Coach Bruenning grew up in Sarasota and began his competitive career under Sherwood Watts, achieving team records across multiple events and top national rankings and culminating his Shark career with a YMCA National title in the 500 Freestyle.  John continued competing for the Sharks through High School before swimming for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks for four years. Coach John was the Men's Team captain, two-time MVP, and earned SEC Scholar Athlete honors. 

After graduation from South Carolina, he was the lead assistant coach for George Washington University where he worked primarily with the stroke and IM groups for five seasons helping the team earn 23 conference titles and break 12 school records.

Coach Bruenning ran the Venice site for the Sharks from 2007-2011 before taking the Head Coach position with STAR Aquatics in Greensboro, NC. 

After the birth of his children, his family decided to move back to Florida to be closer to the grandparents and became the Head Coach of the Tampa YMCA Swim Team from 2014-2018.

In October 2018 John rejoined the Sarasota Sharks as the lead coach of our Senior Prep group and assistant coach of the National group.

Coach Bruenning is a proud husband and father of two beautiful children, Finley and Hunter.

Coach Bruenning leads our National Prep Group and oversees all 14&Under groups from Junior Sharks through Middle School.

Chris Webb, originally from Pittsburgh, PA, has been leading GAIN Swimming since August 2018 after stepping back from running swimming clubs full-time. He swam for the University of Pittsburgh and started his coaching career in 1997 with the Garden City Dolphins. In the early 2000s, Chris coached at the University of Pittsburgh and TEAM Pittsburgh Aquatics for Dan McCarthy, part of the USA Swimming National Team.

In 2004, Chris joined Carmel Swim Club and Carmel High School, where he led the high school team to five consecutive state championships and produced multiple 2008 Olympic trials qualifiers, making it the first USA Swimming Gold Medal swim club in Indiana history. By 2009, Chris had joined SwimMAC Carolina under Head Women’s Olympic Coach David Marsh. In Charlotte, he led senior programming and assisted with TEAM ELITE, coaching U.S. Olympic trial qualifiers, Junior Pan Pacific Team members, and an Olympian and world championship finalist from Bermuda. The team also won the 2012 Long Course Junior Nationals during his tenure.

Chris took over the Fort Collins Area Swim Team in 2012, achieving Gold Medal status (top 20 in the USA) by 2016, a status maintained for three consecutive years. In 2017, he became the director of T2 Aquatics in Naples, FL, before fully dedicating himself to GAIN and GAIN Swimming. In 2023, Chris became the high-performance assistant coach for  the Sarasota Sharks.

Some of Chris’s notable accomplishments include coaching 10 National Junior Team members, over 30 Olympic Trials qualifiers, and 25 Junior National Finalists. He served as the USA Swimming Junior Pan Pacific Assistant Coach and National Junior Team Coach in 2016 and was named Colorado Coach of the Year in both 2015 and 2016.

Lead Coach: Senior Group/Middle School Speed

Coach Patricia started coaching with the Sharks in July 2023 after moving to Sarasota from Rota, Spain.
During her tenure in Spain, she was the head coach for the Rota Swim Team and the lead coach for the middle and high school groups. She lead the team to two consecutive 1st place wins for the Southern European Divisionals Championships as well as finishing 2nd overall in the European Forces Swim League Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Patricia has helped several swimmers achieve Futures, Sectionals, and Florida Age Group time standards.

Patricia attended Tulane University on a Marine Corps ROTC scholarship. After graduating she became an officer in the United States Marine Corps serving two tours in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Her other occupations after serving were Fruit Cove Middle School Track and Field Coach, DODEA School PE Teacher, owner V3 Aquatic Club, owner Bella Bella Photography, Pharmaceutical Sales, and Director of the American Red Cross station in Rota, Spain.
 

Program Director & Administrator

Coach Kane, originally from Melbourne, Australia, began his swimming career at age 11 with the Aquabears Swim Team, where he competed until the age of 16. He later attended Deakin University, earning a degree in Marine Biology, before relocating to the United States in 2005. For the next decade, Coach Kane dedicated his career to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, specializing in manatee rescue and rehabilitation.

Coach Kane joined the Sarasota Sharks coaching staff in August 2020, leading the White Group Sharks program and assisting with both the Senior Prep and Sharks Masters teams. In 2021, he returned to competition as a member of the Sharks Masters team, where he continues to compete. His achievements include four USMS Individual National Top 10 rankings, six USMS Relay National Top 10 honors, and a silver medal in the 200 butterfly at the 2023 USMS National Championships.

Holding an ASCA Level 3 Coaching Certification, Coach Kane also serves as the Site Supervisor for the Sarasota Sharks SwimAmerica™ Swim School. In his role as the Sarasota Sharks Program Director & Administrator, he oversees all non-competitive programming, including the adult aquatics program. He is also a certified lifeguard, swim instructor, and Assistant Coach for Riverview High School. Passionate about athlete development, Coach Kane takes great pride in helping swimmers refine their technique, build confidence, and grow both in and out of the water.

Beyond the pool, Coach Kane is a proud father of three Sharks swimmers. He enjoys playing multiple musical instruments, serving as a worship leader at Grace Community Church, and spending time with his family.

Masters Swim Team Associate Head Coach

Coach Walker was born and raised in Sarasota. After many years in business he started the Masters program at the Shark Tank in 2002 with three swimmers. The Sharks Masters have grown to a roster of over 300 with 100+ actively swimming at the Shark Tank. The Sharks Masters pride themselves on offering a program that includes all levels of swimming along with having a reputation as a very friendly, fun and welcoming group. The Sharks Masters were named U.S. Masters Team of the Year in 2012.

Coach Walker has been an active Masters swimmer since 1985. Swimming highlights include Masters World Records in the 400M and 1500M Free and four World Championships at Masters Worlds in Singapore 2025. Coaching awards include the Kerry O'Brien Award for Coaching excellence in 2020 and named as U.S. Masters National Coach of the Year in 2023.

Assistant Gold Group Coach

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA and recentely just graduated from Penn State Univeristy. I finished school with an early childhood education degree and a mnior in photography. Currently, during the day I work as a resource teacher at Community Day School for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. I love it, but something was definitely missing in my life. Growing up, I was part of a huge swimming family with my dad, uncle, grandma and aunt all being my coaches at some point in my 14-year swimming career. Swimming has been a massive part of my life for years upon years. I knew that I wanted to give back to the swimming community at some point. When my family and I moved to Sarasota, FL, I heard about the Sarasota Sharks, and knew I had to apply to become a coach. I am so beyond happy that I am now part of the coaching staff of an incredibly special swim team.

Besides coaching and teaching, I am pretty active. I love to run and workout outside of my work. I also really enjoy listening to music and watching tv shows in my free time. Traveling and taking photos to share memories of myself and others would also be another huge hobby of mine! I am so excited about where my life has taken me so far and I cannot wait for the next chapter as a swim coach! 

Lead Senior Speed & Asst. White Group Coach

Coach Andy  was born in 1957. He grew up in Zanesville, Ohio with nine brothers and one sister. He graduated from Zanesville High School in 1975. Attended University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire from 1975 to 1979. He was WSUC swimmer of the meet his freshman year, and four-year NAIA All American. He was top three in the 200 butterfly and 500 freestyle, and swam in two relays that were national champions. He swam fly in the 400-medley relay and anchored the 800 free relay that set the NAIA national record. He was inducted into the UWEC Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.   In 1980 he moved to Palm Beach, Florida and worked for the Town of Palm Beach, Beach Patrol. During this tenure he competed in numerous beach lifeguarding competitions, ocean miles, and masters swimming competitions.  In 1990 he took his first head coaching job as the first head coach in Lake Charles, Louisiana. While coaching Andy attended McNeese State University as a Graduate Assistant and visiting lecturer . He received his master’s degree in education with an emphasis in exercise science. In 1993 he started a high school league that started with four teams and within 20 years produced over 20 teams and multiple state championship teams. In 1995 he took a job at Hargrave Military Academy as the first Swimming Head Coach. Moved back to Louisiana in 1998 and took a head middle school physical education teaching job and coaching football, basketball and track. In 2003 he transferred to teaching elementary physical education and coaching swimming at Sulphur High School. H e hosted the LHSAA Swimming Championships for fifteen years. He retired from the school system and in 2019 moved to work for The Sharks.   

Assistant Coach

Lola Campbell has been coaching summer league, high school and USA swimming teams for more than 45 years.  Lola is the original founder of Tidal Wave in 1998 and serves as the CEO of the team. She has coached many swimmers to the State and Regional levels.
 

Lola is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Exercise Science and Sport Management at Kennesaw State University.   She holds the Master of Science degree in Physical Education from Northwestern State University of Louisiana.   She began her swimming career in her hometown of Statesboro, Georgia, and went on to swim for Georgia Southern University, on it's first Womens team (first team captain), while pursuing her undergraduate degree in Physical Education.  She has two children, Heather and Josh and three grandchildren.  Sent from my iPhone

Lead Black Group and Assistant Senior Group Coach 

Coach Danny was born and raised in Sarasota and was a Shark for 13 years. During his time on the Sharks, Coach Danny qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials. He also swam for Lakewood Ranch High School and was a high school state champion in the 500 free, as well as a multiple-time state runner-up.

Coach Danny attended North Carolina State University (NCSU) and was a four year letter winner for the men’s swim team. At NC State, Coach Danny was also a four-time ACC team champion and earned his B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Operations and Supply Chain Management.

In college, Coach Danny worked with a local summer league swim team where he was able to further develop his love for the sport.

Coach Danny assists with the Senior and Senior Prep groups.

Associate Head Masters Coach & Lead Coach for State Prep

Coach Daphne began her swimming career as a Shark at age 3 in 1971 as part of the “Mini Sharks “under Coach Sherwood Watts. During her swimming career, she also competed for Gotham (under Lenny and Don Galuzzi), Badger (under John Collins), Starlit/Solitar (under Holger Dietz and Bob and Greg York), and the Northern Virginia Swim League (Under Mike Simpson).  

Daphne restarted her swimming career as a member of U.S. Masters Swimming in 2014 after a lengthy hiatus. She has earned 13 Individual National Top Ten and 32 Relay National Top Ten awards since then.  She has earned a National Top Ten in 200 Butterfly every year since 2016 and earned an All-American in that event in 2020.  Coach Daphne enjoys the challenge of long-distance butterfly and has completed the 2K and 4K open water “Round the Sound” race in Bermuda all butterfly. She has competed as an open-water swimmer in events such as Swim Around Lido, Swim Around Ft. Desoto, Swim for Alligator Lighthouse, Hurricane Man, Tropical Splash, Round the Sound, and the Lake Fontana 5K. Her biggest bucket list is swimming in the “Escape from Alcatraz” open water race, all butterfly!

Daphne also competes as a multisport athlete, either individually or as part of a relay. She is often the swimmer pulling a challenged athlete behind her in a kayak for a differently-abled triathlon team. At the 2017 Aquabike Long Course National Championships, she qualified to compete in the Aquabike World Championships. Because of her diagnosis with a form of progressive peripheral neuropathy, she now competes as a para-triathlete.

Coach Daphne has coached for North Port High School and the North Port and Venice YMCA.  She is a certified lifeguard, Level II USA Swimming and USMS coach, and has taught swim lessons for decades.  In 2017, she was the USMS LSMC Coach of the Year. Coach Daphne has coached Jr. Sharks, SwimFit, White Group, Black Group, and currently leads the evening Masters group.  She loves to help new and returning swimmers improve their technique and find their love of swimming!

Coach Daphne graduated from the University of Florida and has completed additional coursework at the State College of Florida and NovaSoutheastern University.  She is certified to teach ELA 6-12, Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum, and PE K-12. She is ESOL, Reading, and Gifted endorsed and has advanced coursework in Pre-K/Primary. She completed her Master's Degree in Education with a major in Administration and Supervision at Ball State University in July 2024. In June 2023, she was selected as a Chalkboard Champion by local TV station ABC7. She was selected as the Brookside Teacher of the Year for the 2023-2024 school year. She is the founder and leader of the Brookside Happiness Project, which is responsible for adding hundreds of indoor and outdoor plants on campus to make school a welcoming place where everyone experiences the incredible benefits of improved mood, productivity, concentration, and creativity. 

Synchro Head Coach

Coach Bacon has been a member of the Sarasota Aquatics Synchronized Swimming coaching staff since 2006. She currently holds positions as Administrative Chair of the Southwest Association, Education Chair for the South Zone, and is also a member of the National Coaching Board. She led the SYNCHRO team to National competition during the 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013 seasons.