Coaching & Admin Staff
2025-26 Season
Meet our amazing coaching staff! This page features brief bios from all of our coaches, as well as information regarding how to contact them!
Who should I contact if I have a question?
When to communicate with your swimmer’s age group coaches:
- Individual needs, learning styles, disabilities etc.
- Prolonged absences due to family vacations, other activities, injury etc.
- Assistance with choosing events for meets
- Any other questions or requests that might arise as the season unfolds
When to communicate with Head Coach, JJ Rudisill:
- Overall philosophy, training style, training intensity
- Inappropriate behavior in the locker room, at practice or general teammate behavior
- Assistance with choosing events for meets
When to communicate with our Parent Coordinator, Heather Towne:
- USA Team Registration for Swimmers
- Spiritwear, Suits, Fun Team Events!
- Other ideas for the team outside of practice.
When to communicate with Meet Directors, Melissa and Noah:
- Certification to become an Official or Marshal
- Getting involved at Westtown Aquatic Club Meets
- Meet Accomodation / Safety Requests
- Meet Operation Questions or Concerns
JJ Rudisill
Program Director, Elite Group Lead Coach
JJ Rudisill comes to Westtown with many years of experience at all levels of competitive swimming. He enjoys teaching a 2 year old swimmer the basic survival skills as much as he enjoys refining the skills of an elite college athlete.
JJ attended Rustin High School, where he swam all four years and would later serve as Head Coah. He would go on to attend and swim at West Chester University. From 2017-2022, he served as an assistant coach at West Chester University where he was also the head coach of their age group team, Golden Ram Aquatics. During this time, he also supervised swimming lessons at the university. During his time at WCU, the Men's and Women's teams combined for 10 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference titles. He helped coach multiple Division II NCAA Champions as well as coach three WCU Swimmers to Division II NCAA individual records. He's also guided many age group swimmers to MA Junior Olympics, MA Senior Champs, and PIAA States and has served as the head coach of Waterview Swim Team in the Southern Chester County Swim League for over a decade.
JJ lives in Downingtown, PA with his dog, Reggie. In his free time, JJ loves to run and has competed in many local 5Ks, 10Ks, 15Ks, and marathons, and has recently qualified for the Boston Marathon.
JJ comes to Westtown Aquatics with the energy needed to communicate, teach, motivate, and encourage athletes of all levels.
Contact: [email protected]
Hillary Heebner-Elliott
Senior Group Lead Coach
Hillary grew up swimming in the Reading, PA area and was a high school district champs, and high school states qualifier. At GRA, along with her husband Scott, Hillary was one of the primary reasons they went from a team of less than 100, to a Middle Atlantic powerhouse for over a decade. Her philosophy is to support our swimmers, both in and out of the pool, so they can have long term success. Hillary resides in Coatesville with her son, Trevor, and daughter, Piper.
Contact: [email protected]
Ann Carozza
Junior Group Lead Coach, Elite Group Assistant Coach
Ann grew up swimming for Golden Ram Aquatics and Roslyn Swim Club. She is a graduate from West Chester East High School where she was a 6 time PIAA state medalist. Ann went on to swim at West Chester University where she was a team captain for 3 years, 2 time NCAA champion and record holder, multiple time PSAC champion and 23 time NCAA All American. She has been coaching at Roslyn Club since 2018. Ann is a Special Education Teacher and swim coach at Rustin High School.
Contact: [email protected]
Lauren Lockhart
Mini Group
Lauren swam competitively from ages 6–18 and has been coaching for 7 years. She swam for and later coached with Wedgewood Swim Team in the Southern Chester County Swim League (SCCSL). This is her 3rd season coaching at Westtown Aquatic Club, and she is happy to be back at the pool where she swam in high school, helping kids fall in love with the sport just as she did. She is also a 4th grade teacher in the West Chester Area School District, where her love for teaching carries over to her work with swimmers on deck.
Contact: [email protected]
Jeanine Lloyd
Elite Group Assistant
Jeanine is a former Division 1 swimmer at Ohio State and University of Maryland, where she was a team captain. She was a Junior National qualifier in multiple events beginning at the age of 14. In high school and college, Jeanine coached age group swimming and taught lessons. In her professional career, Jeanine is an occupational therapist at a school for children with special needs.
Contact: [email protected]
Marianne Henry
Senior Group Assistant
Marianne grew up swimming year-round in the West Chester area, spending her summers at Radley Run Country Club and winters with Malvern Swim Association and Golden Ram Aquatics. Marianne's lifelong connection to the sport and the local swim community inspired her to begin coaching in 2019. Since then, she has served as Head Coach at Radley Run Country Club and as an Assistant Coach during the winter seasons with Golden Ram Aquatics and Westtown. Marianne also has two daughters on the team, Sidney and Briley, who have been swimming since they were 5 and 6 years old. Coaching while watching them grow in the sport has made her experience even more rewarding. She is passionate about helping swimmers of all ages develop their skills, confidence, and love for the sport—both in and out of the pool.
Contact: [email protected]
Marie McDevitt
Senior Group Assistant
I grew up swimming and have been in West Chester since I was 5. I have coached since 2001 for Roslyn; I was the assistant coach at Rustin High School for its first four years (2006-2010); and swam for Millersville University for 3 years. I absolutely love coaching and helping kids fall in love with the sport of swimming. I was an 8th grade math teacher for 10 years at Stetson and cross country coach before deciding to stay home to raise my three kids!
Contact: [email protected]
Natalie DiTulio
Senior Group Assistant
Coach Natalie grew up swimming at Marple Newtown Swim Club in the Suburban Swim League, where her love of the sport began. She has many core memories of spending summers at the pool from open to close, working the snack bar and lifeguarding. Before having children, Natalie was a math teacher and coach in the Lower Merion School District. Natalie has been coaching summer swim since 2019. Currently, she serves as a substitute teacher in the West Chester School District and is also a Certified Health Coach. She is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Functional Medicine and Nutrition, and loves sharing her passion for sports nutrition with her swimmers. Natalie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Villanova University and a Master’s in Education from Penn State. In her free time, she enjoys coaching field hockey, health and fitness, photography, reading, and watching her children’s sporting events.
Contact: [email protected]
Tie Manuel
Junior Group Assistant
Tie grew up swimming in the area for teams like Golden Rams Aquatics and Roslyn Swim Club in the summer. His first time on a swim team was actually here at Westtown before joining GRA. He has just graduated from Loyola Maryland this past May where he swam Division I for 4 years. This is his first experience being on the coaching side of the pool deck and is very excited to gain experience and grow with the team. Tie works as a lower school assistant teacher here at Westtown as well.
Contact: [email protected]
Jess Sabedra
Junior Group Assistant
Jess has been coaching with Westtown Aquatic Club for 13 seasons. Assisting with only the Senior Prep group, Jess brings a plethora of experience from her four years as a collegiate swimmer with Drexel University and as an age-group swimmer with Upper Main Line YMCA (UMLY).
Contact: [email protected]
Madi Grenoble
Junior and Mini Group Assistant
Coach Madi is a Graduate of West Chester University and is currently getting her Masters. Madi has had a very successful swimming career. She was a National qualifier and earned All-American certificate at the 2019 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships. Madi had four individual Top 8 performances at 2019 PSAC Championships. She has coached for the Golden Rams Aquatics program in the past. Madi has also been a coach for the Waterview Sharks for the past 10 years.
Contact: [email protected]
Emma Teneza
Mini Group Assistant
My name is Emma Teneza, and this is my 2nd year as a Mini coach for Westtown Aquatics. I have been a swimmer since I was 8 years old, and most recently I was a competitive triathlete through college. I am currently a 5th grade teacher at The Westtown School, as well as a cross country coach. Coaching is a huge passion of mine, and I am so excited to be a part of Westtown Aquatics!
Contact: [email protected]
Sara Jackson
Mini Group Assistant
Sara grew up swimming in the West Chester area for Golden Rams Aquatics from 2005-2020, as well as Roslyn swim club in the summers, and Kennett Area YMCA for the 2020-2021 season. Sara was a high school district champs qualifier and went on to continue her athletic and academic career at Loyola University Md. Sara graduated in May, 2025 on the Physician Assistant track and is taking a gap year as she waits to hear from her graduate schools. In her free time she enjoys surfing, spending time with family and friends, and cheering on Philly sports! Sara has also just finished her seventh summer as an ocean rescue lifeguard for the Cape May Beach Patrol and spends lots of time down at the Jersey Shore. She is very excited for her first season with Westtown Aquatics and can't wait to see what the year brings!
Contact: [email protected]
Team Administration
Melissa Ash
Meet Director, SafeSport Coordinator
Contact Melissa with questions regarding home meet structure, organization, policies, interest in officiating, SafeSport policies, or anything else related to home meets OR if you're interested in obtaining official certification!
** All Communication Regarding Anything Related to Home Meets- Entries, Officials, Volunteer Positions, USAS Reg, etc. should go to the Meet Directors for the Meet (Melissa and Noah). Questions specifically pertaining to what your swimmer should swim should go to JJ Rudisill! If you're not sure, reach out to JJ!**
Contact: [email protected]
Noah Fisher
Meet Director, Operational Risk Director, Co-Officials Coordinator, Administrative Assistant
Contact Noah with questions regarding home meet structure, organization, policies, officials, involvement in meets, or anything else related to home meets.
** All Communication Regarding Anything Related to Home Meets- Entries, Officials, Volunteer Positions, USAS Reg, etc. should go to the Meet Directors for the Meet (Melissa and Noah). Questions specifically pertaining to what your swimmer should swim should go to JJ Rudisill! If you're not sure, reach out to JJ!*
Contact: [email protected]
Meet Inquiry Mailbox
Westtown Aquatic Club Meets
All meet-related paperwork should be sent to this mailbox - entry files, inquiries, etc.
Contact: [email protected]
WA Parent Committee
Heather Towne
Parent Coordinator, Yoga
Contact Heather for anything regarding spiritwear, suits, fun team events, other ideas you might have for the team outside of practice.
Contact: [email protected]
