USA Swimming Recognizes Coaches With National Team Selection

Photo courtesy Griffin Scott

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, October 21. WHEN USA Swimming releases its roster of athletes who qualify for the national team, the organization also quietly compiles another equally-important list: the coaches who guided the athletes to success in the pool.

The 2014-2015 list of coaches named to the national team reads like a Who’s Who of the most prestigious in the sport. Bowman. Salo. Durden. McKeever. Reese. Others are getting onto the list for the first time.

Being a part of the list carries more than prestige. There’s also a financial bonus if their athlete wins a medal at the focus meet of the year. In this case, it’s the Pan Pacific championships, where 23 athletes won medals in individual events. Their coaches will receive shares paid out from an unspecified fund as part of the “Coach Incentive Program.”

The list also illustrates why many swimmers list more than one team next to their name at meets such as the national championships. Colorado Stars’ Todd Schmitz and California’s Teri McKeever, for example, both earn recognition for Missy Franklin’s performances. Schmitz was Franklin’s longtime coach before Franklin moved to Berkeley last fall to train with McKeever, and he falls under the “developmental coach” category. That allows Schmitz to earn part of the pot that USA Swimming will hand out for Beisel’s bronze medal in the 100 back at Pan Pacs.

Athletes were named to the team based on performances more than places at particular meets. The top six times from nationals or Pan Pacs were used to determine placement on the national team. Coaches of open water swimmers are included in this list.

2014-2015 USA Swimming Coaching National Team (represented athletes in parentheses)

Brian Barnes (Emma Reaney)
Chuck Batchelor (Connor Green)
Tony Batis (B.J. Johnson, Karlee Bispo)
Tim Bauer (Michael McBroom)
Allison Beebe (Simone Manuel, Maddie Locus)
Herbert Behm (Giles Smith)
Mike Bottom (Connor Jaeger, Ryan Feeley, Michael Klueh, Sean Ryan, Zachary Hayden, Emily Brunemann)
Bob Bowman (Michael Phelps, Conor Dwyer, Chase Kalisz, Matt McLean, Allison Schmitt, Cierra Runge, Becca Mann)
Alex Braunfeld (Nic Fink, Shannon Vreeland, Melanie Margalis, Hali Flickinger)
Michael Brooks (Meghan Small)
Steve Bultman (Breeja Larson, Cammile Adams)
Augie Busch (Leah Smith, Courtney Bartholomew)
Bill Christensen (Jonathan Roberts)
Adam Cooper (Courtney Weaver)
Rick DeMont (Kevin Cordes, Matt Grevers, Margo Geer)
Rich DeSelm (Ben Colley)
Mandy DiSalle (Josh Schneider)
Dave Durden (Natalie Coughlin, Nathan Adrian, Anthony Ervin, Ryan Murphy, Josh Prenot, Tom Shields, Seth Stubblefield, Janardan Burns, Jacob Pebley)
Jack Fabian (Eva Fabian)
Tyler Fenwick (David Heron)
John Flanagan (Andrew Seliskar)
Cyndi Gallagher (Katy Campbell)
Bruce Gemmell (Katie Ledecky, Andrew Gemmell)
Rick Guenther (Jacob Pebley)
Jim Henry (Eva Fabian)
Whitney Hite (Ivy Martin, Michael Weiss)
Grant Holicky (Christine Jennings)
Harvey Humphries (Nic Fink, Shannon Vreeland, Melanie Margalis, Hali Flickinger, Olivia Smoliga, Maddie Locus)
Lars Jorgensen (Christina Bechtel)
David Kelsheimer (Jordan Wilimovsky)
Matt Kredich (Molly Hannis)
Kelly Kremer (David Plummer)
Mike Litzinger (Ben Colley)
Ray Looze (Cody Miller, Lindsay Vrooman, Gia Dalesandro)
Lou Manganiello (Clara Smiddy)
Bruce Marchionda (Claire Donahue)
David Marsh (Madison Kennedy, Kathleen Baker, Micah Lawrence, Emma Reaney, Katie Meili, Cammile Adams, Cullen Jones, Ryan Lochte, Mark Weber, Nick Thoman, Tyler Clary, Tim Phillips)
Garrett McCaffrey (Giles Smith)
Teri McKeever (Missy Franklin, Rachel Bootsma, Elizabeth Pelton, Caitlin Leverenz)
Greg Meehan (Maya DiRado, Felicia Lee, Lia Neal)
Stephen Miller (David Plummer)
Tim O’Brien (Matt Ellis)
Aaron Opell (Lilly King)
John Payne (Ashley Twichell)
Jeff Pease (Kendyl Stewart)
Dennis Pursley (Kaylin Burchell)
Sean Quinn (Chip Peterson)
Eddie Reese (Matt Ellis, Jimmy Feigen, Clay Youngquist, Michael McBroom)
Bill Rose (David Heron)
David Salo (Chelsea Chenault, Jessica Hardy, Kendyl Stewart, Haley Anderson, Reed Malone)
Logan Schaefer (Cody Miller)
Todd Schmitz (Missy Franklin)
Jarod Schroeder (Jordan Wilimovsky)
Jonty Skinner (Kaylin Burchell)
Julie Smiddy (Clara Smiddy)
Brian Smith (Olivia Smoliga)
Matt Sprang (Brendan McHugh)
Todd Stafek (Lisa Bratton)
Paul Stafford (Chelsea Chenault)
Coley Stickels (Abbey Weitzeil)
Terry Stoddard (Katy Campbell)
Rachel Stratton (Lia Neal)
Yuri Suguiyama (Nathan Adrian, Anthony Ervin, Ryan Murphy, Josh Prenot, Tom Shields, Seth Stubblefield, Janardan Burns, Jacob Pebley)
Gregg Troy (Elizabeth Beisel)
Jason Turcotte (Kylie Stewart, Jay Litherland, Gunnar Bentz)
Bill Wadley (Tim Phillips, DJ MacDonald)
Mike Westphal (Lindsay Vrooman, Gia Dalesandro)
Josh White (Sean Ryan, Emily Brunemann, Michael Klueh)

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