2025 Turtle Rock Sharks Coaches

HEAD COACH – Michelle Sperling

We are very excited to welcome back Michelle Sperling as Head Coach for the Turtle Rock Sharks. Michelle enjoyed her time as a Turtle Rock Shark from 2021-2024. She was named 2024 ISL Coach of the Year amongst a league with 22 teams.  Prior to coaching at Turtle Rock, she spent 17 years (2004-2021) as the Head Coach of the Newport Hills Swim team in Port Streets. During her time as head coach for the NHST Killer Whales, she led the team to 6 championships and was named “dual meet champions” for 8 years. Before coaching at Newport Hills, she was the head coach for the Turtle Rock Sharks from 2000-2003; she loved being back at the neighborhood pool, where she began her summer league coaching. In addition, Michelle swam for the UC Irvine women’s swim team on an athletic scholarship from 1995-1999. Michelle was also Assistant Head Swim Coach for the UC Irvine Men’s and Women’s Swim Team from 2002-2007. She recently had a former swimmer from UCI inducted into the UC Irvine Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2021. Michelle has been a classroom teacher for 16 years, and she was named 2022 Teacher of the Year for Newport Mesa Unified School District. Currently, she is an Elementary Math Coach in Tustin Unified School District. Michelle has two wonderful boys, Matteo, age 13, and Marco, Age 11. Some of Michelle’s collegiate highlights include the athletic scholarship for all four years, the Dean’s List, the Big West Conference Scholar-Athlete, the Most Valuable Freshman, and the Team Captain and Most Valuable Player in her senior year. Michelle was named Most Inspirational Coach in 2016 by Maddie Musselman, a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist (2016 & 2021) in Women’s Water Polo. Michelle emphasizes stroke technique and implements a workout program that provides technical instruction on a per-stroke basis. Coach Michelle is looking forward to having another fun and exciting Turtle Rock Season!!

HEAD ASSISTANT COACH – Jacob Haaksma

We’re excited to welcome Coach Jacob back to the Sharks this season! This is his fourth year coaching with us. Before joining the Sharks, Jacob coached a summer recreation swim team in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2021. He graduated from Grand Rapids Christian High School in 2021. During his time there, he broke school records in both the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke. Jacob was born in Colorado and began his competitive swimming career at the age of eight. He swam for Biola University on an athletic scholarship, where he made an immediate impact by breaking school records in the 200 breaststroke and 100 breaststroke as a freshman. He recently completed his bachelor’s degree in Business and is currently seeking opportunities in the business field in Orange County. In his free time Jacob enjoys surfing and spending time with friends. In March 2025, he married Emily Craft, and they are enjoying life as newlyweds. Jacob brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team, and we’re thrilled to have him coaching the Sharks again this year!

ASSISTANT COACH- David Zhou

Coach David's swimming journey began at age 10 with the JCC Waves, leading him to swim varsity for University High School from 2020 to 2024, with his favorite events being the 100 backstroke and 100 freestyle. He brings two years of coaching experience to the team, including his time with the Sharks in 2022. David is currently a rising sophomore at Emory University in Georgia, where he's studying nursing and is also an EMT, actively seeking summer opportunities in the medical field. Outside of work, David enjoys photography, basketball with friends, and cooking up random recipes!

ASSISTANT COACH - Sophia Whyel

Coach Sophia has been on Sharks for four years and coaching for three years. She began swimming competitively at University High School starting her freshman year until her senior year. During her senior year, she swam on varsity and served as a team captain. She also received the Coach’s Award at UHS two years in a row! Her favorite events are 100 back and 100 fly. She is an incoming freshman at the University of Washington Seattle, where she plans to study biology. In her free time, Sophia likes to read, play the piano, scrapbook, and go to the beach. She is super excited to meet all of the returning and new swimmers and share her love of swimming with them!