Coaches and Instructors

Josh Willer

Swimming has been part of Josh Willer’s life since he first entered the water at his local YMCA outside of Chicago at the age of four. What began as a childhood activity grew into a lifelong pursuit that has taken him from collegiate competition to coaching on the international stage and ultimately to founding Texas Elite Swimming.

At Ball State University in Indiana, Josh served as Team Captain and became a school record holder. His time as a collegiate swimmer sparked a deeper curiosity about training, development, and performance, leading him to become a student of the sport and eventually pursue coaching.

That journey expanded internationally in 2011. Josh helped develop what became the second-largest swim program in Egypt before later serving as Head National Coach for Antigua and Barbuda. His work abroad provided the opportunity to coach competitors at Junior World Championships, World Championships, Commonwealth Games, and the Youth Olympic Games. Throughout his career, he has also worked with Olympians representing multiple countries, including the United States.

When Josh eventually made his way to Texas, he saw the chance to take the lessons, experiences, and perspective he had gained around the world and build something of his own. That vision became Texas Elite Swimming.

At the heart of Josh’s coaching philosophy is the belief that success cannot be measured by the clock alone. He believes in coaching the athlete in front of him each day—recognizing that every swimmer develops differently and needs to be challenged, supported, and coached as an individual. His goal is to help swimmers gain confidence, understand the process behind improvement, develop a genuine love for swimming, and become comfortable challenging the limits they once placed on themselves.

As Owner and Head Coach, Josh is building Texas Elite around high-level coaching, ambitious goals, and individual development while maintaining the personal relationships and sense of connection that are central to the team. Whether a swimmer is beginning their competitive journey or pursuing the highest levels of the sport, the goal is to provide an environment where each person can continue moving forward.



From a four-year-old learning the sport at his local YMCA to an international coach and now a team owner, each stage of Josh’s journey has influenced the program Texas Elite is becoming. He remains driven by the same passion that has guided his career: helping swimmers believe in themselves, pursue meaningful goals, and discover just how far their commitment can take them.

Chrissy Gentry

For more than 20 years, Chrissy Gentry has built her coaching career around one central belief: great swimming programs develop great people, not just fast swimmers. Her passion is building environments where athletes are challenged to pursue excellence, coaches are empowered to grow, and strong relationships and team culture provide the foundation for long-term success.

Chrissy’s coaching career has taken her across the Southern Zone and around the world, giving her the opportunity to build and lead programs at every stage of development. After graduating from Williams College with a B.A. in Psychology, her coaching journey began in Japan at the American School in Japan. There, Chrissy helped develop the school’s elementary, middle, and high school swimming programs, creating opportunities for athletes to compete not only on the international school circuit, but also alongside club teams throughout Japan. The experience provided an early foundation for her approach to athlete development and gave her a unique perspective on building programs within an international swimming community.

After returning to the United States, Chrissy spent nine years coaching in North Carolina, where she continued developing athletes and building age group programs. She then spent 10 years with Lakeside Aquatic Club in North Texas, serving as Head Age Group Coach and Assistant Head Coach. During Chrissy’s tenure in those leadership roles, Lakeside achieved both USA Swimming Gold Medal Club and Podium Club status, establishing itself as one of the top programs in the country. Chrissy played an integral role in the development of the club’s age group program, helping develop nationally ranked athletes, including multiple 12 & Under Top 10 swimmers, while contributing to the systems, staff development, and culture that supported the club’s long-term success.

In 2025, Chrissy moved to Austin to help launch Hill Country Aquatics as the Head Age Group Coach and a member of the leadership team. Her role included developing training group structures, building team systems and culture, supporting and mentoring coaches, and working with athletes from the developmental through high-performance levels.

Chrissy’s commitment to the sport extends well beyond the pool deck. She was recently elected Southern Zone Age Group Chair and currently serves USA Swimming as a member of the Coaches Advisory Committee, where she is in the second year of a three-year term. She has also contributed to USA Swimming through the Age Group Excellence and Membership Retention initiatives. Chrissy has presented at the ASCA World Clinic and has been featured on USA Swimming podcasts. Through these opportunities, she is committed to serving the coaching community, strengthening age group swimming, and helping positively shape the future of the sport.

Chrissy believes successful swimming programs are built on much more than times and results. Her coaching philosophy centers around long-term athlete development, strong relationships, clear communication, high standards, and helping athletes learn how to take ownership of their swimming. She believes the best programs create an environment where athletes are challenged, supported, and excited to come to the pool each day.

As Associate Head Coach at Texas Elite, Chrissy works alongside Owner and Head Coach Josh Willer in all areas of the program. She is excited to help build Texas Elite with an intentional focus on athlete development, coach development, team culture, and creating strong systems that will allow the program to grow while maintaining a personal, athlete-centered environment.



For Chrissy, Texas Elite represents an opportunity to take what she has learned throughout her coaching career and help build something special from the ground up. She is passionate about developing swimmers, mentoring coaches, building relationships with families, and creating a team where athletes of all levels feel valued while being challenged to become the best version of themselves.

Anthony Linares

Anthony Linares
Coach Anthony started coaching with Texas Elite Swimming almost a year ago. He began coaching because he found swimming to be a fascinating and deeply engaging sport. As a swimmer himself, Coach Anthony became interested in studying how the body moves efficiently through the water, inspired by athletes such as Ian Thorpe, Michael Phelps, Adam Peaty, Caleb Dressel, Léon Marchand, and Jordan Crooks. He viewed swimming not only as a sport, but also as an art—the art of learning to feel the water and move through it efficiently while minimizing drag.

Although Anthony no longer competes, he still swims and continues exploring new ways to improve efficiency and movement in the water. Anthony constantly is studying how elite swimmers perform and apply those principles at every level, helping athletes understand not only how to perform a movement, but why it works. He began teaching swim lessons before transitioning into coaching at the YMCA, where he developed a strong passion for working with young swimmers.


Coach Anthony believes that participating in sports at a young age teaches discipline, resilience, and goal-setting while helping build strong character—qualities that contribute to success both in and out of the pool. The greatest reward for Anthony is watching young athletes gain confidence, continue developing their skills, and grow into individuals with strong character through the lessons they learn from the sport of swimming.

Ali Figgat

Coach Ali has coached swimming for more than 20 years across USA swimming, High School, Summer League, and Masters programs. She started swimming at age 9 as a way to rehab a broken arm, and quickly found a lifelong passion for the sport. A former multi-sport athlete who played soccer, ran track, competed in water polo, and tried just about everything else, Ali brings that same appreciation for well-rounded athletic development to her coaching. In High School, she served as captain for her back-to-back state championship winning team and state record setting relay. In college, she jumped right into coaching and was lucky enough to be mentored by some incredible coaches with SYAC Swim Utah and the Cache Valley Marlins. From 2014-2017 she served as Head Coach for the Fort Hood Area Dolphins in Killeen, Texas, and enjoyed growing the program from 18 to over 80 athletes during her tenure.

Coach Ali currently enjoys serving as Assistant Head Coach of the F.A.S.T. Frogs summer league team, and has spent two years as General Manager of Aqua-Tots Round Rock. Her coaching philosophy centers on technically correct swimming, quality movement, and injury prevention, with a strong emphasis on whole-athlete development. She encourages multi-sport participation as a way to prevent burnout, promote longevity, and help athletes build a healthy relationship with competition. Ali is an ASCA Level II Coach and is passionate about helping swimmers of all ages become confident, resilient, technically sound athletes who genuinely enjoy the sport.

Nora Doughty

Coach Nora has been swimming competitively since she was five years old. Her love for the sport inspired her to begin teaching swim lessons and coaching with the neighborhood swim league, Fast Frogs, when she was 15. She especially enjoys giving private lessons and watching her swimmers' hard work, dedication, and confidence grow throughout the season.
Nora is currently a senior at Cedar Ridge High School and has been a member of the school's swim team since her freshman year. This year, she will also compete as a member of Cedar Ridge's water polo team. She has trained with Texas Elite Swimming for more than two years, and Coach Josh has been an important part of her swimming journey since she was 11 years old.

Swimming has helped Nora develop confidence not only in the pool, but also in her everyday life. Through years of training and competition, she has learned the importance of discipline, perseverance, teamwork, and setting goals.

Coach Nora believes one of the greatest rewards of teaching and coaching is seeing swimmers improve through their own effort and determination. She loves helping young athletes strengthen their skills, become more comfortable in the water, and experience the excitement of seeing their hard work pay off.

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Dr. Matt R. Wenning

www.wenningstrength.com

Contact info: realmattwenning@gmail.com

Three-time world champion powerlifter, Dr. Matt Wenning holds a Master of Science in Biomechanics, a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Ball State University, Indiana and is a PhD of Kinesiology Student at Concordia University, St. Paul.

As a Strength Coach for Ball State University, Indiana from 1999-2005, Dr. Wenning has advised 20 plus teams for both in-season maintenance, and off season progression. This dedicated experience has led Dr. Wenning the prospects to assist in nearly every sport in the NCAA. In 2019, Dr. Matt Wenning was inducted in the Ball State University’s Athletics & Biomechanics Alumni Hall of Fame.

Dr. Wenning has shared his experience with athletes of all levels and disciplines, military and law enforcement units, firefighters, executives, and individuals with disabilities translating high-performance science into real-world strength, durability, and leadership.

How can Dr. Matt Wenning help your athlete?

Through constant training, research, and experimentation with vast athletes, Matt can help your athlete achieve their goals whether in the water or dryland. Matt and his experienced team offer strength assessments to help guide your athlete on their journey, via in person or online.

Questions before you commit? Send him a note via their Contact form and he’ll get back to you as soon as possible: https://wenningstrength.com/contact/ They look forward to hearing from you!

Skylar Weir, MS, RD

https://www.skysrootednutrition.com