming to the U.S. for the first time was a big change for Azzopardi, who found herself having to become more independent as she grew and adapted to life in America.

She described the move as a turning point in becoming more self-reliant.

“I feel like it took a lot of growth and independence,” Azzopardi said. “I had to adapt to it, and that took a lot of reflection and growth and just challenging new sides of myself.” 

With her experiences in going through these high-pressure situations, Azzopardi has been able to make sure not only her mental health is in check, but also her teammates’.

As a captain for SJSU’s team this past season, Azzopardi has used her experience to try and have a positive impact on all of her teammates. 

“I try my best to be as positive as I can and spread happiness and joy,” Azzopardi said. “It’s very easy to get caught up in the sport and caught up in life, really.” 

Laís E Silva, a senior swimmer, said that Azzopardi’s experiences and knowledge have made her a great captain and teammate.

“She shows people what they can’t see about themselves,” E Silva said. 

E Silva said Azzopardi spreads happiness and joy to the swimmers around her, noting how much of an impact she has had on her. 

“She’s always giving me swim advice, life advice, she’s always there to (listen),” E Silva said. “She is one of my best friends. I am just so happy to have her in my life. I think everyone needs a Mya in their life.”

Sage Hopkins, head coach of the women’s swim team, credits her for her ability to disperse confidence among her teammates. 

“She is a very confident athlete, and that’s something that rubs off on people,” Hopkins said.  

Hopkins said that Azzopardi has been a leader through both her actions in the pool and with her words. 

Hopkins said that it has been fun working with her to fine-tune her swimming to shave hundredths off of her times.

“Mya is somebody that came to us with a pretty expansive background internationally with swimming, so she had a very large knowledge base that she came in the door with,” Hopkins said. 

Even though she had to fight through injuries, Azzopardi’s work ethic never wavered as she finished her senior season strong, qualifying for the end-of-season CSCAA National Invitational Championship meet.  

“She is a very competitive swimmer, very passionate swimmer and really has brought a lot of great leadership to the program,” Hopkins said.

After she graduates from SJSU this spring, Azzopardi plans to pursue a master’s in sports psychology and eventually get a job as a sports psychologist for a professional team. 

To go along with her studies and athletic achievements, Azzopardi boasts nearly 75,000 followers on Instagram. 

Azzopardi said she hopes to use her platform to make a meaningful impact.

“I would like it to come to a point where I have such a great influence on people that I can make a change,” Azzopardi said. 

Azzopardi has worked with multiple brands, which has been a way to help support her financially, as is it hard for college athletes to hold jobs or internships. 

As a senior, Azzopardi’s collegiate career is over, but she still sees herself going back and competing for Malta again. 

“I think (I’ll keep) swimming for Malta and maybe compete for Malta for a couple more years,” Azzopardi said. “I think that would be really cool.”