American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) – Level 5
SSDC Dryland Certification

Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Coach Justin brings to Beach Cities a long history of competing and coaching at the highest levels of our sport.  Justin joined his first swim team at the age of 4, and competed for his local High School, Club, and Summer League teams all the way through high school.  He attended and graduated from the University of Kentucky where he was a 4-year varsity letter winner on the men’s Swimming&Diving team as well as an All-SEC Community Service Team member, an All-SEC Academic Award Winner, and an inductee into UK’s Frank G Hamm Society of Character.

Coach Justin began coaching professionally for his hometown Greater Columbus Swim Team of Ohio (GCSTO), serving first as an Age Group Coach, then a Head Age Group Coach, and finally the Head National Team Coach.  While with GCSTO, Coach Justin’s athletes achieved numerous Junior National and National qualifying times as well as many team and LSC records, and one of his athletes went on to win a US National Title.

Coach Justin left GCSTO to pursue his passion for coaching with Summit City Aquatics in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  After serving one season as Head Age Group Coach, he was promoted to Head Coach and served in that role for more than 5 years.  During that time, SCA produced several Indiana LSC state records, numerous Junior National qualifiers, and US and Canadian Olympic Trials Qualifiers.  The team also achieved its highest ever national ranking and earned Bronze Medal status in his last two years.  During this time, Coach Justin also served as the Head Coach for Homestead High School’s Boys and Girls Swimming and Diving teams, where he led the Girls to 4 team Sectional Championships and the Boys to 3, as well as earning nearly 30 NISCA All-American awards.

Most recently, Coach Justin coached for the Mission Viejo Nadadores.  With the Nadadores, Justin worked mainly with the Senior athletes but also spent almost a year serving as the 13/14 Division Director.  Coach Justin led Mission Viejo’s Senior Gold and Senior Silver training groups and also served as the National Team Head Sprint Coach.  While with Mission, Coach Justin helped athletes achieve many Junior National, National, and Olympic Trials qualifying times as well as several Junior National Championships and team, LSC, and National records.

Coach Justin believes in a high intensity and high quality approach to the sport with a heavy emphasis on individualized technique.  He also strives to foster an upbeat and positive atmosphere where athletes can step on the pool deck each day ready to work hard AND have fun while chasing their goals.

"I am honored and excited to be joining Beach Cities Swimming, and I look forward to working together with our athletes, families, and staff to lead our team into its best chapter yet.  Go BCS!"

American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) - Level 4

Now in his seventeenth season in SoCal Swimming's Pacific Committee, Coach Tim's goal is to keep things fast and fun, with a healthy dose of inspiration.  He encourages each member of his athletic family to be committed to each other (aka teamwork) and to the fulfillment of their individual athletic and academic potential.  His extensive and diverse coaching history has led him work with every level of athlete, from novice to pro.  Beginning way back in his high school days in the Cincinnati Country Club League, his coaching career includes some time as an undergraduate assistant at Kenyon College, three seasons at the CIF level with Harvard-Westlake School and Palisades Charter High School, six seasons with Team Santa Monica, three seasons with Swim Torrance and six seasons with Westside Aquatics.  Coach Tim's athletes have produced SCS records, National Top 10 performances, USA Swimming All-Time Top 100 performances, Junior National qualifying times and, thanks to some outstanding performances by his athletes, he was named one of the Top 50 Age Group Coaches of the Year by ASCA and Fitter & Faster in 2023.  From 2008-2010, he was the developmental coach of a 2016 & 2021 U.S. Olympian and 2015 World Champion.  Throughout his career (thanks to several great mentor coaches), he has been fortunate enough to work with some of the sport's best athletes, which include an American record holder, NCAA champions, U.S. and Australian Olympic Trials qualifiers, International Open Water medalists, National Junior Team members and numerous Junior and Senior National qualifiers.

As an athlete in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, Tim was a U.S. Open qualifier, Junior National qualifier, NAG Top-16 athlete and YMCA National Champion, while representing the Cincinnati Marlins and the M.E. Lyons YMCA.  However, it was his experience as a State Champion and All-American at Cincinnati St. Xavier High School that cemented his passion for the sport.  (Swimming World Magazine recently ranked the St. Xavier High School men's swimming team as the 3rd best high school program in history.)

After graduating from St. X in 1998, he competed for NCAA Division III powerhouse Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he was awarded All-Conference honors.  In 2002, he achieved a B.A. in History from Kenyon.

Coach Mary was born and raised in Culver City, CA. She swam competitively, from the age of five, until graduating from Culver City High School in 2008, where she swam and played water polo all four years. She then studied political science at Loyola Marymount University.

At the age of 15, she was lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to learn how to teach swimming and has been doing it ever since. Coach Mary has over 17 years of experience in coaching competitive swimming and has coached/taught swimmers of all ages, abilities, and demographics, including the elderly and people with special needs. She offers a comprehensive knowledge of athletic training as well as an ability to guide and empower each individual to optimum athletic success. One of Coach Mary’s talents is inspiring athletes, at every level, to be the best they can be. She is goal-oriented and talented at motivating others.

Over the last two decades, she has demonstrated focus on cultivating hardworking and dedicated athletes and teams with an emphasis on teamwork and perseverance. In 2016, she successfully started her own business providing private swim training, which has further deepened her knowledge of the sport. She remains consistently committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience, while helping athletes develop the skills and confidence they need to improve athletically. She possesses a strong mentoring ability and extensive management experience (she managed the Culver City Plunge for almost seven years).

When not on deck or in the pool, you can find Coach Mary in spin class, boxing, hot yoga, or hiking. She is a lover of all things fitness. Coach Mary is also a spin instructor at CycleBar Culver City and CycleBar Santa Monica.

She is honored to be a member of the Beach Cities coaching staff!

Born in Tuzla, Bosnia, Coach Latte (real name is Dzenan) moved to the United States at the age of three. He grew up in Culver City where he graduated from Culver City High School in 2011. Latte currently attends Santa Monica College where he is working on his second degree in Chemistry.

Coach Latte’s swimming career began swimming for Coach Monique at the Culver Plunge on a small competitive team called “Competitve Edge.” He also swam in high school and made CIF Finals all four years in the 500 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly. He continued on to swim at Santa Monica College and was a part of the State record holding 4x200 Freestyle Relay.

Prior to joining Beach Cities Swimming, Latte had coaching stints at Team Santa Monica and Westside Aquatics. 

Melissa has developed a great passion for swimming over the past 16 years. She was a competitive swimmer from elementary school through high school. In college, Melissa was an Assistant Swim Coach for Robinson High school in Fairfax, VA, from 2007-2008. She also helped as a special needs private swim instructors.

One of my passions is to work with children who have Down syndrome, Autism, Asperger’s, ADHD, ADD, and with children who have other multiple disorders or handicaps. I have a great deal of experience with teaching water safety to these swim students and was the person my boss would send these pupils to at my former swim instruction job. 

This past High School season Melissa was an Assistant Swim Coach for the JV team at Mira Costa High School.  Before joining Beach Cities she was a Lead Senior 2 Coach at Swim Torrance and assisted with the rest of the groups from Sharks to Age Groups from Oct 2018 to April 2019.

I graduated with my B.A. in Sociology from George Mason University in 2009. After college I was a substitute teacher, predominately with special needs children for K through 12th Grade. I have taught all levels of American Red Cross classes: Baby and Me, Toddler and Me, Levels 1 to 6, Stroke Mechanics 1 to 5, and Adults Classes. Melissa strives on being patient with her athletes and also adapting to their needs. She looks forward to helping BCS continue to grow in the South Bay. 

Meriel Mitsakos was born and raised in the South Bay. She started swimming competitively at age 6 on the Westchester Orcas. After she qualified for Junior Olympics and medaled at age 8, she moved to Team Santa Monica. On TSM, she not only continued to medal in Junior Olympics her following years, but medaled in sectionals, CIF, and many other meets.
While swimming for Mira Costa High School, she broke four records and still hold some of those records to this day. She was a medalist all four years at CIF division 1 and 2 in both individual events and relays. She was a varsity letterman all four years and was team captain her senior year. She also received the leadership, excellence, and most inspirational awards on the varsity swim team.

Meriel was not only a swimmer in the pool, but also in the ocean. She was a six-time National Gold Medalist for the United States Lifeguarding Association and seven-time Regional Gold medalist for the California Surf Lifesaving Association for Junior Lifeguards in the distance swim, run-swim-run, Ironman (swim, run, paddle), and swim relay. She was two-time Gold medalist in the Seal Beach rough water swim and Silver medalist in the Waikiki Rough water swim in her age group. She has swum many other open water events, but these are some to name a few.

Meriel was on track for collegiate scholarships, when an injury sent her into early retirement. What seemed like the worst possible outcome, turned into a life-changing experience of coaching and teaching kids of all ages and skill level.
Instead of taking her swimming career to the next level, she took her extensive swimming background to start her own swim lesson business a little over a decade ago. She has taught over 1000 kids how to swim. She has taken many of those students who share the same love of the water as she does and coached them all the way to where they are now swimming competitively for clubs around SoCal including Beach Cities. She has also coached multiple seasons as a USA swimming coach and looks forward to many more seasons with Beach Cities.

Currently, she’s on the road to getting her Masters in Sports Psychology to help kids in the sport of swimming and expanding her swim business into the ocean.