Head Coach: Donald Spellman

Coach Don has been head coach of Kohawk Aquatics since it's inception in the fall of 2021. He is a four time Iowa Swimming Inc. Age-Group Coach of the Year and four time IASI Senior Coach of the Year award winner. Don has served on Team Iowa Coaching staffs at Midwest All-Stars and Central Zones Championship meets 11 times. He has worked with over 52 athletes that went on to swim in college (at NAIA and NCAA affiliated institutions) and 68 Iowa High School State Meet Qualifiers, 7 IGHSAU / IHSAA State Champions (who earned 21 state championships titles), 16 NISCA High School All-Americans, and helped train 13 athletes who went on to compete at the USA Olympic Swimming Trials (2000, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2021, and 2024). Past coaching positions include head coach of the Iowa City Eels Swim Club from 1998-2020 and head coach of Des Moines Swimming Federation from 2020-2021. 

Coach Don has served as IASI Technical Planning Chairperson, IASI Senior Vice-Chairperson, IASI Junior Coach Representative, IASI Senior Coach Representative, president of the Iowa Swimming Coaches Association, the IASI Diversity and Inclusion Chairperson. and was a multi year delegate to USA Swimming Conventions. He has also been a coaching staff member for Central Zone Diversity camps and multiple swimming clinics in the Midwest. In 2020 Coach Don was awarded the USA-Swimming / Phillips 66 Service Award by Iowa Swimming Inc. for his volunterring efforts and dedication to the governance side of the sport. 

Don was a member of the University of Nevada Las Vegas men's swimming team, WDM (IA) Dowling Catholc High School, Perry (IA) High School, Des Moines Swimming Federation swim teams, and a former Iowa City Eels (Masters team) swimmer. During his competitive age-group years Don qualified for mulitple Central Zones Championships (earning 2 bronze medals and other Top 16 finishes) and two Junior National competitions (in BR and relay events). Don was also a five time silver medalist, three time bronze medalist, and 11 time Top 8 finisher at United States Masters Swimming (USMS) National Championships (BR, FL, and IM events) in the 19 to 24, 25 to 29, and 30 to 34 age groups. 

Coach Don has also contributed his time to help as a meet announcer at various Iowa Swimming Inc., junior high, college, and high school meets. For the past 5 years he has provided color commentary for the livestream broadcasts at the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union and Iowa High School Athletic Association championship meets. 

Don and his wife Emily live in Iowa City with their two African Dwarf Frogs (Will & Marr) and a Goldendoodle (Ruby), Their twin daughters (Anna & Grace) currently live in Omaha (where Anna is a law student and Grace works in the banking industry). In his free time Don enjoys mountain biking (especially XC / singletrack), attending live music events, traveling, reading poetry and biographies, spending time with family, collecting vinyl records, compact discs, vintage Star Wars toys, building (and rebuilding) bicycles, and hiking. 

Email: [email protected] 

Asst. Coach: Hollye Gutierrez

Hollye grew up swimming in the Quad Cities area for USA Swimming clubs in Bettenforf, Davenport, and Pleasant Valley. She was an IGHSAU state qualifier in relays for Bettendorf High School while specializing in the FR and BK events. Some major moments for her competitive development was when she won the 100 Fly and 100 Back at the JV MAC Conference Championships while in high school. Hollye's mother was also a part time swim club coach as her and her twin sister (Valerie) started to pursue the sport more seriously. Hollye has an extensive background in teaching swim lessons (and has been a registered USA Swimming coach for 3 years. She is currently a member of the Coe College swim team while studying Kinesiology and Spanish.

Away from the pool and the classroom, Hollye enjoys listening to country music, reading fiction (especially books by Colleen Hoover), hiking, paddle boarding, walking her dog, and racing triathlons. 

Asst. Coach: Valerie Gutierrez

Valerie started the sport at age 5 in the Quad Cities area swimming for USAS clubs in Bettendorf, Davenport, and Pleasant Valley.  She was an IGHSAU state qualifier in the relays while specializing in FR and FL events (making the podium in 5th place in the 200 Free Relay for the Bulldogs as a junior). She is currently a member of the Coe College swim team while majoring in Kinesiology with the aim to study Athletic Training at the Univ. of Iowa after graduation. She has been a club swim coach for 3 years (along with her twin sister, Hollye, who is also her teammate at Coe College). Her love of the sport, her competitive nature, and the encouragement from her mother (who is also a certified USAS coach) lead her into club coaching. Valerie is also a certfifed lifeguard and swim lessons instructor.  

Away from the pool and the classroom, Valerie enjoys listening to country music, line dancing, waterskiing, and hanging out with family and friends. She is also a fan of the "Outer Banks" book series. 

Asst. Coach: Joe Kueter

Asst. Coach: Eric Ford

Eric started swimming at age 5 with swim lessons and then joined his first swim club at age 7.  Eric trained with three different swim clubs (in three states) as his father had long carreer with the US Navy and the family moved around a few times when he was growing up. When his family settled in the Cedar Rapids area Eric joined the Cedar Rapids Aquatics Association and later on was a member of the Cedar Rapids Washington (Warriors) Boys Swim Team. During that time period Eric competed at various IASI Championship meets and often scored points in relays, the 200 and 400 IM, and the 200 to 1650y / 1500m Freestyle events. 

Eric attended Coe College and was a member of the Kohawks varsity swimming team where he focused on distance and middle distance events. Eric placed in the Top 16 six times at his college conference championships (in the 400y IM and the 500y and 1650y Freestyles) and pitched in often on the 400 and 800 Freestyle Relays at various meets. In 2020 he graduated from Coe with a degree in computer science after also serving as a team captain. 

Eric loved the sport of swimming and the positive impacts it had on him and his two brothers (who also both competed at the club level and in college at NCAA D3 and D1 affilated institutions). He got into club coaching and helping run college swim meets at Coe in order to help give back to the sport at a local level (plus make a little extra money). 

In his free time Eric enjoys hanging out with his friends and amily (but espcially being a fun uncle), watching various sports, and cooking.