Jim Whitehead

Executive Director | Head Coach

Email: [email protected]

Jim Whitehead joined the club as Head Coach in June of 2023 after spending eight years at the helm of Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics (MLA) in Holland, Michigan.

While at MLA, Jim led the program to multiple top-5 team finishes at Junior Nationals, a Spring Sectional championship, and multiple Michigan Swimming team championships. While at MLA, he had the privilege of coaching athletes to 18 Olympic Team Trial qualifiers, multiple Senior National, Junior National, and US Open podiums, Para Pan Pac medalists, and an USA Swim Para Emerging team member.

Jim was named to the USA National Team Coach list in 2018, 2019, and 2020 and was a National Select Camp Home Coach in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Tony Carroll

Director, Operations | Assoc Head Coach

Email: [email protected]

Coach Tony Carroll joined Club Wolverine in 2023. He has been named to the US National Junior Team Coaches List twice (2018-19 & 2019-20) and he has served as Head Coach for the KY Open Water Zones Team. He’s been fortunate to work with six athletes that have gone on to make US National teams (5 US National Junior Team Members / 1 US National Team Member), and one 2020 Paraylmpic Team Trials finalist. He has been nominated for the Fitter & Faster / ASCA National Age Group Coach of the Year award twice and was named the KY Swimming Age Group Coach of the Year in 2017.

Prior to his time with CW, he served as the Head Age Group Coach at Nashville Aquatic Club (2021-2023) in Nashville, TN, a Site Director at YOTA Swim Team in Chapel Hill, NC (2020-2021), and Senior Coach at Lakeside Swim Team in Louisville, KY (2015-2020). He started coaching at his local summer league team in 2009 and assisted different USA Swimming club programs in Indiana until he began coaching full time in 2015. 

As an athlete, Coach Tony grew up swimming in South Bend, IN and went on to swim in college for IUPUI where he was team captain his junior and senior years and was a USA Swimming National Qualifier. Outside of coaching, he enjoys fishing and is a huge Notre Dame fan.

Sam Wensman

Director, Camp & Clinic | Associate Coach

Email: [email protected]

Coach Sam Wensman joined Club Wolverine in 2023. Throughout his career he has helped to coach over 25 Olympians, as well as countless National Champions, Big Ten Champions, and National Team members. He has international coaching experience, traveling to Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, Argentina, Hungary and Austria for respective competitions and training camps.  Additionally, Sam was named an ASCA Fellow in 2012 as he launched his coaching career.

Prior to his time with CW, Coach Sam served as the Assistant Coach for Club Wolverine Elite from 2011-2023 and was the Assistant Coach and Director of Recruiting for the University of Michigan Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving program from 2016-2023. Concurrently, he ran the intensive track of Michigan Swim Camps from 2011 – 2023, taking over as Head Coach in 2016.

As an athlete, Sam was a four-year letterwinner for the Michigan Wolverines, swimming from 2008-2011. He specialized in breaststroke and IM. During his tenure he was a part of three Big Ten Championship winning teams. He graduated from UM with a degree in Sport Management.

Sam's favorite part of coaching is building relationships with each athlete, seeing personal growth and success in and out of the pool, and is excited to bring that passion to Club Wolverine! In his spare time he enjoys outdoor activities like mountain biking, and spending quality time with family and friends. Sam resides in Saline, Michigan with his wife, Melissa, and their two incredible children.

Laura Cowley

Associate Coach

Email: [email protected]

Coach Laura began her swimming journey when her children showed interest in the sport in Severna Park, Maryland. At the neighborhood pool, all residents were allowed to participate. After a near drowning of her daughter in a neighbor’s backyard pool, she was determined to begin lessons and give her children the tools to be safe in water. The neighborhood team allowed her daughter to participate while wearing a life jacket. Both girls had fallen in love with the sport. After 9/11 the swimming continued in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania where more structured swim technique was taught to her children. Onward to Marquette, Michigan where YMCA swim teams and swim instruction allowed her to teach, begin a new swim team, become head coach and dabble in officiating swimming. The Final move to Ann Arbor is where Coach Laura has been for the past 16 years. Her passion is creating great swim habits for future success for the 10 and under swimmer. Instilling great character values and daring the kids to embrace failure and to perceive it as a learning opportunity.

She has had the pleasure coaching State and Zone champions. Helped with numerous Sectional, Futures, Jr National swimmers. Inspired many to become D1 and D2 college swimmers. Even has a few past swimmers coaching WISC, HS, age group and college assistant coaches.

Coach Laura has been awarded for her dedication and outstanding achievements in the field of Swim Coaching from Michigan Swimming, ASCA and USA Swimming.

Josh Wood

Events Manager | Assistant Coach

Email: [email protected]

Joshua Wood has been a coach within USA Swimming since November 2010. Prior to joining Club Wolverine (CW) in August 2015, Josh coached with Lakes Area Tridents Swimming (Walled Lake, MI) from 2010-2015, working his way up from an Assistant Group Coach to Head Coach.

Currently, Josh is the Head Intermediate Coach & Lead Intermediate Blue Coach (AA). Since joining CW in 2015, he has served as Lead Intermediate Blue Coach (Brighton), Associate Head Site Coach (Brighton), Head Site Coach (Brighton), and Lead Senior Maize & White Coach (AA). During his coaching tenure, Josh has developed numerous State and Zone qualifiers, finalists, & champions; Sectional, Futures and NCSA qualifiers, and one Summer Speedo Junior National swimmer.

In addition to coaching USA Swimming, Josh has experience coaching Middle School swimming (2009) and High School Women’s Swimming (2013-2017). Josh also serves as Meet Director for the Club. In addition to coaching, Josh has served in the Michigan LSC in several capacities including: Zone Team Coach, Secretary and Chair of the Board of Review, Jr/Sr Coaches Representative, member of the Technical Planning Committee, Chair of the Championship Meet Strategy Committee, and as a Stroke/Turn Official.

Spencer Penland

Assistant Coach | Clinician

Email: [email protected]

Coach Spencer has been at Club Wolverine since 2022. Prior to his arrival at CW, Spencer coached at Bloomington-Normal YMCA Waves in Bloomington-Normal, IL from 2017-2022. While at BNY, Spencer spent time coaching all age groups and was eventually named Lead Age Group Coach.

Since joining CW in the fall of 2022, Spencer has served as an Assistant Coach for nearly every group. Currently, Spencer is an Assistant Coach primarily with the Senior and Intermediate groups. During his coaching tenure, Spencer has coached numerous State, Zone, and Sectional champions, as well as Futures and Summer Speedo Junior Nationals qualifiers.

Outside of coaching, Spencer stays connected to the swimming world through working as a Contributor for SwimSwam, a role in which he's been working in since September of 2017. During his time at SwimSwam, Spencer has published over 3000 pieces to the website and magazine, covering all aspects of the sport from all over the world.  

Khadin Soto

Assistant Coach

Email: [email protected]

Katie Capelli 

Assistant Coach | Clinician

Katie has been coaching since 2018 and has been the Head Coach and Aquatics Director at The Chippewa Club since 2019. She swam for Club Wolverine for ten years before going on to swim for UC San Diego. Upon graduating in 2022 with a degree in Political Science, Katie moved back to Ann Arbor and began coaching for CW in 2023.

Audree Koch

Assistant Coach | Film Editor

Audree has been an assistant coach on CW staff since 2017. Originally from California she swam competitively for 12 years before moving to Michigan for college. She has her bachelors and masters degree from Eastern Michigan in Accounting and now works for Ford as a finance analyst. Audree began coaching with CW while in college and has worked with every group in the club at some point. She enjoys staying involved and giving back to the sport she loves so she continues to work as an assistant coach working with the senior group. 

Joel Lauritzen

Assistant Coach

Joel has been around the pool for almost 30 years and just moved back to the Mitten in the Summer of 2023. Joel attended Lansing Everett High School and was a 4-year varsity swimmer/cross country runner serving as team captain his Senior year and was a 3-year captain of the CC team. Joel worked as a sportswriter specifically covering the sport of swimming, and at one point, wrote a monthly swimming column.

Before coming back to Michigan, Joel worked his way up to Interim Head Coach of the Terre Haute Torpedoes. Joel also served through the years as a Master's Coach and Lead Coach of the Blue and Orange Groups.

Joel is also a national level swim official and has been officiating all levels from age group to all levels of college swimming. Joel is married to an amazing wife and has four kids that all swam and/or are swimming (Nevaeh, Connor, Ty and Nolan).

Jared Daigle

Masters Coach

Email: [email protected]

Jared Daigle is currently an assistant coach for the University of Michigan in his first season as a collegiate coach. Prior to this season as a coach, Jared was a member of the University of Michigan team for 5 seasons from 2019-2023. Jared was a 2x All American in the 400IM (2022 &2023), a Big Ten Champion in the 400IM in 2022, and 1st & 2nd team all Big Ten in his time at Michigan.