With over 30 years of coaching experience, Ken has opportunity to coach at all levels on both coasts at teams both large and small.  In the last 9 Seattle Metropolitan Aquatics has grown from a small team based in the Central Area of Seattle to Nationally recognized, premier swim club in the Pacific Northwest.  Ken is committed to making SMAC a model club in the country by making swimming accessible to all in our local communities, while at the same time providing our athletes a coaching staff and operational structure that encourages athletes to take their swimming career as far as they are willing to go.   

His swimmers that have gone on to compete at all levels of national competition, collegiate swimming and Olympic Trials.  Ken’s previous coaching experience includes extended periods with Columbia Aquatics Association and King Aquatics. 

Ken, and his wife Melissa, have lived in the Seattle Area since 2004 and have 3 children who all swim with the team.

• 50+  Junior/National Qualifiers
• 3x PNS AG coach of the year
• 4 National AG record holders
• 20+ Athletes selected to USA swimming select Camps (Zone, Diversity, etc.)
• 100+ top 16/100 time on USA swimming all-time list

Ken also serves at the Senior Vice Chair on the PNS board and the president of the Greater Seattle Swim Association.

Adam Martinez comes from Tacoma Washington and has over 35 years of swimming and coaching experience.  The past 3 years and was the head coach for North Tampa Aquatics, as well as the Director of Aquatics for the Club at Cheval. Before coming to Tampa, he was the Senior Coach with Rochester Swim Club for 4 years. Prior to that Adam was the Head Coach for Albany Starfish, as well as the Head Coach of Tacoma
Swim Club for 2 years, and an assistant coach with Tacoma Swim Club the previous 5 years. Before coming to Tacoma, Adam was the Head Coach for the Washington Aquatic Killer Orcas. Adam has helped develop swimmers at all levels, ranging from Sectionals up to National qualifiers, and Olympic Trial Qualifiers, and US National Team members along with several top 16 age group rankings. Adam has also had several high school champions and state record holders.
 
Adam swam for Tacoma Swim Club, the Napa Valley Swim Team, and attended the University of Washington on a full ride athletic scholarship, he was a Five-Time All-American, and qualified for Nationals and Olympic Trials in the Individual Medley and the Butterfly.

When Adam is not on deck he spends as much time with his wife Ashley and three kids Lorelai, Jackson, and Kieren and cheering for all Seattle and Washington Husky sport teams.

Over multiple decades of coaching, Gardner Howland has been fortunate to coach hundreds of athletes in productive settings. Highlights include many USA swimming #1 ranked individuals and relays, Junior National champion individuals and relays, and numerous US National finalists. His athletes have qualified for National Junior teams, Pan-American Games, Pan Pacific Games, World University Games, Goodwill Games, and the 2000 Olympic Games (a high school-aged swimmer), and he is proud to have helped his swimmers go on to some the most respected educational institutions in the country.

Gardner has been the head coach of 2 USA Swimming Club Excellence Gold Medal clubs, for 14 and 10 years respectively, and has served as USA Swimming National Junior Team head coach twice.  He takes pride in connecting with each individual athlete and bringing out their best.  Gardner is excited to join the staff and organization of SMAC, and eager to begin pushing the program to greater heights.

Adam's love for competitive swimming began in 1995 in Tacoma and that has led him to a wonderful career in teaching that sport. He began teaching swim lessons at the Lakewood YMCA in 2004, then summer league at Tacoma Country and Golf Club in 2005 and Marine Hills Swim and Tennis Club in 2015, and finally year-round club swimming with King Aquatic Club in 2012.

He began coaching the beginner 14 & under swimmers, immediately knowing that this was his favorite role because of the great potential for long-term skill development - if we can teach them to love the sport while we’re at it, then their overall potential sky-rockets! In the pool they learn to be a champion every day for their team, and then out of the pool they learn to be a great member of their family and community.

Adam thoroughly enjoys the swim life, and he is grateful to continue growing and improving with the Seattle Metropolitan Aquatic Club community.

Brenna has been poolside since the age of five. She was trained in the pools and schools of sunny Arizona.  She was a part of several club teams, finishing her club career at the nationally renowned Scottsdale Aquatic Club. Brenna had the opportunity to compete as a scholarship athlete at Brigham Young University's women's team in her specialty--200 butterfly. She graduated in 2020 with a bachelor of fine arts with a minor in business and psychology. Currently, she is obtaining her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Art therapy. Along the way, Brenna served in a variety of capacities within the swimming world. Her swim experience has ranged from swim lessons, summer league coaching, BYU summer camps, and club coaching over the last 10 years.  She is excited to be a part of the Seattle Metropolitan Aquatic Club swim team again this year and looks forward to a bigger role in helping your young swimmer achieve their life and swim goals.

Erin grew up in Juneau, Alaska, where she swam for Glacier Swim Club and Juneau Douglas High School. After earning a bachelor's degree in history from Northwest University in Kirkland, WA, Erin went on to work in elite athletics. She spent three years working for the US Soccer Federation, as well as the Seattle Reign (women’s professional soccer), and in soccer operations at Santa Clara University and the University of Oklahoma. Through her experience working in athletics, Erin realized that her passion was for coaching, and she got her start in her home state of Alaska as the head coach of the Haines Dolphins Swim Team. In her first year, she coached multiple state champions and zones qualifiers. Erin left Alaska to attend nursing school at Columbia University in New York City, where she continued to coach swimming for a local club team. She later coached for Trinity School in NYC, where she worked with sectional, futures, and winter juniors’ qualifiers, many of which have gone on to swim with NCAA division I teams in the Ivy League and beyond. Erin has also spent time during the last five years working as a nurse, and now works in the mornings as a faculty member at Seattle University's College of Nursing. She really loves working with the swimmers at SMAC and looks forward to seeing them accomplish their goals and exceed their own expectations both in and out of the pool. She is especially interested in the science behind elite athletic performance and plans to utilize a scientific-based approach throughout the season. When she’s not working, you can find her spending time with her dogs or out on the coast surfing and camping in her van!

Josh has been involved in competitive swimming for more than fifteen years. He started when he was 6 years old with the Twin Lakes Swim Team. He went on to swim with King Aquatic Club for 7 years, and at Stadium High School for 2 years. During his swimming career, Josh was able to win 2 High School State Championships and break 2 National Age Group Records. After high school, he went on to swim and serve as club president with Central Washington University’s Swim Club. Josh started coaching in 2017 at Marine Hills Swim and Tennis Club, where he coached all ages for 3 seasons.

Outside of swimming, Josh enjoys hiking and running, though he still tries to swim as much as he can. He is currently working on his degree in engineering at the University of Washington.

Laura has been actively involved in swimming most of her life. She grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and swam competitively for the JCC Sailfish through high school. She also swam as an undergrad for Penn State. Laura has a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Pittsburgh. Ever since she was old enough to join, Laura has been active in masters swimming and she frequently can be found swimming in the pool at Mercerwood Shore Club, in Lake Washington, or in the Puget Sound at Alki beach. She is the mom of 3, all of whom swam collegiality. Laura lives in Bellevue with her husband Andy, 2 dogs, a cat and whichever of her kids who happens to be home.

Since moving to the Northwest, Laura has participated in swimming as a lifeguard, swim instructor and coach. She has taught lessons for King Aquatic Club, coached at OCA for 10 years and spent the past 2 years coaching with Columbia Athletic Club at Pine Lake. Her focus has been with novice and developmental swimmers. Laura’s philosophy is steady improvements are made through improving technical skills, correct body positioning and developing confidence all while having fun in the process!

Kieran came to SMAC after a 4 year career as a varsity swimmer at Seattle U. He runs Age Group Performance at the Central/MIBC site. Kieran was a competitive swimmer for 13 years, which includes his time swimming for Seattle University. He grew up club swimming in Oregon, and was a 50, 100, 200, and 500 yard freestyler.

Keith Ure has over 30 years of coaching experience beginning in 1987 with the Kent Area Dolphins. Keith was heavily involved with the formation of King Aquatic Club, bringing the Kent Area Dolphins and Highline Swim Club together in 1996. In addition to over 30 years of club coaching experience, Keith also has 6 years Head Coach/Assistant Coach experience with Summer League Clubs (KSTC/Arbor Heights), and 9 Years as a Head High School Coach (Evergreen/Hazen).

Keith has been involved at the Pacific Northwest Swimming level serving as Head Coach of All-Star Teams and Assistant Coach of All-Star Teams on a number of occasions. Keith has also been apart of several Zone Team staffs as well.  

Keith has been recognized with a number of honors including:

• American Swimming Coaches Association Coach of the Year (PNS) – 1998, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2012 & 2015
• American Swimming Coaches Association National Age Group Coach of the Year Top Ten Finalist – 2015

Keith has a track record of producing results with athletes credited for:

• 14 National Age Group Records
• Multiple Swimmers on the USA Swimming All-Time Top 100 List
• Over 200 National Top 16/National Top 10 Rankings

Keith currently works at Boeing as an Engineering Manager on a Defense Program. 

Native to Seattle, Justin Leary-Bignayan grew up in the Central District and attended O’Dea High School. He began swimming with his local summer swim league at Medger Evers Pool before joining Central Area Aquatic Team (CAAT; now known as SMAC) in 2012, with whom he began his competitive career in 2014, swimming under Kenneth Spencer. While swimming for CAAT, he also swam for O’Dea, where he earned 3 Varsity letters, broke a school record, and won 7th at the WIAA Boys 3A Swimming State Championships in 2016. He also earned a Futures cut and was awarded the Valued Person Award for CAAT, which is a person who models what it is to be a teammate, as well as modeling team and group values.

Justin continued his career competing in the NCAC Conference for Allegheny College and recently graduated in 2021, earning his B.A. majoring in Studio Art, specializing in photography, and minoring in Biology and Art, Science and Tech. After graduating, he lived in Southern California for a year, where he volunteered as a general learning specialist at Warm Springs Elementary in San Bernardino, coached for Fontana Aquatic Club (FAC), leading his own group, Sr. Fit.

It wasn’t until moving to California that Justin realized his deep passion for child development and empowerment. He aims to continue making a positive impact on the lives of adolescents through coaching and teaching. In addition, he believes that swimming is a segway into life, teaching self-empowerment and everyday practical life skills. He advocates that commitment, self-discipline, and positive enthusiasm for the sport can translate to success outside of the pool, which is vital for growth.

Sami has spent the past nine years coaching swimmers of all ages in Seattle and New York City, with stops at SMAC, AGUA, and 92YFD. Her coaching philosophy is rooted in values and technical excellence, and she has had the privilege of guiding swimmers to achieve Sectionals, Junior Olympics, PNS Champs, Age Group Regionals, Zones, and Senior Mets qualifications.

Sami grew up in Seattle, where she began swimming at eight years old, eventually achieving Senior Sectional standards in butterfly and freestyle. She was the captain of my high school team for three years, leading them to state titles and WIAA records. She took a step back from competing due to medical issues, her passion for the sport never waned, and she quickly found her calling in coaching.

These days, she lives on Mercer Island with her husband and our Bernese Mountain dog. When she is not on the pool deck, she is working at OneTeam, a sports union agency, where she manages college partnerships (hello NIL!).

Brian started his swimming career on a local summer league team before continuing onto swim at Kentwood High School and for VAST, where he broke a few high school and club records.  He swam collegiately for the University of Redlands where and was a multi-time all-SCIAC honoree. 

On the other side of the pool deck, Brian brings years of experience coaching at the summer league and high school level. Brian works primarily with the Catfish and Stroke Development groups out of Kent.

Lynne's lifelong love of swimming began in her central California childhood, where backyard pools were common, and her parents prioritized water safety from a young age. She joined the Clovis Swim Club at the age of ten and continued swimming until she graduated high school as a national level swimmer. While in college she swam with Masters as she pursued mathematics at UC San Diego. 

Now, Lynne has two kids of her own who swim for SMAC in Stroke Development. As a coach she’s focused on creating a fun, engaging environment where swimmers can learn and grow; sparking their desire to keep improving. It's essential for her swimmers to develop proper form and a strong foundation in movement, but above all, she wants them to be safe in the water. Swimming isn't just a sport; it's a life skill.

Beyond the pool, Lynne is a dedicated learner, pursuing an MBA at UC Berkeley and prioritizing functional fitness through activities like weightlifting and running.

Scot was born in San Diego, California into a family of swimmers. Starting competitive swimming at six years old, he quickly fell in love with the sport and the water. With more than ten years of training professionally and a psychology degree from UCSC, he strives to maximize the full potential within each individual.

Daniel grew up swimming in Tennessee when he was 10 years old and since then, he has kept swimming as a core part of his life. He swam at Harvard from 2016-2020, setting a team record in the 200 Medley Relay and being part of a Top 8 NCAA team finish at the 2019 NCAAs. After graduating and moving out to Seattle, he finished his career on a high note with SMAC competing at the 2021 Olympic Trials. After training with such an incredible team of swimmers, he moved into the other side of practices as a coach. 

Kate was born and raised in Seattle, WA. She was introduced to the world of swimming at age 4 when she began swim lessons. Soon after completing swim lessons, she joined SMAC and spent 10 years with the team, about 4 of them she swam under Ken Spencer. She qualified for multiple Sectionals and Futures championships in both individual events and relays. Kate graduated in 2021 from New York University with a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics. She swam at NYU for one year before ending her swimming career due to injury.  

After watching SMAC grow from afar, she is excited and honored to return to the team as a coach and help swimmers of all ages excel in the sport. In her free time Kate enjoys gaming, catching up on recent nutrition research, cooking, and exploring the greater Seattle area. She also works as a diet technician.

Coach Bill brings a lifetime of experience and passion for swimming to SMAC after 8 years as Assistant Coach at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, where he teamed in developing 26 new all-time team records and over 200 top ten all time swims. For three years prior to that as Head Age Group Coach, he led Portland’s Mount Hood Aquatics to record Championship team placements, participation and PR’s and developed an eventual Olympic Trial qualifier.

His competitive swimming experience includes two US Olympic Trials, World Championship Trials, All-American honors at University of Washington, US Swimming Coaches Championships and a US National Team member.

He is excited to be a part of the SMAC team and to contribute his passion for adding to a goal-oriented environment where results are the biproduct of excellence in all things.

Bill and his wife Catherine are excited to be back in the Seattle area again and near their family, including their three wonderful grandkids (two are SMAC members). When he isn’t coaching, Bill enjoys swimming, biking, cycling, playing pickleball and cheering on his alma mater.

Hi, my name is Lydia. I grew up in Colorado, where I joined Fort Collins Area Swim Team at age 8. My coaches have always impacted me in amazing ways, and I cannot wait to help coach the next generation of swimmers. Swimming has always been at the center of my life through competing, teaching lessons, and one-on-one coaching. I'm currently a senior on the Seattle University swim team, where I am studying criminal justice and Spanish. Outside of the pool I am hoping to attend law school and love anything that gets me outdoors like hiking and camping!

Laurae got involved with competitive swimming through her three children. Warren, Olivia, and Eleanor started swimming with a summer league team and that quickly grew into club swimming. Two of her children participated in college athletics - Warren at Indiana University and Olivia at Whitman College. Her youngest Eleanor also enjoys swimming with SMAC. In her free time Laurae enjoys spending time with her family, camping, hiking, and walking on the beach at the family cabin. Oh, and hanging out with her dogs - Winnie and Penny!