Ben Bartell
Head Coach
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Originally from
Cedarburg, WI, Ben is a graduate of the University of Minnesota,
with a degree in history. He coached at Minnetonka Swim Club
part-time in the 2008 summer season before joining the team as
Silver 1 coach in the Fall, 2008.
Ben is a two-time
Olympic trials qualifier, and an NCAA All-American. He has
coached in several clubs in the Twin Cities area as well as was age
group coach at the Schroeder YMCA in Brown Deer, WI. In his
coaching career, Ben coached numerous champions at the state and
zone levels, as well as state record holders, and swimmers in the
national top 8.
In addition to being
Head Coach, Ben also serves as the Aquatics Director for the
Minnetonka School District.
Daniel Berve
Age Group Coach
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Dan re-joins the Minnetonka Swim Club as a full-time
coach after having spent the 2008-2009 school year teaching English
in Spain.
Originally from Papillion, NE, Dan was a high school
All-American who led his team to the 2003 Nebraska state
championship and enjoyed personal wins in the 100 back (2 years),
200 free (3 years), and 500 free (1 year).
A 2007 graduate of the University of Minnesota, Dan
was also a 2006-07 team captain, five-time All-American,
five-time Big Ten finalist, two-time CSCAA Academic All-American,
and ranks third all-time at Minnesota in 100 fly, fifth in the 100
back, and ninth in the 200 back. Following his final year as
a Gopher, he competed in the 2008 Olympic Trials in the 100 fly and
100 back. Dan gained coaching experience by coaching camps at
the U of M; was a head coach of a summer league team for two
summers; and was a fifth-year coach for the men’s team while
coaching for a year at the Minnetonka Swim Club. In addition
to coaching full-time at The Minnetonka Swim Club, Dan is working
on a masters degree and is continuing to coach part-time
with the University of Minnesota Men's Swim
Team.
Aimee Hukill
Novice Coach
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Aimee joined the Minnetonka Swim
Club this winter as an assistant coach. In July 2010,
she was hired to manage the dual roles of Novice coach for the
Club and Learn-to-Swim Coordinator for Minnetonka
Aquatics.
Her own swimming career began in Alabama,
where she swam for a YMCA team. Aimee enjoyed
considerable success as a competitor: She was a four-time
YMCA All American and a three-time
inductee into the Southeastern Swimming Hall of
Fame.
At the University of Missouri (Division
I-level), Aimee swam the 100 and 200 breaststroke and the 200 and
400 IM. She lettered all four years in her college swimming
career.
Aimee offers our swimmers a background
in lessons and coaching, experience gained coaching in an
Alabama summer league, as well as assisting at University of
Missouri swim camps.
Taryn C Kelzer
Assistant Coach
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Taryn swam for the Edina Swim Club and
Edina High School before attending Scripps College in Claremont,
CA.
Swimming for the Claremont Colleges, she
was a NCAA Div. III All American and SCIAC Conference champion in
the 100 Fly.
She was also a captain and starter of the women's water polo team
that won two National Championships during her four years.
Now a real estate agent and resident of
Minnetonka, Taryn is thrilled to be back in the world of swimming
as an assistant coach with the Minnetonka Swim Club!
Gretchen Krumwiede
Age Group Coach
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Gretchen
joined the team in the fall of
2008. A graduate from the University of
Minnesota—Duluth with an Early Childhood Special Education
degree, Gretchen swam 6 years for Waseca, MN’s local swim
club and high school swim team.
After competing, she taught swimming lessons and
lifeguarded at the Duluth YMCA and the Waseca Community Ed
Dept.
David E Plummer
Assistant Coach
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David joins the Minnetonka Swim Club as assistant
coach and professional athlete in 2010.
A graduate of the University of Minnesota (with a
degree in English), David has been an assistant coach at
the Cincinnati Aquatic Club during the 2009 season. There,
he has assisted Head Coach Benson Spurling with the
club's senior and national level groups--producing two Junior
National qualifiers and numerous Speedo Sectional qualifiers.
He also worked for three years at the swim camps at the
University of Minnesota as a swim coach and camp counselor,
and was an age group coach (summer, 2007) at
the Edina Swim Club.
He was placed in the top 8 at the Olympic trials in
both the 100 and 200 backstrokes for the 2008
Olympics. After taking a six month break from
training, he began competing again with increased speed and
renewed commitment to train for the 2012
Olympics-- and to do it with The
Minnetonka Swim Club.
David is currently among the top 5 backstrokers in
the country--no small feat when the top backstrokers in the
world are in the United States.
He began his swimming career in Oklahoma, where he was a
multiple state champion while swimming for his high school in
Westmore. During his senior year in 2004, David owned the fastest
high school 100 back time in the nation, and placed third in the
100 back at the U.S. Nationals.
David's career at the University of Minnesota
included being a full 4-year scholarship recipient, a 4-year letter
winner, a Senior Captain, and he helped lead the team to
the Big Ten Conference Championship in 2005 and 2007. He was a
14-time NCAA All American and 8 time individual finalist at the
NCAA. He finished his career at Minnesota as school record
holder in the 100 backstroke (46.32) and 200
backstroke (1:42.41) and ninth in the 200 IM
(1:48.12).
In addition to placing in the Olympic trials in 2004 and 2008,
David represented the United States in the 2007 World University
Games in Bangkok, Thailand, and was the only Big Ten swimmer named
to the the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships team in Victoria,
British Columbia.
Minnetonka's coaching staff will also become
David's trainers, coaches, and workout partners to keep him
motivated toward achieving a new level of excellence and
realizing his Olympic dream. With this new level of
coach/athlete on the team, the knowledge gained helping David will
be knowledge applied to improve the performance of
all of our swimmer
athletes!
Lindsey St. Martin
Assistant Coach
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Lindsey joined the coaching staff of the Club in the fall of
2009.
A Minnesota native, Lindsey lettered in track and swimming for
Cretin-Derham Hall. There she earned all-conference honors
for four straight season, and was named the team's Most Valuable
Swimmer in her sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. She
helped her school earn four conference championships, and one
section championship. Lindsey also competed at junior
nationals her senior year.
After high school, she swam for the University of Minnesota,
where she lettered her sophomore and junior years. She was 100 and 200 fly, 100 back, 200 IM
and various relays with the team.
Barb Scouler
Assistant Coach
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Barb began her swimming
career in Mt. Prospect, IL, where she still holds their record in
the 200 Fee from 1980 (1:53.63), 100 Fly set in 1979 (57.78), 500
Free (5:02.04) set in 1979. In 1978 Barb was state
champion in the 100 Fly
and placed second in the 200 free; in 1979 she repeated her
championship in the 100 Fly, and added the 200 Free and 500
Free. That year she also placed third in the 200
Free.
While attending college at Southern Illinois University, Barb
competed from 1980 – 1984, finishing her college career
as a 16-time All American. As a freshman, she posted a school
record 35 victories, winning 27 individual events, setting 13
school records, and being an AIAW All American in four
events. Barb's swimming successs lead to her
induction into the SIU Hall of Fame ~six years after
graduating with a B.S. in Community Health. She
completed a Physical Therapy Assistant degree in May of 1996 at the
College of St.
Catherines.
Barb continues to swim
and set records today: she currently holds the national
record for the 50 fly in her age group (which we're not telling) as
a Minnesota Masters swimmer and has achieve All-American status in
that event!
With a strong belief in
how great the sport of swimming is, one of her children
also swims with the team--and she encourages nearly everyone
she meets to consider taking up the
sport.
Zach Joseph Wood
Age Group and Masters Coach
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A University of Minnesota graduate (geography) and
swim team alumni, Zach began his swimming career in Alma, Michigan,
where he helped his high school team win state championships in
2001, 2002, and 2003. Zach was the individual state champion in his
sophomore, junior, and senior years in the 200 Free and 500 Free,
and was an eight-time All-American.
He continued his swimming career at the University
of Minnesota, where he was a a collegiate All-American and a
six-time Big Ten finalist, helping the Gophers win three Big Ten
championships (2004, 2005, and 2007). He was a 2006-07 team
captain, and competed in the 2008 Olympic Trials in the 200
free, 400 free, and 200 butterfly (finishing17th in the 200
fly).
Zach
has developed his coaching skills working at the University of
Minnesota summer swim camps in 2005, 2006, and 2007. He
joined the Minnetonka Swim Club staff in 2008, and became full time
in 2009.
Nolan Sinkler
Age Group Coach
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Nolan started his swimming career with Minnetonka Swim
Club in 2000, where he still holds some age group team
records.
As
a high school swimmer for Minnetonka High School, he was a 5-year
letter winner; 4-time section champion; state qualifier in 7
different events; 9-time All-State, 4-time All American, Junior
National qualifier, and a part of the school's record-setting,
state champion 200 free relay.
After graduating in 2008, Nolan swam his freshman year at
UW-Milwaukee (D1) where he studied computer science. He swam the
breaststrokes and mid-distance freestyle, and set freshman records
in the 500 free and 400 free relay.
The following year he chose not to swim, but switched to
coaching for the North Shore Swim Club in Whitefish Bay, WI as an
age group coach. Moving back to Minnesota this year, he
worked in Minnetonka Aquatics as a Beach Supervisor and lifeguard
instructor.
Nolan joins the Minnetonka Swim Club coaching staff in the
fall of 2010.
