Head Coach- Swimming
Mike Laitala, Head Coach
A Dallas, Texas native, Mike Laitala was appointed Head Coach of Longhorn Aquatics in 2012 after serving as Associate Head Coach for three years. During his tenure, he has led TXLA from USA Swimming Club Excellence Bronze Medal status to Gold Medal status, helping establish Longhorn Aquatics as one of the premier developmental swimming programs in the country.
Under Mike's leadership, Longhorn swimmers have earned more than 30 USA Swimming Top-10 performances, qualifying for the 2012, 2016, and 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, and reached championship finals at Junior Nationals, U.S. Nationals, the U.S. Open, and U.S. World Championship Trials. His athletes have represented the United States at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships, World Junior Championships, and Short Course World Championships while achieving success at every level of the sport.
Mike's success developing elite athletes began in 2013 when his swimmer, Quinn Carrozza, earned gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Junior World Championships in Dubai, helping Team USA capture the overall team title. Earlier that year, Quinn placed eighth in the 200 freestyle at the U.S. World Championship Trials. Mike also served as an Assistant Coach for Team USA at the 2013 Junior World Championships.
More recently, Mike coached Coby Carrozza to USA Swimming Junior National titles in the 200 and 500 freestyle and qualified for the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He guided Jillian Cox to USA Swimming National Team status, Junior National titles in the 400 and 800 freestyles, a gold medal as part of Team USA's 800-meter freestyle relay at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Championships, and selection to the U.S. Short Course World Championships Team. In 2024, Mike returned to the international stage as a member of the Team USA coaching staff at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Australia, where Rowan Cox earned a silver medal in the 100-meter butterfly. Rowan also represented the United States at the World Junior Championships and was named to both the USA Swimming Junior National Team and USA Swimming National Team.
At the state and local levels, TXLA athletes have captured numerous Futures, Sectionals, Texas Age Group Swimming (TAGS) individual and relay titles, as well as team records. Longhorn swimmers have also won Texas high school district, regional, and state championships and have gone on to compete at NCAA Division I and Division II programs across the country.
Mike brings more than 20 years of coaching experience at both the club and Division I collegiate levels, including five years on staff at the University of Denver. As an athlete, he was an All-American swimmer for the University of Texas men's team that captured the 2000 NCAA Championship. He was also a four-time Texas high school state champion and Junior National finalist during the late 1990s. One of Mike's favorite swimming experiences was representing his hometown of Richardson, Texas, at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Mike holds a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology with an All-Level Teaching Credential from The University of Texas at Austin. He currently lives in Austin with his wife, Bridgette, and their three dogs.