Dos Pueblos High School Athletics is excited to announce Mark Warkentin as the new Co-Head Coach of the Chargers Swim Team, bringing elite international experience, proven coaching success, and deep ties to the Dos Pueblos aquatics community.
A 2008 USA Olympian in the 10k open water swim, Warkentin finished 8th overall and is a silver medalist at the 2007 World Championships (25k).
He is a four-time USA National Champion, four-time NCAA All-American at USC, former Pac-10 Championship record holder in the 400 IM, four-time CIF Division I champion at San Marcos High School, and a four-time gold medalist at the World University Games.
“Coaching swimming is a joy for me, and I’m happy to get back into it at DP. I can’t coach full-time because I’m a farmer now with avocado orchards to take care of, but coaching at DP for the swim season works perfectly in my schedule,” said Warkentin.
Warkentin brings extensive coaching experience, having spent eight years with Santa Barbara Swim Club, where he sent dozens of athletes to NCAA Division I programs and coached Dos Pueblos swimmer Alex Valente, who broke a national record in 2014.
He also coached elite water polo athletes, including Kiley and Jamie Neushul and Sami Hill, and currently serves as the swim conditioning coach for Channel Islands United (CIU) Water Polo, which won Junior Olympics Platinum Gold Medals in 2023 and 2025.
“I have a long and very positive relationship with DP Aquatics that goes all the way back to Chris Segesman and Danny Beal, who I swam with as a kid. And I remember Jim Ranta fondly,” Warkentin said.
Working alongside Coach Chrissie Cable, Warkentin is eager to help elevate the Chargers
program.
“I have coached some phenomenal DP swimmers and water polo players at the club level and taking an active role at the HS has been rewarding. Coach Cable and I are working well together in the early part of the season and we have some big goals for the team this year,” he added.
“We are very excited to have Mark Warkentin come onto our coaching staff and are looking forward to the leadership, experience, and championship mindset he will bring to the Chargers Swim Program,” Dos Pueblos athletic director Sienna van Alphen said.