Thomas Kelly selected as new varsity swimming coach for Crean Lutheran

Crean Lutheran’s new swimming coach Thomas Kelly. (Photos courtesy Crean Lutheran High School).

Crean Lutheran High School athletic officials announced that Thomas Kelly has been named new swimming coach.

“Crean Lutheran Athletics is excited to welcome Thomas Kelly to the home of the Saints,” said Athletic Director Eric Olson in a statement. ”Thomas comes to Crean Lutheran with an exciting passion and a wealth of swim experience. He looks forward to coaching our swimmers and advancing the program to the next level.”

Kelly will be working with Jeff Runyan, director of aquatics and head water polo coach.

“I am extremely blessed to be joining Crean Lutheran as the head coach of an established men’s and women’s swim team,” he said. “I am tremendously excited to help foster young men and women in a Christ-centered environment into hard-working, respectful and disciplined human beings.

“My goal is to help establish Crean Lutheran into one of the premier aquatics programs in Southern California alongside Jeff Runyan and my coaching staff. I cannot wait to get started on this journey working on the pool deck while creating relationships with swimmers and parents.”

Kelly attended Edison High School where he was a dual sport varsity water polo player and swimmer. His freshman year he helped the swim team win the 2019 Sunset Wave League championship. In his senior year, he was nominated as team captain of the swim team. He was also inducted into the Edison Athletics Hall of Fame for water polo.

In the fall of 2022, he attended Golden West College, competing as a dual-sport student-athlete in water polo and swimming. He was nominated as team captain for the water polo and swim teams in his second year. As a water polo player, he was a back-to-back state champion and a first-team all-conference Selection. 

As a swimmer, Kelly was a 13-time CCCAA All-American in five individual events and eight relays. 

In the fall of 2024, Kelly transferred to Concordia University of Irvine where he is continuing his academic and athletics career in both water polo and swimming. 

Kelly began coaching in the winter of 2023. He ran the Edison High School boys water polo team off-season training and was hired on by CMAC Aquatics as an assistant to the high school boys water polo program alongside Runyan.

In the spring of 2024, he was hired by Edison as an assistant for the boys and girls swim teams. Under the guidance of long-time mentor and coach Matt Whitmore, he helped coach Edison to a Sunset Wave League championship.

Kelly has worked as an ocean lifeguard in the summers for the City of Huntington Beach since 2021.

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