Our Coaching Staff
(click on each heading to read the Coach's bio)Head Assistant Coach Adam Osweiler: Office Hours - Tuesday & Thursday 4:30-5:30 and by appointment
Coach Donald P. Spellman, Head Coach
Coach Spellman has been coaching with the Iowa City Eels since 1995. A highly respected and decorated coach, Coach Spellman was named “ISI Age-Group Coach of the Year” for 5 straight years, and has been named “Iowa Swimming Inc. (ISI) Senior Coach of the Year” 3 times, most recently in 2010. Not only is Coach Spellman the only coach in ISI history to win both awards in the same year, a feat he accomplished in 2005, he is the only coach to win Coach of the Year 9 times.
Coach Spellman has been named to the Iowa All-Star and Iowa Zone Team coaching staff for 9 years, 4 of them as Head Coach. During his tenure, ICE swimmers have consistently qualified to compete at State, Zone, Sectional, and National levels. He has developed over 21 swimmers who have graduated to swim in the NCAA as well as graduating an athlete to swim in the NAIA. Two of his former swimmers have qualified for the USA Swimming Olympic Trials.
An active and respected member of the coaching community, Coach Spellman is the current president of the Iowa Swimming Coaches Association. He has also served as the Technical Planning Director, the Senior Coach Representative, and is currently the Diversity and Outreach Chairman for the ISI Board of Directors. He has twice represented ISI at the United States Aquatic Sports Convention.
Coach Spellman began his swimming career in the Perry, IA summer swim league and joined the Des Moines Swim Federation while in High School. He was a member of both Perry High School and Dowling swim teams before he went on to swim for UNLV. His club swimming experience includes DMSF, Hawkeye Swim Club and the Iowa City Swim Club, (now ICE). He currently trains as a Masters swimmer.
Coach Spellman is married to Emily A. Spellman, and is the father of twin daughters, Anna and Grace (current ICE swimmers). Coach Spellman's family tree includes Ezra Pound, the experimental modernist poet, and Roscoe Pound, the famed American legal scholar and former Dean of Harvard Law School. Away from the pool, Coach Spellman’s passions are mountain biking (single-track and downhill), downhill skiing, skateboarding, reducing his carbon footprint, poetry, collecting vintage Star Wars items, and listening to punk and modern rock.
Coach Adam Osweiler, Head Assistant Coach
Coach Osweiler has been coaching for d2 years, the last d5 of which have been spent with the Iowa City Eels. He began his coaching career while a student at Ohio University and spent a year coaching with the Cincinnati Marlins before returning to Iowa to take over the age-group program for ICE. In 2008 he was named Iowa Swimming Inc. (ISI) Age Group Coach of the Year.
Under his direction, the Iowa City Eels Age Group swimmers have consistently qualified to compete at the State and Zone levels. In addition to the individual successes, including 27 State champions, 26 State record holders and 5 Zones champions, the Age Group swimmers as a team have taken 8 Age Group Division titles and were the Age Group State runners-up 2006-2008.
A competitive swimmer for over 20 years, Coach Osweiler began his swimming career in Massachusetts with the Hanscom Seahawks and later swam for the Dayton Raiders in Ohio as well as Fairborn High School. He went on to swim for the Ohio University where he was Team Captain and a four year letter winner. Currently swimming in the Master's program, Coach Osweiler was the 2004 US Master's National Champion in the 200 Butterfly.
Away from the pool, Coach Osweiler enjoys listening to hip-hop, playing video games, avidly cheering on the Boston Red Sox, spending time with his dog Fenway, and working out (both in and out of the water).
Coach Dave Walton
Coach David Walton brings x years of professional coaching experience to the Iowa City Eels. Beginning as an assistant coach with the YMCA swim team, the Wilton Wavemakers, he soon became their Head Coach, a position he held for three years. Coach Dave went on to coach with the Muscatine Swim Club, which morphed into QCA, for two years and was Lead Coach at the Muscatine and Wilton practice locations for QCA.
Coach Dave joins ICE as an Assistant Coach and Lead Site Coach for the Wilton/Muscatine practice location. Coach Dave grew up without a competitive swim team in the nearby area but had fun as a kid racing the lifeguards when they went on break. He obtained his own Lifeguard certification through the local YMCA and is still known to take a Guard shift on occasion. In High School he was a three sport athlete, competing in Baseball, Basketball and Track.
Coach Dave also has 5 years of experience coaching youth baseball and foottball in Wilton. As the parent of a swimmer Alex, Coach Dave has been involved in competitive swimming as a volunteer and Official in addition to coaching. He is a full time Farmer, owner and operator of a Retail seed business, Walton Farms and Walton Ag and Seed - doing his best to help feed the world.
Coach Ivan Sanchez
Head Coach of the Iowa City High School Girls and Assistant Coach of the City High Boys swim teams, Coach Ivan Sanchez is a three time Olympic Trials Qualifier and has represented Mexico in the World Championships. A four-year Letterman and Conference Champion (distance free) while at Southern Illinois University, he was named "Most Valuable Swimmer" in his Junior year and Team Captain in his Senior year. His club swimming experience includes the Mission Viejo Nadadores, in Mission Viejo CA. An experienced US Nationals, US Open, Junior Nations, Sectionals and Grand Prix competitor, Coach Sanchez also brings his 5 years of coaching experience to ICE in the summer during long course season. Away from the pool, Coach Sanchez enjoys playing and coaching soccer, playing Xbox 360, playing with his iPhone 4, spending time with wife Brianna, going out to the movies, eating good authentic Mexican food and collecting soccer jerseys.
Coach John Burkle
Coach John Burkle is Head Coach of the Iowa City High School boys team, the former Head Coach of the Iowa City High School girls team, and a former coach of the Southeast Jr. High swim programs. Coach Burkle has won Mississippi Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors 3 times and has twice been named District Coach of the year. Coach Burkle is a graduate of West LIberty H.S. (IA), the University of Iowa, and received his Masters’ degree from Drake University. He teaches History/Social Studies at Iowa City High School. Coach Burkle coaches ICE swimmers during the long course season, mainly working with our Morays, Masters, and Cubes groups. He is an avid triathlete, Smashing Pumpkins fan, Chicago Bears fan, and comic book collector.
Coach Carlene Koken
Former Woodbury High School and SEMS (MN) swimmer, Coach Carlene Koken swam butterfly and breaststroke and was an assistant coach for the South East Metro Sharks during one season. She works with all groups at ICE. She is a Notre Dame graduate and played piccolo in the marching band during her four years there. Carlene is currently at the University of Iowa earning her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Besides swimming, Carlene enjoys all things Notre Dame, working out, speaking Spanish, and helping children with Autism.
Coach Courtney Richenbacher
Coach Lily Doershuk
Coach Lily grew up in Iowa City and joined ICE when she was nine. She swam with the club through high school and participated in many State Championship meets as well as several out-of-state meets. Lily attended Iowa City High School and was on the Varsity girls swim team all four years, serving as co-Captain her junior and senior years. She qualified for the Iowa High School Girls Swimming Championship meet all four years, participating in both relay and individual events. Her best events were the 100 and 200-yard freestyle. At age 15 Lily earned her lifeguard certification and has worked for the City of Iowa City lifeguarding and teaching swimming lessons. Lily currently attends the University of Iowa studying Anthropology and Spanish. Besides swimming, Lily enjoys biking, reading, kayaking, and traveling.
Coach Stephanie Higgins
Coaches can be reached by phone at 351-3336 or you can email dspellman at iceels dot orgCoach Don Spellman or aosweiler at iceels dot orgCoach Adam Osweiler directly.
