Bettendorf High School swim coach Mike Ahrens has announced his retirement, capping off a 32-year career and a resume that included six Iowa High School State Championships.
Ahrens’ swimmers have accumulated six state team titles, 32 top-five team finishes, and 136 state champions. In addition to the state success, Ahrens also helped lead over 40 swimmers to All-American Honors.
As the head coach, his teams won their meets 90% of the time, with a 91.35% winning percentage (475-43-2).
Ahrens has been recognized both locally and nationally for his coaching efforts, having been named the Iowa High School Swim Coaches Association’s State Coach of the Year seven times. He was also named the National Coach of the Year by the National Federation of High School Coaches Association. He was a finalist for the National Coach of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association.
In 2017, Ahrens was selected by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union to receive the Golden Plaque Award for his success and contributions to the sport.
This past February, at the Iowa Boys State Championship Meet, Ahrens was inducted into the Iowa High School Hall of Fame.
In addition to his high school coaching, Ahrens was the physical education teacher and taught 4th-grade swim units to students in the Bettendorf Community School District. According to a report from Yahoo! Sports, when the high school switched to a block schedule, Ahrens started teaching lifeguarding, and his students became instructors for 4th graders who attended the high school for swim units.
The picture of that pool is the University of Iowa pool, not Bettendorf Iowa pool.