Over the course of his 17-year coaching career at Auburn University, David Marsh was named the National Coach of the Year a total of nine times and the SEC Coach of the Year 13 times. For his outstanding work with the men’s and women’s squads, he was awarded the 2003 National Collegiate and Scholastic Swimming Trophy. It was the second time in his career that he was so honored, also garnering the distinguished award in 1999. Marsh is the first to ever receive this prestigious honor more than once. He is unquestionably the most successful coach in Auburn University athletics history.

His accomplishments there include numerous NCAA Team Championships: 7 men’s (1997, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007) and 5 women’s (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007). It is an unprecedented achievement that four of these Men’s and Women’s NCAA Championships were earned in the same season. His teams took home a combined 1,312 All-America honors by 276 athletes, along with 45 NCAA individual titles and 30 NCAA relay crowns.

At the conference level his athletes won 17 consecutive SEC Team titles, 13 men’s (10 of these consecutive) and 4 women’s. His coaching prowess produced 178 SEC individual titles and 52 relay conference victories. Internationally 52 Auburn athletes have won medals in 90 events including 27 during the summer of 2003. While at AU, Marsh developed 22 Olympians who won 7 medals.

Under Marsh, Auburn swimmers excelled at the national and international levels of competition athletically, and most importantly, in the classroom. According to Marsh, success in the pool is success out of the pool. In 17 seasons, 200+ swimmers were chosen to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and 45 were named Academic All-Americans. In addition, 25 combined men and women’s teams have been named CSCAA Academic All-American. He also coached four Leah Rawls Atkins and eight Cliff Hare Award winners. These awards are the highest awards an Auburn student-athlete can receive. It is obvious that David Marsh’s coaching philosophy encourages athletes to give an honest and complete effort to reach their God-given potential in their sport and in their studies. He believes in establishing patterns of success not only at the top levels of swimming, but also as a professional, a family member and a quality citizen.

In addition to his swimmers earning places on international teams, Marsh himself has coached on numerous international squads, including serving as the assistant coach for the United States men’s team at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal, Canada. In 2003, Marsh was named the men’s coach for the 2003 World Championships held in Barcelona, Spain, as well as coach at the inaugural Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool. He helped lead the United States team to defeat the Australians in a dual meet between the world’s national power-houses.

Marsh has also represented the United States as a men’s team assistant coach at the 1996 (Atlanta) and 2000 (Sydney, Australia) Olympic Games, a men’s team assistant coach at the 1995 (Fukuoka, Japan) and 1999 (Sydney, Australia) Pan-Pacific Games, and as a women’s team assistant coach at the 1994 World Championships (Rome).

A 7-time USA National Team Coach, Marsh has won numerous awards himself. He was named the 2005 Walter Gilbert Award recipient by Auburn University, the highest award for a former student-athlete. In 2006 he was given the Distinguished Service Award by the United States Sports Academy.

Marsh was a five-time All-American backstroker at Auburn and the 1980 SEC backstroke champion, ranked sixth in the world at the time. After earning a degree in Business Administration in 1981, he remained at Auburn as an assistant coach. In 1985 he left to accept the head coach position of the Dynamo Swim Club in Atlanta. Three years later Marsh moved west to coach the Las Vegas Gold Swim Team. During Marsh’s tenure in Vegas, he led ten swimmers to the 1988 Olympic Trials.

A native of Miami, Florida, Marsh is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa Honorary Society and the “Tiger Trail” of Auburn. He has also been inducted into the Southwest High School and Indian River Community College Halls of Fame and serves on the boards of the American Swimming Coaches Association of America as well as the Championship Performance Advisory Board. He is a highly regarded speaker, having delivered addresses at both local and national events, including the ASCA national convention. He has also authored articles for publications such as Swimming Technique and has provided commentary on a series of swimming technique videos.

Marsh is married to the former Kristin Burke who was a swimmer at California-Berkeley. She earned her masters degree in English Education at Auburn in March of 1995. They are the proud parents of three children, Aaron, Alyssa, and Maddie.

David came to the Mecklenburg Aquatic Club in the spring of 2007 to serve as CEO and Director of Coaching. He coaches Team Elite, continuing his work with world-class athletes. Their influence, Marsh believes, is extremely valuable to even the youngest swimmers at the Center of Excellence.

Kathy McKee moved back to NC in 1994 to start the MAC program at Davidson College. At that time there were 23 swimmers on the roster. The program has grown to over 260 athletes swimming at three locations. Swimmers range from beginning novice swimmers, to North Carolina state champions, to swimmers scoring at the National level. In 2004, one swimmer from the Huntersville location participated at the Olympic Trials and two swimmers are currently qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials.

Prior to coming to MAC, Kathy served as the Head Age Group Coach for the Dynamo Swim Club in Atlanta, Georgia for seventeen years. Swimmers achieved at all levels and numerous Dynamo age groupers went on to break American Records and become World Ranked senior level swimmers. They also made National teams, including two members of the 1996 US Olympic team.

Kathy is recognized throughout the United States for her coaching skills, her technical knowledge of the sport and her ability to bring out the best of any swimmer regardless of age or skill level. Kathy's accomplishments include multiple "Georgia Age Group Coach of the Year" honors and service awards and a six-year stint on the American Swimming Coaches Association National Board of Directors. She is also involved with USA Swimming at the national level and is often asked to speak at various clinics around the country. Kathy was selected to represent the United States as an assistant coach for the National Junior Team in 2008. She was born and raised in Chapel Hill, NC and received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina - CH.

Kathy oversees the program at Davidson College, Huntersville and the West Cabarrus YMCA. She also directs the Shark division and coaches the Blue practice level.

Russ Kasl starts his 8th year at SwimMAC, having started in 2002. He is originally from Parma, OH, a suburb of Cleveland, where he started swimming at the age of 9.

Prior to coming to SwimMAC, Russ was the Head Coach of the Lake Shore Swim Club from 1995-2002 and was voted the Lake Erie District ASCA Coach of the Year in 1997. In addition, he served as Head Coach of the Rocky River High School Swimming & Diving Team where he was voted Conference Coach of the Year 4 times for the girls and 3 times for the boys. Russ also coached with other club programs in the Cleveland area and was an Assistant with Cleveland State University.

A 1991 graduate of Eastern Michigan University, he swam for 3 years (1 year with Coach Mike Jones and 2 with Coach Peter Linn). He began his coaching career as a student assistant during his final year with Coach Linn. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Exercise Science in 1991 and then earned his MEd. in Exercise Science from Cleveland State University in 1993.

Russ has been involved with the sport of swimming as an athlete or coach for the past 29 years. During the past 7 years he has coached various groups at Latin including Nova, Gold, Senior II and Senior 1 and has helped athletes achieve performances at the Sectional, Junior National, National, USA National Junior Team and Olympic Trial levels. His swimmers also contributed to a 2nd place combined finish and 1st place boys finish at the Speedo Junior National Meet in the summer of 2007 and a 1st place finish again for the boys in 2009 . Russ was also the recipient of the Pat Hogan Coaches Fellowship Award in the fall of 2006. Over the years he has been involved with the Lake Erie Swimming and North Carolina Swimming Board of Directors.

Russ is currently the Latin Site Coach, Head Dolphin Division Coach and Lead Coach for Gold and views coaching as a profession of service where he can teach and help young people become the leaders of tomorrow.

Kirsten coaches Senior 3 up North, is the director of Homeschool at SwimMAC, and site coordinator of TeenFit. A graduate of Davidson College, Kirsten was the Co-Captain of Davidson's Division I Women's Swim Team, which won the Inaugural Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association Championship in 2008. As a scholarship student-athlete, she made Davidson's Top-10 All-Time list in 4 events and is a school record holder. Kirsten was a Davidson Scholar, Academic All-American, and member of Delta Phi Alpha National German Honor Society. She has been swimming since she was 8 years old, with the majority of her career at Wildcat Aquatics in Lexington, KY. Her main events were the 50, 100, 200 freestyle, but she also swam back and fly. Kirsten swam at the National level, competing in various top meets around the country. During the summers of 2004-06, Kirsten coached, mentored, and oversaw practice and competition for 150 developing age-group swimmers at the Cumberland Hills Swim Team in Lexington, KY. Kirsten is passionate about working with young people, as well as swimming, and is excited to be a part of the SwimMAC family.

Carrie Andrews has been with MAC since the fall of 2002. She was born in Jacksonville, FL and grew up swimming with the Bolles School Sharks. She swam until age 14 until sidelined with a shoulder injury. She took up the sport again while in college on the club level before joining a Masters team.

Carrie graduated from Furman University in 1999 with a BS in Health and Exercise Science. While attending Furman and after graduating she coached Team Greenville's 8&U entry level swimmers for two years. She then attended the University of Georgia, graduating in 2002 with a Masters of Education in Exercise Physiology. While at UGA, she worked as an assistant age group coach for the Athens Bulldog Swim Club (ABSC) and as a member of the Jack Bauerle swim camp staff.

Carrie was married in January 2005 to Justin Andrews (former MAC coach) and spends much of her free time training to compete in triathlons. She placed second in the North Carolina Triathlon Series during the 2004 season and was first for the series in her age group during both the 2005 and 2006 seasons. She was ranked as an All-American (top 5% in the country) for both the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Carrie most recently competed in the Florida Ironman in November 2007.

Carrie really enjoys working with the swimmers and their families at MAC. She believes in the value of athletics as a teaching tool in life. She wants to help every child achieve the swimming goals they have set for themselves, and realize their capabilities both in athletics and life.

Ashley Bumgarner has been involved in competitive swimming since childhood. She swam with different teams and leagues before joining MAC in 1998. Ashley graduated from North Mecklenburg High School in 2000, earning a State Championship and Academic All-American status along the way. She spent three seasons at the Peninsula Club as a swim coach and lessons instructor. After completing her degrees at Appalachian State University, she worked in real estate and continued her training as a triathlete and open-water swimmer.

Ashley spent the summer of 2007 as a swim instructor and pool manager, and joined SwimMAC in the fall of 2007.  She is excited to start her third season of SwimMAC coaching in the 2009-2010 season!

Ashley will be coaching Orange and heading up the North JSL program this season.

Contact: Phone: 704-766-1520 x 3123 email: abumgarner@swimmaccarolina.org

Charlie Dragon joined SwimMAC in October of 2008. He is originally from East Brunswick, NJ. Prior to coming to SwimMAC, Charlie was the Senior 2 and Junior 3 coach from 2006 to 2008 at the Fanwood Scotch-Plains YMCA in Scotch-Plains New Jersey. He had also coached summer league for 11 years, starting at the age of 18.

Charlie has a Bachelor's Degree from Rutgers University, and a Master's Degree in Philosophy from the City University of New York Graduate Center. He writes about swimming and has had 3 articles published in two different American Swim Coaches Association publications. He is an invited speaker at the 2009 American Swim Coaches Association World Clinic. Charlie has had a variety of work experiences, both in education and aquatics, everything from managing a summer swim club to teaching Introduction to Philosophy to college sophomores, and has spent time visiting several of the top club and college teams across America.

Charlie is the coach of Senior 2 North, and continues to assist several other groups in the senior and shark divisions, both at Huntersville and Latin.

SwimMAC welcomes Todd Foley as its new intern/assistant coach. Foley comes from the University of Hawaii, where he coached the Serbian National Record-holder (200 Backstroke), two World University Game qualifiers, an NCAA qualifier, the 2007 Western Athletic Conference swimmer of the year, as well as numerous school record-holders. Foley’s coaching versatility allowed him to coach middle distance and distance athletes, as well as sprinters. Foley also led the men’s recruiting efforts, helping the team secure the 14th ranked recruiting class a year ago and the most recent 100m butterfly champion at this summer’s US Open.

Prior to his tenure in Hawaii, Foley coached at his alma mater, Miami (OH) University, where he helped guide the Red Hawks to the 2006 Men’s Mid-American Conference (MAC) team title. While at Miami, Foley coached two Miami University Athlete’s of the Year, two MAC Swimmer’s of Year, Senior National qualifiers, US Open qualifiers, and school record-holders.

Foley is engaged to Stephanie Ringuet, a research technician for biofuel research at the Duke University Marine Biology Lab in Beaufort, NC. Foley is originally from Brookfield, WI, and Ringuet is originally from Quebec City, Canada. Both enjoy athletic endeavors, including tennis and surfing, as well as movies and music.

In the spring of 2009, Terry Fritch and his family (wife Charli and daughter Olivia) re-located to Charlotte from Sugarland Texas. Terry has been with SwimMAC before coaching beginning in the short course season of 2001 for five years at both locations Huntersville and Latin. He was lead coach or secondary coach for 13 different groups in his tenure at SwimMAC.

After leaving SwimMAC Terry headed for the First Colony Swim Team (FCST) in Sugarland, Texas. He was lead group coach at every age group and helped develop the curriculum for the 10 & Under and 11-12 age groups. During his next two years with FCST, Terry became a lead coach for one of their Senior groups, and last season became Co-Head Coach of the program.

Terry has coached novice, Top 16 swimmers, Senior Sectional athletes, LSC and State record holders, and Junior National Qualifiers. While at FCST, Terry helped the club grow form 250 swimmers to over 400 swimmers. His team placed top 3 the last two years at the Texas Age Group Championships and FCST won the Championship in 2009.

His primary new roles at SwimMAC will be working with the Infrastructure Committee as the Facility Manager and re-joining the SwimMAC coaching staff as lead coach for the White group. Coach Terry has a love for teaching and coaching athletes. During his younger years he grew to appreciate what hard work, dedication and teamwork means. He believes in having swimmers understand the fundamental skills of swimming to achieve success. Swimming fast is a by-product of swimming smart.

Family, and feeling like Charlotte was home, is what brought Terry and his family back to North Carolina and specifically Charlotte. At home, Terry loves reading, running, and the New York Yankees.Terry, Charli and Olivia welcome back from the SwimMAC family!

I have been swimming the majority of my life. I started swimming, probably before I knew how to walk. I started competing for my fathers swim club when I was five years old. I was born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas so the water was naturally a big part of my life. I swam under my Dad until I went to University. I competed in my first Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia in 2000.

I began swimming under David Marsh when I went to Auburn University. I began my college career as an IMer / breaststroker and finished as a butterflyer / IMer. I became a much better athlete over the next four years and advanced in my knowledge and understanding of our awesome sport. I competed in my second Olympics in Athens, Grease in 2004.

I continued to train under and learn from David Marsh into my professional swimming career. When I had one year left in my career David Marsh took up the head coaching position at MAC. My wife, Heather and I followed David to Charlotte, NC and I became a member of the MAC family. I competed in my third and final Olympics in Beijing, China in 2008.

One of my main strengths as a swimmer was in the leadership role. I felt that in order to become a world class swimmer I needed to have a queen knowledge and understanding of the sport. The more I learned the more I advanced. The more I advanced the more I was able to help others do the same. My strengths as a swimmer transfer into my coaching. I have a passion for swimmers that are eager to learn, work, and make a difference. I have seen that passion in David Marsh throughout my career and now I look forward to sharing my own passion with the MAC family.

I am currently the Latin Senior 1 coach.

Kari Lawrence began coaching for SwimMAC in 2006. Kari was born in Montclair, NJ and competed in USA Swimming from age 5-18. Kari attended the University of Tampa on partial athletic, partial academic scholarship. Her sophomore year she received All-American honors and was a top-16 Division II finisher in the 200 fly.

Kari became team captain her senior year and graduated in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in Marine Science and Biology. She continued with her marine interest and worked as a marine animal trainer at Sea Life Park Hawaii for 2 years. Kari was eager to move back to Charlotte and become more involved in the sport of swimming.

Kari has coached two swim seasons in New Jersey and summer league for four years in Charlotte. She has also taught swim lessons since 1997 and is excited to be moving forward in her coaching career. Kari is currently involved with the SwimMAC Masters program and competed in Masters Nationals in Seattle-2007 and Austin-2008 where she was a Top 10 finisher in multiple events in her age group.

Most recently Kari represented North Carlolina Swimming as an assistant coach of the zone staff, leading the 11-12 girls. She was excited and honored to be apart of North Carolina's third place finish in the Southern Zone Championships in Orlando this year.

Kari coaches JSL, Nova, Fireball and Silver groups at the West Cabarrus YMCA and helps with SwimMAC Masters.

Larry Lee joined MAC as a coach in June, 2007.  He was swimming for MAC Masters under Patty Waldron, who recruited Larry to become a coach on a part time basis during the summer of 2007.  Larry spent much of the next year assisting Seth Terndrup with the Orange Group at the Latin facility, as well as spending a significant amount of time assisting Russ Kasl with Sr. 1, Alan Pfau with Blue, and Carrie Andrews with Bronze.  In April, 2008, Larry became the Lead Coach of the Orange Group at the Latin facility and continued in that role until August, 2009, when he became the Marlin Division Leader and Lead Coach of both the Fireball and Bronze Groups at Latin.

Larry grew up swimming USS in Connecticut, South Carolina, and Michigan.  He received a scholarship to swim for Furman University (Class of 1991).  Larry has worked extensively with youth throughout his professional career, including coaching several sports and conducting youth outreach events with a nonprofit organization he founded with his wife Ashley.  Larry continues to participate in competitive swimming with MAC Masters.  In 2008, he was the National Champion in the Men’s Age 35-39 500 Free with a time of 4:58.40, and 2009 he was the National Champion in the Men’s Age 40-44 400 meter IM with a 5:07.48.

Larry has extensive experience in teaching, marketing, sales, communication, and strategic planning, all of which helps him connect with the swimmers on MAC while training them for success in and out of the pool.  He has spoken nationally to groups of kids and adults across the country, and he continues to keep his hand in the financial world as a Certified Financial Planner.

Larry is married to Ashley, and they have 4 beautiful daughters – Carley (21), Rebekah (13), Christie (11), and Rachel (9).  He also has two male labs, Sammy and Smokey, who provide Larry with that much needed guy-time at home.  Larry’s interests include competitive swimming, teaching/speaking, reading, and music of all kinds.

Laurie Lester is a high energy, results oriented coach who concentrates on technique to build more skilled and faster swimmers. Laurie is our Latin Site Director of the SwimMAC TeenFit Program and this is her 7th year as part of the SwimMAC staff. Laurie previously served several years with our Swim School as Senior Instructor and Deck Manager. There she was an essential part of establishing our children, as well as our instructors, with the foundations of proper technique. Laurie has also coached with our Junior Swim League for eight seasons.

Laurie is currently the Head Varsity Swim Coach for Marvin Ridge High School in Union County. In just her second year, she has led her high school swimmers to capturing the Union County titles for both the men’s and women’s teams, brought home the Conference title for the women, captured 2nd place for the women at Regionals and States, and led her men’s team to winning 3rd place in both Regional and State Competition as well. Laurie previously started up and coached the Weddington Middle School Swim Team for two consecutive, undefeated years. She is Head Swim Coach for the Somerset Stingrays summer league team where she has coached her neighborhood swimmers for 7 years.

In the past, you may have seen Laurie Lester running the Hy-Tek computerized timing system at SwimMAC’s JSL swim meets. Laurie has held positions as Meet Director of the Southern Zone Age Group Champs, Hospitality Director of the 14 & Under Age Group Champs as well as serving several years with our Meet Management Team as the On-line Computer Sign-up Manager.

Laurie’s passion is all about aquatics! In addition to coaching several different teams, Laurie spends much of her off-time swimming with the SwimMAC Masters team. Laurie graduated with degrees in Computer Programming and Internet Technologies. She and her family reside in Union County.

Hannah McCarthy began swimming competitively at the age of five. Although moving frequently due to her father's military career, she continued swimming whenever possible, including high school and college, where she was team captain her senior year. Hannah has eight years of lifeguarding experience, as well as six years of ARC Water Safety Instructor experience. While maintaining a passion for coaching younger age groups, through MAC's Junior Swim League, she is enthusiastic about exposure to all levels and ages. Hannah plans to attend graduate school with intentions of coaching at the collegiate level. Hannah not only coaches JSL, but helps with the Bronze groups as well as filling in when needed.

Laura Beth has coached 12&Unders with the SwimMAC staff and family since September 2008. She started swimming when she was 9 for the Little Rock Arkansas Dolphins, and swam through her senior year of high school where she excelled in freestyle and butterfly sprint/mid-distance events. In college, she rowed on the Division I Varsity Crew Team for the University of Tulsa. As a Magna Cum Laude graduate in Exercise and Sports Science, Laura Beth integrates a solid background of exercise, strength, and fitness training with her experience in competitive swimming and coaching. Laura Beth has spent past summers in various positions ranging from coach to pool manager. She has taught both group and individual lessons. At Auburn University, she was a swim coach and counselor for Athletes in Action Summer Swim Camp, where she coached young swimmers on strength, technique, and endurance. After graduating from college and before joining SWIMMMAC, Laura Beth was a group leader of a 3-month mission trip that provided medical/dental assistance, teaching, leadership training and evangelism to remote areas throughout Ghana, West Africa. Her vast knowledge, enthusiasm, passion for young people and her personal desire to achieve, will inspire students to reach their own potential. Laura Beth will coach the Nova and Silver groups as well as work with JSL at Huntersville.

Amy Monroe is a former collegiate athlete with a degree in Education who brings new energy to MAC. In the last 25 years, Coach Monroe has held several positions, in aquatics and education. She has worked extensively with children of all ages and believes her life calling is to train young people and guide them to maximize who they are.

Amy loves developing younger swimmers and fostering their personal growth. With the development of the whole person as her primary goal, she provides an environment that encourages swimmers to reach their highest academic, athletic and social potential. This supportive atmosphere is a great place for young swimmers to learn, train, and build confidence both in and out of the water. While emphasis is placed on stroke technique, endurance training and good practice habits, Coach Monroe also strives to develop character, sportsmanship and an enjoyment of swimming as a lifelong activity. Her unique blend of aquatic and educational experience along with her passion for coaching and commitment to children brings a well rounded approach to MAC. You can't miss her; she is the tallest female coach on deck!

Coach Monroe obtained her degree from Auburn University in Exercise Science. To fulfill her academic requirements, she completed her service learning under Coach Marsh during his 2004 Olympic Trial Training. Under Marsh's direction, Amy observed and worked with coaches and athletes on competitive swim techniques, stroke development, conditioning and weight training. She was also an instructor for the university's Beginner's Swimming Class, the Auburn Tiger Swim Program and the National Youth Sports Program. Her hands-on experience also includes working as the Captain of Lifeguards, a Swim Coach, an Aquatic Director, a Grad Assistant to Auburn's Academic Advisor and a Pre-K, Elementary Jr. High and High School Teacher.

Amy coaches the Nova group and teaches JSL at Latin. She is the director of the Marlin division.

Preston started swimming year-round when he was 12 for the Mt. Pleasant Swim Club (MPSC) and continued to do so for the next 6 years. He won numerous state titles in the sprint freestyle events, backstroke, butterfly and I.M.

Preston's junior year in high school he was a co-captain of the state-championship winning team with Wando High School. He also earned a junior national qualifying time in the 100 backstroke his senior year.

He then swam for College of Charleston from 2005-2009 under Scott Olson (now an assistant at SIU) helping lead the Cougars to the first two Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association championships in 2008 and 2009. Although backstroke was his main stroke in college, he also swam sprint freestyle and butterfly. Preston has three current team records from being members of the 200 medley and freestyle relay as well as the 400 freestyle relay.

After getting a B.S. in Business Administration from C of C in 2008, he was named the Head Age Group coach for the Mt. Pleasant Swim Club (the same team he grew up swimming for). The age group program set new team records in numbers of state and sectional cuts as well as having an age-group state champion relay for the first time ever. Preston was also selected as a 2009 SC Zone Team Coach.

This is Preston's first year coaching at MAC and he is excited and looking forward to working with White and Senior 1.

Preston Parrish: pparrish@swimmaccarolina.org

He also enjoys Ultimate Frisbee, football, listening to music and watching movies.

Alan Pfau serves as an assistant coach and division leader with both the SwimMAC Carolina age group program and Team Elite. Since arriving at SwimMAC, the youth swimmers under his guidance have found great success at the state and national level. Pfau has coached several Junior National qualifiers and Top-10 nationally ranked swimmers from SwimMAC. Pfau became familiar with Coach Marsh’s program at the Auburn University Swim Camp, where for five summers he managed the dryland, technique, and training sessions for the 12-and-under campers. Prior to arriving in Charlotte, Pfau spent three years at Western Kentucky University, where the men’s team won the Sunbelt Conference Championships for three straight years and the men’s and women’s teams had a combined dual meet record of 53 wins and 6 losses. Both squads were ranked as high as Top-5 nationally in the Division I Mid-Major Poll. Earlier in his coaching career, Pfau spent four seasons as the Head Age-Group Coach at the YMCA of the Triangle Area and two years as an Associate Aquatic Director and Head Satellite Coach for the Winston-Salem YMCA. Pfau graduated from Western Carolina University in 1994 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management. He also obtained a Master’s Degree in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management in 1998 from North Carolina State University.

Alan will be coaching the Blue and Senior II groups at Latin. He is also the director of the Shark division.

Contact Info: apfau@justswimmac.org (704)846-5335 ext, 108

Sarah Potochnik will be joining the SwimMAC staff as the lead coach for the White group at Latin. Sarah is no stranger to SwimMAC, having started with our Swim School in 2005, teaching and coaching.

Sarah was born in Cleveland, Ohio where her mother put her in the water at 6 months old. She took all the lessons and became a member of the local summer league team where she swam and also began coaching. Sarah attended Ohio University and pursued a Bachelors of Business Administration in Marketing. In college she became a member of the crew team and continued teaching swim lessons. During college, she was a member of a business fraternity that was involved with Charlotte Networking Week. She came to Charlotte in February of 2005 and fell in love with the city. When Sarah graduated from college in June of 2005, she moved straight to Charlotte.

Upon arriving in Charlotte, she found her way to SwimMAC and immediately became involved and valued for her teaching expertise. She has taught every level of swim school and pioneered the top end of the Swim School with Olympic Strokes. Last year, Sarah coached the White group as an assistant with Coach Alan Pfau. Sarah’s knowledge of swimming, ability to teach and motivate, and her passion for the sport of swimming has already had a positive impact on the athletes she has worked with at SwimMAC. She is fired up and cannot wait to be on deck.

Chris Ritter began with SwimMAC Carolina in 2007. Since that time he’s had the opportunity to work at both of SwimMAC’s main locations and worked with all levels of the program. Before relocating to the Queen City he was very involved in strength & conditioning along with competitive swimming in California. He served as an assistant swim coach for Men’s Swimming at California State University Bakersfield, where he was responsible for the strength & conditioning program as well as coaching on the pool deck. Previously he had swim coaching experience at the age-group and high school level.

Chris started out as a personal trainer at a private, up-scale fitness club and quickly worked his way up to fitness manager of the facility and being responsible for all the personal trainers in the company. Here he was able to work with all types of clients, from a non-athletic background to former elite college athletes and law enforcement professionals. His responsibility for other personal trainers also grew, as an adjunct instructor for Santa Barbara Business College’s inaugural Fitness Trainer Program where he taught classes. This program was designed to give individuals that were interested in the fitness industry a solid educational foundation before they started their fitness careers.

Chris received his degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from CSU Bakersfield, where he also swam competitively. He is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength & Conditioning Association, a Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES) with the National Academy of Sports Medicine; along with his certification as a Youth Fitness Specialist (IYCA-YFS), which has a unique approach to training children in sport.

Chris oversees the strength & conditioning program for all of SwimMAC. He is the lead coach for Senior III.

Stephanie Toth came to the Mecklenburg Aquatic Club from High Point, NC where she was the Head Age Group Coach and lessons coordinator for three years. Prior to that, Coach Stephanie spent nearly 2 years in Northbrook, IL as Head Age Group Coach for the North Suburban YMCA. She considered this position a chance for her to get involved in the YMCA system and give back to an organization that fostered her own swimming talents as a child. Coach Stephanie began her full-time coaching career in her hometown of Cincinnati, OH where she moved into an assistant coaching position with the Sycamore Flying Fish and also served as the assistant varsity high school coach for both men's and women's swimming at Sycamore High School. As a coach, Stephanie has had the opportunity to work with Ohio High School Champions, YMCA National Qualifiers, YMCA State Champions, Top 16 swimmers and Junior Olympic Champions.

As a swimmer, Stephanie was an Ohio High School State Champion and YMCA National finalist and still holds records with the Blue Ash YMCA and appears on many of Saint Louis University's all-time top 10 lists.

Coach Stephanie is a 1999 graduate of Saint Louis University in St. Louis, MO. She has a degree in Communication with an emphasis in PR and a minor in Marketing. In her spare time she enjoys reading, watching Notre Dame football and the NFL. She truly feels coaching is her calling and loves that she has the opportunity to teach kids and give back to a sport that has given her so much.

Stephanie coaches Bronze and Gold levels and acts as the director for the Dolphin Division at HFFA.

GREG TRUESDELL has been swimming competitively since he was 8 years old. In 2003 Greg joined the NOMAD swim club where he continued to swim through high school. During his career swimming on NOMAD he was awarded the “MIP,” “MVP,” “Sportsmanship” awards, and was a Blue Ridge Championship finalist several years. He was a sprint freestyler dominating the 50 Fr, 100 Fr, and 200 Fr earning a Regional and State championship. Greg graduated from North Mecklenburg High School in 2006 and served as captain for the North Mecklenburg High School swim team and was awarded the Viking Sportsmanship award during his senior year.

Greg is currently a student at UNC-Charlotte studying Criminal Justice. His is goal is to be part of the U.S. Marshals Service and working on the fugitive task force division.

Greg began his coaching career as the assistant coach of the Northstone Gators summer league swim team for two years. In September of 2007, Greg joined the SwimMAC family. He began as an instructor for the Swim School as well as the Junior Swim League. Last Year Greg was the assistant head coach for NOVA and was the dryland coach for Orange and Blue group. This year he will be the Head Coach of Davidson Nova and Teenfit. He will also be assisting Senior 3 drylands as well as coaching White group two days a week. Greg is looking forward to coaching our younger swimmers again this year and leading them to a path of greater success throughout their swimming career.

In Greg’s spare time he is a Lifeguard instructor for both pool and waterfront agencies. He is a National Safety Council Certified First Responder as well as a certified Emergency Responder for the American Red Cross. Greg is currently working to become a North Carolina Emergency Medical Technician. One of his greatest passions is watching the Pittsburgh Steelers. Greg is an obnoxious Steelers fan who thrives on black and gold football. He looks forward to not only teach our swimmers fundamentals, strengths and techniques in the sport of swimming but also the history of the Steelers and their dynasty.

Patty Waldron has enjoyed being a part of the Mecklenburg Aquatic Club Staff for the past 26 years and is in her second year as the Varsity Swim Coach at Charlotte Latin School. She has coached at every level of the SwimMAC program including Nova, Age Group and Pre-Senior, Senior and Masters. During her MAC coaching career she served as Head Age Group Coach and Swim School Director. Cumulatively she has coached 2 Senior National Qualifiers, 28 Junior National Qualifiers, 60 + individual Top 16 ranked swimmers, one masters World Record Holder, and most importantly, 100’s of great kids who love MAC and love the sport of swimming!

In the coaching profession Patty has been involved at the LSC level and has served on the North Carolina Swimming Board as Age Group Chair, NC Camp Coordinator, Zone Team Head Coach, Zone Team Manager and Coaches Representative. For consistent service over the years Patty was awarded the Phillips 66 Volunteer of the Year Award. Also within North Carolina Swimming, Patty has twice been recognized as North Carolina Age Group Coach of the Year. At the national level, Patty has been a speaker at the American Coaches Association World Clinic, and a speaker at a regional ASCA Clinic.

Growing up in Charlotte, Patty learned to swim at age 81/2 and swam locally at Rama Swim Club before joining the Johnston Memorial YMCA. She spent 10 years under Coach Franke Bell before walking on to the swim team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Attending school at Chapel Hill was a dream come true for Patty who is 100% TarHeel. She was a four year letter winner, ACC Academic Honor roll student, 1 time AIAW (now NCAA) qualifier, and 3 time Hill Carrow Spirit Award winner. She graduated with a degree in Health and Physical Education K-12. Post grad and working for MAC Patty enjoyed 10 years of active participation in Masters swimming, achieving national rankings in varied events and strokes including a national record in the 200 Fly age 25-29. She currently holds 17 North Carolina Masters State Records in 3 different age groups.

When not coaching, Patty enjoys listening to live music, and camping with her husband and two dogs. Mountain biking and road riding are also two of her favorite hobbies. She has competed in several Olympic Distance triathlons, 3 ½ Ironman distance triathlons, and has finished one Ironman.

Patty is the Head Varsity Swim Coach @ Latin, Head SwimMAC Masters Coach, and SwamMAC Alumni Coordinator.

Contact Info: (704)846-5335, ext. 2109 email:pwaldron@swimmaccarolina.org