Coach Joe Plane has been coaching swimming since 1997. He has coached all levels of swimming; from learn-to-swim up to Olympic Trial qualifiers. Coach Plane has worked with and around some of the greatest coaches in the United States. He swam for Kelly Kremer at John Brown University, who is now the Head Coach of the University of Minnesota Men’s and Women’s swimming and diving teams. Coach Joe also worked with Jim Richardson from the University of Michigan Women’s swimming team from 2003 to 2006. While at Michigan, he had the opportunity to observe Head Men’s Coach Jon Urbanchek and Head Men’s Coach Bob Bowman, as well as the greatest Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps. He also worked alongside Greg Meehan (current Women's Head Swimming and Diving Coach at Stanford University), while working at University of the Pacific as the recruiting coordinator and sprint and breaststroke coach.

In his first five years, the men have broken all of the school records and 143/180 top 10 individual times.  The women have broken 14/23 school records and 120/180 top 10 individual times.

Coach Plane attended John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas (1992-1995) where he swam at the collegiate level and majored in Mechanical Engineering.  He has a B.S. in Mathematics with a minor in Physics from Western Michigan University and a M.A. in Mathematics from University of Northern Iowa.

2020-21

Despite the effects of Covid on daily life, the team was able to have a full season.  The Men finished 2nd at NJCAA Nationals while the women finished 3rd.  The women had their first National Champion with Magali Mouton winning the 50/100/200 Breaststroke races in school record times.  Lily Wright broke school records in the 100 IM and 50 backstroke.  The women’s 200 medley relay of Wright, Mouton, Shannon Murphy and Emily Small broke the school record and were National Runners Up.  The same four women placed 2nd in the 400 medley relay.  The 200 free relay team of Wright, Small, Saige Knight and Mouton also placed 2nd.  For the men, Kyle McKenzie broke school records in the 200, and 400 IM and 200 Breast (Drew Giles was also under the previous record in the 200 breast) earning 2nd place in the 400 IM.  Johnathon Turner was National Runner Up in the 50 free relay and was part of two Runner Up relays in the 200 free relay, consisting of Turner, McKenzie, Dylan Jones and Tjeerd van Stein and the 400 free relay of van Stein, Turner, Gerard IJspeert and McKenzie.  The 800 free relay of IJspeert, McKenzie, Brady Ferguson and van Stein was also Runner Up.  Coach Plane was named NJCAA Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year.

2019-20

The swim teams were lucky and had their National Championships the week before the country shut down due to Covid.  It was quite the banner year for the Triton swimmers.  The men placed 3rd at Nationals while the women placed 4th.  Billy Cruz won 3 individual events, 50 free, 100 free, and 100 fly.  He was part of 2 National Championship Relays, the 200 free relay of Cruz, Vincent Fletcher, Tjeerd van Stein and Emile Lutzeler and the 400 free relay of Lutzeler, Fletcher, Marcelo Busch and Cruz.  Cruz was 2nd in the 100 breast while Lutzeler was 2nd in the 50 free and Busch was 2nd in the 200 free.  The 800 free relay of van Stein, Vini Molz, Gerard IJspeert and Busch was 2nd as well.  Cruz set school records in the 50, 100, 200 free, 50, 100 fly, 50, 100 breast, 50, 100 back and 100 IM.  His 100 IM of 49.25 was a new NJCAA National Record.  Mariano Sosa broke his own school record in the 200 back.  Cruz was named Co-Swimmer of the Year for Men’s Swimming.  The men’s team also defeated NCAA D1 South Dakota State University in a dual meet at Dodge Pool!  The women broke many school records as well.  Emilie Andrin broke her own 50, 100 and 200 breaststroke records.  Eve Berg set a new record in the 500 free and Zoe Beals broke the school record in the 50 back.  The women also broke 3 relay school records.  The 200 free relay of Mary Marshall, Majo Diaz, Andrin and Berg set a new mark.  The 800 free relay record was broken by Diaz, Marshall, Magali Mouton and Berg.  Finally the 400 medley relay record was set by Berg, Andrin, Diaz and Marshall.

2018-19

The season of firsts!  The Tritons had their first ever swimming National Champion when Emile Lutzeler touched the wall first in the 50 breast.  The men swam to a 2nd place finish at Nationals for their highest National finish ever and first NJCAA Trophy.  Lutzeler also placed 2nd in the 100 breast while Vini Molz was runner up in the 1000 free.  Four of the men’s five relays earned 2nd place finishes.  The 200 free relay of Mitch Emery, Lutzeler, Vincent Fletcher, and Gaylor, the 400 free relay of Emery, Gaylor, Fletcher and Lutzeler, the 800 Free relay of Gaylor, Molz, Javier Ronda and Marcelo Busch, and the 400 medley relay of Mariano Sosa, Lutzeler, Emery and Gaylor.  The men set school records in all relays except the 800.  Emile set records in the 50 free, 50 and 100 breast.  Marcelo Busch broke the school records in the 500 and 1650 free.  Vini Molz set the school mark in the 1000 free.  Mariano Sosa Broke the School Record in the 200 back. Mitch Emery broke his own school records in the 50 and 100 fly while setting a new mark in the 200 fly as well.  Juan Hayman broke the school record in the 100 IM.  The women swam equally impressively while placing 3rd at Nationals.  Emilie Andrin swam to 2nd place finishes in the 100 and 200 breast strokes, setting school records in the process.  She also broke the existing record in the 50 breast.  Paula Ronda broke the school record enroute to a 2nd place finish in the 400 IM. The 800 free relay of Majo Diaz, Eve Berg, Mary Marshall, and Ronda swam to a 2nd place finish.  The 400 free relay of Berg, Diaz, Zoe Beals and Marshall also were runners up.  Coach Plane was named Coach of the Year for Women’s Swimming.

2017-18

The women finished 3rd for the second year in a row while the men swam to a 5th place finish.  Mitch Emery broke school records in the 50 fly, 100 fly and 100 IM while placing 2nd in the 50 fly at Nationals.  The men’s 400 free relay of Emery, Karter Shimon, Josh Sunberg and Lasse Jorgensen tied for 2nd place.  For the women, Sandra Rivas broke the school record in the 50 free and 100 IM.  Jana Burner broke the school record in the 50 fly. The quartet of Burner, Grace Nordquist, Kailie Valentine and Rivas swam to 2nd place finishes in both the 200 and 400 free relays.

2016-17 

In Coach Plane’s first season, the men placed 3rd at Nationals for the second year in a row while the women earned a 3rd place finish for the first time in school history. Several relays swam to National runner up finishes.  The first night of competition, the women’s 200 medley relay of Jordyn DuBois, AnneMarie Spiker, Kailie Valentine and Lexi Quigley swam to a 2nd place finish.  Day two found the men getting their first runner up finish of the year with the men’s 200 free relay of Keagan Wilson, Badr Benassila, Nick Brunelli and Lucas Wittmann garnering that honor and setting a new team record in the process.  The women set a new school record in the 200 free relay with the team of Jana Burner, Grace Nordquist, Valentine and Sandra Rivas.  Another 2nd place finish and school record was swum by the women’s 400 medley relay of Rivas, Spiker, Valentine and Burner.  That was followed up in the next event by the men’s 400 medley relay team of Devon Anderson, Dylan VanPletzen, Whittmann and Wilson earning the runner up spot and another school record as well.  In the last event of Friday’s finals, the men upped their game finishing 2nd in the 800 free relay by 10 seconds over 3rd place with the team of Benassila, Wilson, Austin Monette-Waters and Wittman earning that placing.  The women’s 800 free relay finished 3rd by a mere 0.05 seconds, but the team of Rivas, Nordquist, Spiker and Burner broke the team record in the process.  The last events of the meet saw both Triton relays earning the runner up spots.  Burner, Valentine, Grace Nordquist and Rivas swam to the 2nd place finish and the last school record of the meet, while the quartet of Wilson, Monette-Waters, Brunelli and Wittman placed 2nd for the men. Earlier in the season, the women’s 200 medley relay team of Amanda Ward, Spiker, Burner and Rivas broke the school record.

*Named NJCAA Coach of the Year