Bio

Veteran swim coach Mike Ashmore has served at the helm of the women's swimming team since its inaugural season in 2014 and the men's program since 2020. Ashmore is currently the manager and head coach of the Santa Maria Swim Club and is a part-time physical education instructor at Hancock.

He has been coaching swimming for more than 20 years beginning at the high school level in 1993. Since 1999, he has coached Junior National qualifiers, U.S. Open qualifiers, Senior National qualifiers, and a Junior National Champion in the 200 Individual Medley for the Santa Maria Swim Club.  In 2010-11, Ashmore helped local swimmer Josh Prenot make the Junior Pan Pacific Games and Junior World Championships teams. In 2012, Josh Prenot made the finals at the Olympic Trials in the 200 breaststroke and 200 IM, breaking the National Age Group record for the 200 breaststroke.

The Santa Maria Swim Club has had an athlete at the Olympic Trials in 2004, 2008, and 2012. Before coming to Santa Maria, Ashmore was the graduate assistant coach at Western Illinois University. While at there, he was responsible for the distance and 400 IM group. Ashmore assisted in guiding the Leathernecks to two men's Mid-Continent Conference titles and one Southern States Conference title. On the women's side, he assisted Head Coach Jerry Champer in bringing home the first ever, Mid-Continent Conference title.

Ashmore also coached with the Fremont Area Swim Team, assisting in building the club from scratch to more than 300 members, while also coaching the San Ramon Royal Vista Summer Team. Prior to that, Ashmore was the head coach of the Moreau Catholic High School where he led the Mariners, his alma mater, to three H.A.A.L Varsity Boy's titles, two H.A.A.L Varsity Girl's titles, and two Junior Varsity titles.

Ashmore swam competitively at Chabot College and Whitworth College where he was a five-time All-American.  Ashmore earned his bachelor’s degree in sports medicine in 1995 and a master’s degree in exercise physiology from Western Illinois University in 1999. He is a Level 5 certified member of the American Swimming Coaches Association, placing him among the top three percent of coaches in the United States.