Former Acorn Brooke Wells loves to swim and it shows. The former
Acorn distance swimmer made a name for herself while swimming at
Live Oak from 1999 – 2001. In fact, Wells did so well in the prep
pools she earned a spot on the Spartans team at San Jose State
after graduating. Now that she
’s graduated from college, Wells career in the pool continues,
but this time as a Spartan assistant coach.
Former Acorn Brooke Wells loves to swim and it shows.
The former Acorn distance swimmer made a name for herself while swimming at Live Oak from 1999 – 2001. In fact, Wells did so well in the prep pools she earned a spot on the Spartans team at San Jose State after graduating. Now that she’s graduated from college, Wells career in the pool continues, but this time as a Spartan assistant coach.
Originally from Xenia, Ohio, Wells moved to California at the age of 7. Her parents have been there to encourage her throughout her career in swimming and she attributes much of her success to her family. She also has watched as two of her sisters experienced their own successes in the water.
“My youngest sister had worked very hard and has been an inspiration to me,” Wells said. “My whole family has been very supportive.”
During her tenure with the Spartans, which concluded in 2005 when she graduated with a degree in child development with a minor in special education, Wells was an inspiration to her teammates. She was named captain of the squad during her senior year after enduring shoulder surgery.
“I really like working hard,” Wells said. “(After my surgery) I think they saw how hard I was working. And through that, I showed I could be a leader that way.”
As the assistant coach, Wells works with the distance swimmers and helps head coach Victor Wales when the team practices together.
“She is a good leader,” Wales said. “The team chose her for team captain. There were some good leaders before her. When they left, the team looked to her to be the next person to lead them.”
Wales said Wells won the team’s Spartan award twice. And according to the SJSU sports We-site, Wells was also named the “most inspirational” swimmer on the team her senior year.
Wells said she has been well received as the new assistant coach by the team, some of whom swam with her just one year ago.
“I thought it might be weird at first,” Wells said. “But it has been okay. The girls seem to have adjusted fairly well too. They know I want them to get better just as much as they want themselves to get better.”
Before becoming a Spartan, Wells didn’t just swim for Live Oak, she was also a member of the Silicon Valley Aquatic Association. It was with SVAA where Wells said she honed her skills.
“If you want to get ready for competition, you swim for a club team,” she said. “Most of my training came from the swim clubs.”
During college, Wells said she was always ready for competition, but struggled with the rigors of being in collegiate level athletics.
“Competition was not much of an adjustment, it was the hours of training that was the difference,” Wells said. “They expected you to not only practice, but weight lift as well. And there were the academics.”
Along with the SVAA, where she swam for seven years and still is an assistant coach during the summer, Wells said she learned a lot from Mack Haines who coached her at Live Oak.
“Mack Haines does a really good job with the swim team,” Wells said. “I really enjoyed swimming for him.”
When she moved to SJSU, Wells said it was like finding a new place to call home.
“It was like a second family for me,” Wells said. “All the girls are really close. They watch out for each other and they listen for each other. They are a fun and great group.”
Wells added she was extremely grateful for the opportunity Wales has given to her.
“Victor is the reason why I have the opportunity to be the assistant coach on the team,” Wells said. “He put his faith in me and he is teaching me more about coaching. He was a great coach, now he is a great boss.”
