Coaches & Instructors
Team USA defines quality coaching as “the consistent application of integrated professional, interpersonal and intrapersonal knowledge to improve athletes’ competence, confidence, connection and character in specific coaching contexts.”
Quality coaching has three distinct components: coaching knowledge, athlete outcomes and coaching environment. All three components are required, and work together to deliver quality coaching in any particular situation.
Coach VanDriessche has dedicated over three decades to the sport of swimming, leading various teams and athletes to success both in the pool and in personal development. As the Head Coach of four prominent USA Swimming Clubs—EAST, SCBD, MM, and SBSC—Coach VanDriessche has built a reputation for excellence and a commitment to fostering talent.
In addition to club coaching, he has served as Head Coach at Knox & Riley High Schools, and is currently the Head Coach at Penn High School. His exceptional leadership has earned him multiple Northern Indiana Conference (NIC) and IHSAA Sectional Coach of the Year awards, showcasing his ability to cultivate competitive, driven teams. Recently, he was honored as the 2024 IHSAA State Coach of the Year, a testament to his impact on the sport and his athletes.
- 10+ Years of Coaching Experience
- Two-time NCAA Mid-South Conference Swimming Coach of the Year
- Accomplished Triathlete including two-time USA Triathlon All-American, running the Boston Marathon twice, placing 4th overall as an amateur in the Chicago triathlon, winning the Indianapolis Triathlon, and qualifying for the 70.3 age group world championships
Coach Lexi has an approachable and encouraging coaching style.
With a solid foundation in swimming, Coach Lexi has been involved in the sport since the age of 8, joining the South Bend Swim Club (SBSC) when she was just 9. She swam competitively throughout high school, participating in the Indiana High School State Championships twice as a member of the 200 medley relay team, contributing her skills in both the backstroke and butterfly legs. Continuing her competitive journey, she joined the Purdue Swim Club in her freshman year and competed actively for three years.
Before coaching here at Michiana Marlins, Coach Lexi gained valuable experience as the 10&U swim coach at SBSC and taught swim lessons for four years, instilling a love of swimming in young athletes while emphasizing the importance of water safety.
In her coaching philosophy, Coach Lexi focuses on helping young swimmers fully understand and conceptualize each of the four strokes, as well as turns and starts. Her primary goal is to build their confidence both in practice and during swim meets.
Returning to the Michiana Marlins as a coach, Kelly Ball brings a lifetime of swimming excellence and passion to the deck. A former Marlins swimmer, Kelly went on to compete at the collegiate level for Miami University, where he was first-team all conference, named the conference swimmer of the year, and was named Miami University’s male athlete of the year (link). Kelly’s journey began at Penn High School, where he was a two-time team captain and state finalist, setting the stage for a successful collegiate career. At Miami University, Kelly was recognized not only for his athletic accomplishments but also for academic excellence, earning both All-MAC and Academic All-MAC honors multiple times. Post-college, Kelly continued to foster his love for the sport through coaching, having led the University of Notre Dame's swim camp and coached at Irish Aquatics and Michiana Stars. An active triathlete, Kelly has completed multiple Ironman 70.3 races and lives by the philosophy of training for life.
Beyond the pool, Kelly is a dedicated family man. He is the proud father of three—Caroline, Clark, and Bridget—and is married to Amy, who swam collegiately at the University of Notre Dame. As a coach, Kelly is known for his enthusiasm, energy, and deep knowledge of the sport—qualities that make him the consummate hype person and a beloved figure on the pool deck. Coach Kelly is excited to return to the Michiana Marlins to inspire and guide the next generation of swimmers.
I will be a Junior at Notre Dame studying global affairs this year. I swam for University of Notre Dame for two years and my best event was the 200 IM! I am from Mission Viejo, CA and swam for the Mission Viejo Nadadores!
- Oregon state record holder in the 400 IM for the 14-16 age group
- Six-time Oregon state champion
- 2017 Northwest Regional age group champion in the 400 IM
- 2018 Northwest Regional age group champion in the 200 and 400 IM
- 2019 Pacific Coast All-Star champion in the 200 breaststroke
- 2021 Scholastic All-American
- 2022 Trinity League champion in the 100 breaststroke
- Majoring in global affairs at the University of Notre Dame
I handle the business and administrative parts of our swim club. I am an ASCA Level 2 Swim Coach and also fill in as a substitute coach, swim instructor, deckhand and lifeguard when needed to keep things running smoothly for our swimmers! I have a wonderful husband, Nick, who loves to practice his photography hobby with Marlins swimming action shots and I have six kids - my two youngest swim for Michiana Marlins!
Over the past three years I’ve had the pleasure of teaching swim lessons to children of all ages and nothing makes me happier than watching them discover a love for the water. One of my favorite parts about teaching lessons is seeing students grow not in just their swimming abilities, but also their self-esteem & watching them just get more confident with things in the water! Another little fun fact is I am currently in college pursuing a degree in Elementary Education which compliments my love for lessons as i enjoy being around kids!
I love Taylor Swift, I like to travel & I've been a Head Lifeguard for 2 years!
Coach Carol has over 45 years of swimming teaching and coaching experience across five different teams - two as head coach and three as assistant coach. She has also coached at the swim camps with 3 guest coaches who were coaching the Olympic team in 1984. Coach Carol's coaching philosophy is Quality first. "You have to swim well before you can swim fast." Swimmers can work her me best by coming to practice regularly and being coachable! Parents can work with her best by asking questions after practice.
Coach Carol was also a swimmer herself - she started swimming competitively when she was 9 years old - she swam for the YMCA Dolphins and continued to compete through high school at Adams. She went on to swim in college at George Williams where the relay she swam on made nationals and earned All American.
On the Swim Lesson side of things, Coach Carol has taught Red Cross, YMCA & Swim America. She loves seeing the growth of confidence when the skill clicks, and the student can finally do it without help.
She has three children and two dogs!
I plan to coach our Splash and Fins at New Prairie this year. I've coached both groups over the past year, and I just really enjoy teaching kids the strokes, turns, and starts. I love to see them improve with each set and each practice, with small changes to their technique each time. One of my favorite strokes to teach is butterfly, ever since I saw a series of Total Immersion (TI) videos that broke the stroke down into four simple steps and referred to it as "easy" butterfly. When I was a Bremen swim coach, I spent the month pre-season learning "easy" butterfly, and now I'm a disciple of the TI approach. I show kids videos of stroke technique, rehearse it with them out of the water, and film them so they can see themselves and improve.
I attended West Point in 2004, earning a Bachelor's in military history, and I completed a master's in teaching at the American College of Education in 2017. I'm a sixth-year high school teacher, currently at New Prairie, and I teach a mixture of business and social studies classes. I believe education should be engaging, collaborative, and fun for kids to have the best possible learning experience.I enjoy serving athletes because they become better people through encouragement and challenging physical activity. Swimming is great for kids to be active, build confidence, and bond with peers through shared hardship. I coached high school swimming at Bremen for two years (2021-23), and I coached for the South Bend Swim Club for one year (2023-24). I ran cross country, swam, and played baseball in high school. In college I was on the crew, boxing, and triathlon teams at different times. I also gained experience in personal and group fitness over the course of 11 years in the Army. I've trained at mixed martial arts for one year and won a unit-level competition while in the service.
I've got a big, goofy grin. I love to laugh, play games, and step-up to challenges. I have four kids: Oliver (11) and Trystan (11), and two adopted sons, Harvey Lew (7), and Rico (2). Sam and I have been married for 14 years. She’s a stay-at-home mom, writer, photographer, and marathon runner.