Coaching Staff
Jake Downs | Head Coach
Email: [email protected]
Coach Jake started swimming in high school and instantly took to the sport. Upon graduating from Evansville North High School in 2013, he attended the University of Southern Indiana, where he received a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management. Jake has been coaching for GREAT since 2016 and took over as the Head Coach in 2020. His passion and enthusiasm for coaching and swimming shine bright, helping swimmers reach their full potential both in and out of the water. In addition to coaching for GREAT, Jake also coaches at Evansville North High School, where he has been coaching since 2013 and has served as the head coach since 2018. He also has experience coaching for Oak Meadow Country Club's summer league swim team. Coaching swimmers of a wide range of age and ability has given him the insight and perspective needed to help swimmers achieve goals of all levels. Having played and coached many sports, Coach Jake believes that swimming is the best sport for teaching valuable life lessons and helping kids grow into exemplary adults and role models.
Why do you coach?
I coach to inspire, encourage, impact, and empower my athletes, so that they can become the best versions of themselves that they can possibly be. I strive to use coaching to shape a better future in sport and beyond, where kids are happy and kind, know what hard work looks like and how to handle adversity, and are eager to learn and grow, so that they can contribute positively to something.
Nick Davlantis | Head Age Group Coach
Email: [email protected]
Coach Nick has been involved with competitive swimming for over 15 years. He attended the University of Evansville, where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Physics and Education while competing for the Aces swim team. After graduating, he went on to be a teacher and swim coach. After six years of teaching and coaching, his passion for swimming and commitment to helping kids reach their full potential in the sport led to the decision to coach full-time as a head age-group coach. Nick grew up playing many sports, including soccer, baseball, basketball, track, and tumbling, and has found that swimming is unique in its ability to leverage both the team and individual aspects of sports to help build healthy, balanced, and hard-working kids.
Why do you coach?
I coach to help kids find the same love for a sport that can provide so much to their development and long-term success. It's something you can do for life and find success at any stage.
Lindsay Benedyk | Assistant Coach
Email: [email protected]
Coach Lindsay has been involved in swimming for over 30 years in various capacities. Starting as a recreational swimmer at the age of 5, she progressed to become a USA swimmer in grade school, where she placed in the top 3 at the state level, representing Billings, Montana. When moving back to Evansville, Lindsay was a first-generation swimmer at the start of EVSC swimming for North High School and GREAT, establishing several records. She has nearly 20 years of coaching experience, working with all levels, from younger, fundamental groups to coaching high schoolers at the National level. Outside of coaching, she is a National Trainer for swim lessons, ranging from infant acclimation to advanced techniques for adults, and offers traveling private lessons in the summertime. In addition, she is a Lifeguard and CPR Instructor who also assists Boy Scout troops with water safety skills. It's safe to say that the water is home for her.
Why do you coach?
I believe we are all born with a unique gift, and it's our responsibility to use that gift not only to better ourselves but also to help improve the lives of others. I want to make swimming a fun, lifelong sport for everyone.
Alison Jones | Assistant Coach
Email: [email protected]
Coach Alison started swimming competitively in the San Francisco Bay Area when she was 8 and never hung up her goggles. Alison swam for Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, where she was a conference champion and NCAA D3 All-American. Alison started teaching swim lessons and coaching at 15, where she found her passion for teaching. Currently, Alison is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of Evansville. Alison and her husband, Mark, have two sons, Jack and Wyatt.
Why do you coach?
I love to swim and share my love of the sport with others. Swimming competitively taught me many skills that translate to life outside of the pool, including the importance of teamwork, dedication, and persistence.
Errick Lickey | Assistant Coach
Email: [email protected]
Coach Errick started swimming for North High School in 2000 and loved competing as an individual and a team. Errick began coaching at North after finishing college at the University of Southern Indiana. Over the last 10 years, Errick has coached soccer, basketball, baseball, and lacrosse, but is happy to be back to the sport he loves the most.
Why do you coach?
I coach to help young people push themselves to accomplish goals that they don't realize they can reach.
Charles Haller | Assistant Coach
Email: [email protected]
Coach Charlie began coaching with GREAT in 2023. He is currently enrolled at the University of Southern Indiana pursuing an Education Degree. Charlie swam for GREAT and Mater Dei High School, where he graduated from in 2021.
Why do you coach?
I coach because I love to teach kids how to have fun while learning something new and seeing their joy for the love of swim. I think the best way to grow and get stronger is by learning from your mistakes and achieving those long earned goals.
Miranda Meister | Assistant Coach
Email: [email protected]
Coach Miranda started swimming as a sophomore at Benjamin Bosse High School in Evansville. She instantly fell in love with the sport and wanted to share it with others. As a high school student, she started teaching children how to swim, working mainly with children under five and those with special needs to help them understand water safety and essential life-saving skills. She believes knowing how to swim is one of the most important skills a person can learn. Miranda graduated from the University of Southern Indiana in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Radio & Television Communications, Public Relations, and Journalism. While working after college, Miranda has continued to share her love of swimming by teaching and coaching new swimmers.
Why do you coach?
There’s something special about swimming, and I love sharing that with young people. I coach because it builds more than skills—it builds confidence, teamwork, and resilience. Watching kids grow in the pool and in life is the most rewarding part.
Chris Sexton | Assistant Coach
Email: [email protected]
Coach Chris did not grow up swimming competitively, but he was always around and in the water. Whether it was with friends in the town pool or open water swimming at his best friend’s house on a large lake, swimming and water safety were an integral part of his life growing up. Coach Chris is originally from Newburgh and is a graduate of Castle High School ('05) and Ball State University ('09). He has had the opportunity to coach multiple sports at different levels, thanks to his 3 kids and his background as an athlete in both soccer and bowling. But coaching swim has been one of his favorites. Coach Chris’s son currently swims at GREAT and his two girls are some of the biggest swim cheerleaders you will see on meet weekends along with his wife, Erin, in the stands.
Why do you coach?
I coach to build the self-esteem and confidence of young athletes through the individual and team sport of swimming. My goal as a coach is to positively impact my athletes in such a way that they leave practice or competition and can’t stop talking about how much fun they had, and are excited about their future, both in and out of the water.
Logan Tenison | Assistant Coach
Email: [email protected]
Coach Logan is a student at the University of Evansville, where he is also a member of the Men’s Swim Team. Logan graduated from North High School in 2024. He swam for North for 4 years and was an IHSAA Sectional Champion and State qualifier. He also swam for GREAT during his high school years, where he was a State finalist and Futures qualifier.
Why do you coach?
I coach to help children grow in confidence and skill, just as my mentors and peers have for me.
Brinkley Wedel | Assistant Coach
Email: [email protected]
Coach Brinkley graduated from F.J. Reitz High School in 2025 and is a student at the University of Southern Indiana, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. She started swimming her sophomore year at Reitz High School. It was hard at first, but as soon as she got the hang of it, she fell in love with swimming. Brinkley started swimming for GREAT at the end of her junior year of high school. She was a Sectional Finalist in the 50 and 100 freestyle.
Why do you coach?
I coach because I love to swim and have learned many lessons in the pool that translated to life outside of the pool. I also had great coaches who encouraged me and made me love swimming even more; I want to pass that on.
Maddie Lemon | Assistant Coach
Email: m[email protected]
Why do you coach?
Being a coach really shapes an athlete's experience. During my time at GREAT, my coaches helped me become the person I am today, and I want to be that coach for the swimmers on our team. I coach to help improve athletes' overall enjoyment of the sport and remind them why they swim in the first place.
Board of Directors
