Coaches and Directors
Coach John has led the Razorback Aquatic Club AquaHawgs as Head Coach and Director of Operations since 2019, guiding the team to become one of the top programs in Arkansas and within USA Swimming. Under his leadership, the AquaHawgs earned USA Swimming Bronze Medal status in 2023 and Silver Medal honors in 2024, 2025, and 2026. His swimmers have broken more than 150 team records and over 75 State and LSC records, and he was named the 2021 Arkansas Swimming Age Group Coach of the Year. Before taking on his current role, Coach John held coaching positions with Briar Village Swim Team, Memorial Athletic Club, Fayetteville Athletic Club, Razorback Aquatic Club (Age Group Coach), Arkansas Racers, and Northwest Arkansas Aquatics.
A dedicated leader within Arkansas Swimming, he has served on the Arkansas Swimming Board of Directors since 2016 in roles including Admin Vice Chair, Technical Planning Chair, and Age Group Vice Chair. He has coached multiple Arkansas Zone Teams and served as Zone Team Coordinator and Head Coach in 2021 and 2022. His expertise has also been recognized nationally through invitations to the USA Swimming National Age Group Summit (2022) and National Select Camp (2023).
Coach John has called Fayetteville home since 2006 and holds a Bachelor of Science in Recreation and Sports Management from the University of Arkansas. He’s an enthusiastic Razorbacks fan, enjoys the outdoor life of Northwest Arkansas, and shares his home with his 9yearold French Bulldog, Molly.
Jim joins the AquaHawgs with a distinguished record of leadership and athlete development at the highest levels of competitive swimming. He most recently served as Head Coach and Executive Director at Club Wolverine, a nationally recognized program known for producing elite talent and maintaining a strong presence on the national stage.
Before his time at Club Wolverine, Jim spent eight years as the Head Coach at Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics (MLA). Under his leadership, MLA earned five consecutive years of Silver Medal recognition through USA Swimming’s Club Excellence Program. During this period, Jim was also selected four times to USA Swimming’s National Team coaching staff—an honor that reflects his ability to guide athletes to peak performance at the highest levels.
Outside of coaching, Jim brings plenty of passion to his personal life as well. He and his wife, Laura, are avid Alabama Crimson Tide fans, proudly carrying their team spirit wherever they go.
Tony Carroll brings a deep well of experience and achievement to Razorback Aquatic Club AquaHawgs. Before joining the program, he served as the Age Group Head Coach at the nationally respected Nashville Aquatic Club, where he played a key role in developing rising talent. His coaching journey also includes impactful leadership at the YOTA Swim Team in North Carolina and a tenure with the elite staff at Lakeside Swim Team in Louisville. While at Lakeside, Tony earned selection to the USA Swimming Junior National Team coaching staff twice—an honor that reflects both his technical expertise and his ability to elevate young athletes to the national stage.
This year, Tony’s excellence has been recognized once again, as he has been named a finalist for ASCA’s Age Group Coach of the Year.
Outside the pool, Tony is just as competitive and passionate. An avid fisherman, he has earned distinction as an American Bass Association tournament runnerup, channeling the same focus and determination that define his coaching. Whether he’s developing young swimmers or casting a line on the water, Tony brings commitment, enthusiasm, and a love for the process to everything he does.
Lindsey Garretson is in her fourth year with Razorback Aquatic Club, where her dedication and enthusiasm have made a lasting impact. She began her journey with the program as a swim lesson instructor and quickly rose into a management role, reflecting both her leadership and her commitment to helping young swimmers thrive.
A Fort Smith native, Lindsey grew up swimming for the Tideriders and has stayed connected to the sport she loves. She continues to train and compete with the AquaHawgs Masters Team and is currently preparing for Masters Nationals. Alongside her work on the pool deck, Lindsey is a student at the University of Arkansas. She will graduate in May with an engineering degree, balancing academic rigor with her passion for swimming and community involvement.
Carolyn was the original founder coach of Walmart Swim Club, now known as Northwest Arkansas Aquatics Sharks. Her coaching career began in 1975 when she stepped up to become the coach for the Bentonville Summer Swim Team at Bentonville’s City Pool. Under her coaching, the summer swim program grew from 25 swimmers to 125 in her 9 years of coaching the team. The Bentonville Swim Team was a member of the Tri-State Summer Swim Conference, and under her leadership, she took the team to many first place conference championships. In 1984, she began a year-round United States Swimming program at the Walton Life Fitness Center in Bentonville. She experienced all the growing pains in bringing Walmart Swim Club from its initial membership of about 20 to about 70 when she retired from coaching to become the full-time Aquatics Director at the center in 1994.
