MEET OUR COACHING STAFF
Christopher Fender: [email protected]
Our MSA Head Coach, has been coaching and teaching lessons at MSA for over 25 years. He has experience working with all age groups and abilities from Silver Champs, Junior Olmypians, Senior National Qualifiers and Olympic qualifiers. Chris has a degree in Marketing and is PA Elementary Certified from West Chester University where he also swam for four years as a scholar athlete. He taught for 15 years in the Catholic School system teaching 3rd, 4th, Middle School Science and STEM. During the summer Chris spends his time at the Chester Valley Pool as the Aquatics Director and assistant swim coach for their Chester Valley Swim team.
J. Scudder
An MSA assistant coach, has been coaching, directing and teaching swim lessons at MSA for 43 years. He has experience working with all age groups from Junior Olympic champions to National Qualifiers and All Americans. J has a BA in Political Science from the University of South Florida and was named captain of the swim team his senior year. While at West Chester University he obtained a Graduate Degree in Elementary Education and subsequently taught in the William Penn School District for 18 years. J is an ASCA member coach.
Nikki Hinsdale: [email protected]
Started coaching MSA in the fall of 2013. Now she has taken on the role of the Aquatics Manager at Malvern, spending her day in the office. Every now and then you will see her on the pool deck coaching since she now spends most evenings with her son. She swam while attending Kutztown University, graduating in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Geography. While at Kutztown she taught lessons and swim clinics. Nikki is also a certified 200 hr certified yoga instructor and enjoys sharing this passion of hers with the swimmers and stundents.
Mary Gillespie
A long time MSA assistant coach, graduated from George Mason University as well as the GMU Honors College, with a bachelor’s degree in History. She swam for 14 years with her summer team in Maryland, 4 years for the high school, and 3 years with Rockville Montgomery Swim Club (RMSC). After graduating high school, she began coaching her old summer swim team for 4 years, 3 years as an assistant head coach, and the last year as a head coach. After moving to Pennsylvania in 2015, she began teaching lessons to kids and adults of all ages and continued to coach with MSA.
Gretchen Gallagher
A full cirlce MSA swimmer and now MSA assistant coach starting in 2023. Gretchen swam for MSA and Coatesville High School. She was inducted into the Coatesville Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. She swam for four years at West Chester University. Gretchen has been a Special Education Teacher for the Chester County Intermediate Unit since 2003. She has focused on Emotional Support/Mental Health programs for the CCIU. Gretchen has two swimmers on the team-Finn and Grace.
Kiera Scudder
An MSA assistant coach and dryland coach is a recent graduate from Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she has a bachelor's degree in Accounting and Sports Management. She swam all four years of college, qualifying for the PSAC team all four years and is a part of the 2021 PSAC Championship team. Kiera swam for 18 years, MSA for seven of those years. She has been teaching swim lessons for eight years at MSA and coaching for one.
Shane Scudder: Bio coming soon!
Kevin Cirka
Started coaching with MSA in 2023, coaching swimmers from all age groups and skill levels. During that time he has also helped with instruction for the Swim School. Kevin swam for MSA growing up and then also for Downingtown through high school. In college he swam two years Division II, for St. Michael’s College in Vermont, where he was a Captain of the team and also achieved multiple school records. Kevin then transferred to Penn State and graduated from main campus with a Bachelor of Arts. He is married with two sons, and has also been coaching Baseball & Basketball for his older son’s teams over the past three years.
Keith Wiley: Bio coming soon
Sean McNamara: Bio coming soon
