Coaches

Andrew Seaton Head Coach

Coach Andrew is beginning his second season as the Head Coach of the West Chester Area YMCA (WCAY) Marlins. He has extensive academic and practical knowledge regarding athlete development and a wealth of coaching experience at both the age group and collegiate level.

Andrew holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from the University of Michigan, specializing in Health Behavior & Health Education. His academic work focused on health communications, program development, and program evaluation. Given his diverse interests, Andrew also spent time studying in the Nutrition department and the School of Kinesiology. He is a certified personal trainer with the National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT), who has published multiple articles for the organization's trainer education blog.

Returning to the YGBW organization, Andrew previously spent six years coaching at the Upper Main Line YMCA. He primarily coached Seniors but spent time with every age group. During that time, UMLY received Bronze and then Silver medal status with USA Swimming’s Club Excellence Program, the team finished as high as 4th place at the YMCA National Meet, and its athletes won 16 individual YMCA National titles, 11 Relay titles, and set 10 YMCA National Records. Along the way, Andrew mentored dozens of athletes through the college search process, many of whom decided to continue competing at the collegiate level.

Andrew’s first significant coaching experience came as an Assistant Coach at Villanova University. He primarily supported the Stroke & IM training group. During his two seasons there, the Women won 2 Big East Championships, with the staff being named Women’s Coaching Staff of the Year both times. Villanova’s athletes achieved 26 NCAA Division 1 B-cuts, set 37 school records and 1 Big East Conference record, and qualified for the Olympic Trials of multiple nations. Andrew also served as the program lead for men’s recruiting, gaining significant insight into the college admissions process.

Along the way, Andrew spent several Summers working with the Total Performance Elite Swim Camps at Kenyon College – the most decorated Division 3 swimming program in the nation.

A native of Wayne, PA, Andrew attended and swam at Radnor High School. He continued competing at Bates College. Even today, Andrew continues to compete in swimming and has earned U.S. Master’s Swimming Top-10 Event Age Group Rankings every year since 2019.

Dan Shupard Assistant Coach
Starting at the young age of five, Coach Dan enjoyed 13 summers swimming for the West End Swim Club. He began swimming year-round as a middle schooler and swam for West Chester East High School for four years.
 
A natural around kids, Coach Dan started working with kids as a math teacher and quickly moved into the sports realm. He was a golf course instructor for 22 years and spent a total of 28 years working with kids and preparing them for a better future.
 
Coach Dan has proven himself as a swim coach and took a floundering high school team from a history of 3 wins in 8 years to claiming the Del-Val title multiple years in a row! He developed his team into PIAAA district swimmers for the first time in the school’s history!
 
In 2016, Coach Dan joined the Marlins as a “Swim Dad” when his son Ryan was six years old. Coach Dan volunteered on the team and trained as a Level 1 and Level 2 YMCA swim official and began coaching for the Marlins in 2021.
 
Swimming is a family affair! Coach Dan’s wife Dee volunteers as a certified Administrative Assistant (AO), an integral position necessary for running a meet! Dee and Dan have filled many roles over the years including deck-parenting, coordinating apparel vendors for meets, lining swimmers up on the ready bench, baking cupcakes and creating exciting motivational posters for the team. Coach Dan says, “We work together to make the Marlins a better place for kids and coaches. It is important our son sees our commitment to the YMCA, and as he grows, he develops that understanding.”
 
As a coach who knows swimmers’ times and meet qualifying times off the top of his head, Coach Dan says, “I enjoy seeing kids succeed where they have continually failed. The moment the light bulb goes off, and their confidence is boosted. Swimming has a lot more failures than successes, and the only way to grow is to be surrounded by coaches, friends and family who support the young athletes.”
 
Fun fact: Coach Dan’s mother and aunt were on the PTA that created the swim teams for West Chester School District. At the time, it was just West Chester East and Henderson!
Cynthia Yori Assistant Coach
Coach Cyndi’s swimming career began at the age of 6 when she joined a summer league. A few years later, as a 3rd grader, Coach Cyndi started training in the winter season and continued competing through high school and college. She has been coaching since the summer of her senior year of high school and has taught swim lessons.
 
At the start of the 2016-2017 season, Coach Cyndi joined the Marlins as a Level 1 coach. She followed her first group of swimmers through Level 3 and has been a Level 3 coach ever since.
Coach Cyndi earned her master’s degree in education and has been teaching 5th grade since 2019. She was married in October 2021, has a yellow lab named Ziva, and had a baby girl named Kinsley in June 2024.
 
When asked about why she coaches, Coach Cyndi said, “I coach because I love swimming and wanted a way to continue with the sport beyond my time as a competitive swimmer. I enjoy working with young swimmers and watching them grow in the sport and as individuals over the years.”
Mack Henderson Assistant Coach
Kris Swindler Assistant Coach
Since 2017, Coach Kris can often be found in the water of the rec pool teaching swim lessons to the youngest members of the YMCA. Patient, kind and caring, Coach Kris is the perfect fit for the Pre-Team and Mini Marlins.
 
A cross country runner for Henderson High School and the US Merchant Marine Academy where she attended college, Coach Kris enjoys swimming recreationally and is a proud parent of MarlinTsunami swimmer, Lila. A member of the Marlin Family since 2016, Coach Kris began coaching in 2021. Prior to her dedication to the WCAY, Coach Kris was in marine engineering and sales. She sailed on a merchant ship in the late 1980s and worked on a sailboat in the 1990s.
 
In addition to daughter Lila, Coach Kris and her husband have an older daughter, Isabella who recently graduated from Kutztown University.  Coach Kris’s husband is also a regular volunteer for the Marlins and can be found behind the blocks with a timer in hand.
 
When asked why she loves coaching, Coach Kris says, “I have really enjoyed working with the team's youngest swimmers and helping them make the jump between swim lessons and swim
team.  It's really gratifying to see the kids progress from swimming half a lap to successfully competing in their first competition and beyond. I love watching them gain confidence!”
Jane Cronauer Assistant Coach
Brittany Brodzinski Assistant Coach

Coach Brittany started swimming at the age of 4 in the summer at Huntingdon Valley Country Club and continued throughout the year at Abington Dolphins Aquatic Club (now DCAA).  She swam for Abington High School where she was a District 1 finalist and 3 time state qualifier.  After high school, she continued her career at Bloomsburg University where she was a PSAC finalist all four years and a 6 time All-American. She even made the consolation final in the 200 and 500 freestyle at the 2002 NCAA Division II Championships (finishing 9th and 16th respectively).  While at Bloomsburg, she also helped with their learn to swim lesson program each spring and played club water polo for 2 years.

After college, Brittany went back to Dolphins and coached from 2003-2010, primarily working with the 8-10 & under groups.  She has lived in West Chester since 2011 and works as a bookkeeper at Hazley Builders. She has a 10 year daughter who has been a part of the Marlins team since 2023!  Since joining the Marlins as a coach, she works with the 8 & unders and also assists with other groups as needed.

She loves working with kids and seeing the smiles on their faces whether they achieved a goal, got a best time or completed a race they didn't think they could do!  Swimming has been a part of her life for a long time and is happy to pass along any knowledge and help that she can.

Fun fact - she still holds an 8 & under 25 backstroke record at Abington Dolphins that has stood since 1989! 
    

Allison Pryor Assistant Coach

Coach Alli’s deep-rooted love for swimming and her years of experience make her a valuable part of the coaching team. Originally from Virginia, she swam competitively for 15 years—from the age of 4 through 19—participating in summer league, YMCA, year-round programs, and even a bit of collegiate swimming.

She holds a bachelor's degree in Anthropology from the University of Mary Washington and a master's degree in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma. Outside of the pool, she enjoys kayaking, hiking, and has a great appreciation for a good pun!

Throughout her coaching journey, Coach Alli has worked with swimmers of all ages and skill levels. She began as a Junior Coach and eventually became the Head Coach of a summer league team. She also served as an Assistant Coach for her year-round club team, where she helped young athletes grow both in and out of the water.

Above all, Coach Alli enjoys sharing her love of the water and is passionate about helping swimmers gain confidence, improve their technique, and have fun in the process.

Anna Evans Dryland Coach
Amanda Dunlap Assistant Coach
Coach Amanda brings with her years of experience as a swimmer and a coach. She began her swim career as a five-year-old and continued as an age-group swimmer at various local clubs. In high school, Coach Amanda swam for Conestoga where she was a two-time PIAA State Qualifier while swimming for her club team. She attended Bucknell University and swam as a proud Bison!
 
Coach Amanda previously coached Penn Charter’s Middle School Team and also worked with swimmers at Upper Merion Aquatic Club and Episcopal Academy Aquatic Club. A Level 1 coach for the WCAY
Marlins since 2020, Coach Amanda also coaches Westtown School’s Upper School and Middle School Teams.
 
For the past 16 years, Coach Amanda has been a middle school and high school math teacher and currently teaches at Westtown School. In the summer, she works as the Aquatics Director for Westtown Summer Camp. She has two children, Brooklynne (a WCAY Marlin!) and JJ along with two cats and a dog.
 
Coach Amanda says, “I have always loved swimming; it is such a great sport and really sets kids up for success in other areas of their lives. It was a big part of my childhood/teenage years and I want to pass this passion along to the next generation of kids! I have always enjoyed working with kids in the classroom and on the pool deck.”
 
Fun Fact: Coach Amanda met Michael Phelps at Sectionals in Virginia when they were both 16 years old. Michael had just competed in his first Olympics in 2000. Coach Amanda says, “He was most definitely the fastest person at this meet!”
Amanda Fenn Assistant Coach

Amanda grew up with a pool in her backyard, but didn’t start competitively swimming until age 10. She trained with the Lionville YMCA swim team. She also swam for Downingtown East in High School. For many years, she taught swim lessons.   She attended Lock Haven University and swam on the swim team all 4 years, where her main events were 200 Butterfly and 400 IM.

She was a Recreation Therapist after college, and when she became a mom, she opened an Etsy shop, where she makes and sells handmade banners and accessories.

Fun fact: Matt and I met on the Y swim team in high school, where we were friends, and then began dating in college. We got married in 2012, had Jacob in 2016, and Carleigh in 2019. We are so excited to have our kids both swimming for the Marlins! The only family member not helping on the pool deck is our beagle, Sal.

I enjoy sharing my passion for the sport and love helping kids learn and improve their strokes.

Isabella Acker Assistant Coach

Coach Bella swam with the Marlins for 13 years. Her favorite event was the 200 fly, and she swam at meets like Districts, States, and Junior Olympics (now Junior Champs). She transitioned to coaching for the 2023-2024 winter swimming season and absolutely loves it. She coaches many groups and loves getting to know all the swimmers.

Coach Bella is currently a student at West Chester University, where she studies early education and special education. On top of coaching for the swim team, she also teaches swim lessons. Coach Bella’s family is a swimming family. Her twin swam for the Marlins for 13 years as well, and her parents, Katie and Dave, continue to volunteer often. 

When asked about coaching, Coach Bella says "I have always loved swimming, especially because of the coaches that trained me. Coaching helps me ensure that the pool remains a happy place. Watching kids achieve their goals fills me with so much pride and brings back memories of when I was an 8 and under!"

Grace Herlihy Assistant Coach
Riley Surak Assistant Coach
Lila Swindler Assistant Coach
Aubrey Lydon Assistant Coach