Derek Starks was born in La Jolla, CA in 1985 and started diving in Poway, CA in 1992. He dove for the Mission Viejo Nadadores from 1998-2003 winning a combined 4 individual JO West National and 2 USA Diving JO National events, as well as a bronze medal at JO World Championships and a three-event sweep at the Canada-USA Junior Challenge. After diving for the Nadadores, he attended the University of Miami from 2003-2007, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. During his time, he was a 3x NCAA All-American, BIG EAST Most Outstanding Diver, ACC Diver of the Year and qualified to the 2004 USA Olympic Team Trials.

After graduating from Miami, Starks returned to Mission Viejo to coach and became the team’s National and International Team Director from 2007-2013. He also continued diving for MVND until 2010. In 2013, Starks began his collegiate coaching journey at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where his divers broke nearly all team records and set a Western Athletic Conference record. In 2016, Starks was named the Head Diving Coach at the University of California, Berkeley. He spent 5 years at Cal, qualifying divers to NCAA Championships each season.

In 2021, Coach Derek took a break from the sport to explore the field of home remodeling construction as a licensed salesperson and project manager. His journey brought him back to Poway, where it all began and where his passion for Diving was re-inspired. In 2024, he began coaching the MVND-San Diego Satellite Program with Mike Hilde. Starks is now running that program, continuing to build and develop divers in the area with two local athletes qualifying for the USA Diving Junior Nationals in its inaugural season.