AQUAJETS' COACHING STAFF

Aquajets' coaches are here to support your needs!
If your questions are related to workouts, meets, events, goal setting, and other swimming related needs, please contact your swimmer's lead coach. For all questions related to administration, such as dues, safety, or policy issues, please email [email protected].

 

KATE LUNDSTEN
Head Coach & Head Senior/National Groups Coach
Senior Elite, National Team

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Kate joined the Aquajets Swim Team as Head Coach in 2004. In her current role, she is also the Board Chair of Newjets, Inc., the non-profit parent organization of the Aquajets. Coach Kate swam competitively for 10 years and has been a USA Swimming coach for over 30 years. On multiple occasions, she has been selected as an assistant coach for the USA National and USA Junior National Teams. Most recently, Coach Kate was named Head Women's Coach for Team USA at the 2017 FINA World Junior Championships, and has served on Team USA coaching staffs for the 2018 Junior Pan Pacs Championships and the 2019 Pan Am Games. Most recently, Kate's impact on the sport was featured as part of USA Swimming's Legacy Series. Check out the amazing video here. 

 

Prior to her position at Aquajets, Kate was a 10-year head coach for the Eden Prairie High School Girls’ Swim Team—winning four state titles! Kate was the recipient of numerous coaching awards including State High School Coach of the Year while at Eden Prairie High School. She is widely recognized as a superior stroke technician and encourages and promotes strong technique in practice. Her work has been featured by USA Swimming (click here). Swimmers under Kate's watch have achieved significant success—including state and national records, numerous National Junior Team members, Olympic Trials qualifiers, and even an Olympic Gold medalist!

Kate swam in high school for Minnetonka where she was team captain, winner of multiple state championships and a Junior National qualifier. She attended college at Hamline University, where she earned a B.A. in Art. She was the captain of the Hamline Swim Team and a 24-time All-American, a Division III national champion, and national record holder in the 200 backstroke. She also was the Division III national champion in the 100 backstroke and multiple relay teams. While in college, Kate was awarded the Hamline Top Athlete Senior Award.

LEAH FOREMAN-KEISER
Assistant Head Coach
Junior 2, Senior Elite
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Coach Leah joined the Aquajets’ coaching staff in September 2010, as a developmental coach and co-head dryland coach while coaching high school swimming and working full-time in the corporate world. In September 2016, she left the corporate grind and moved from the dryland gym to the pool deck full-time. She currently leads the Junior 2 and Senior Elite groups, in addition to serving as the team’s primary communications, events, and marketing contact.

 

Leah swam competitively for 15 years, going way, way back to the 90s; she even swam for Coach Kate on the now-defunct Mach III Flyers. Leah was a club and high school state champion, and a Junior and Senior National qualifier in the breaststroke events. She earned Academic All-Big Ten honors as a member of the Penn State Women’s Swimming and Diving Team and graduated with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in Kinesiology.

 

When she’s not coaching, Leah is likely in the weight room, obsessively following Nittany Lions' sports, or spending time with her husband, Jeff, their goofy boxer, Dash, and crazy cat, Huey.

MEGAN HUGHES
Assistant Coach
Gold Groups
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Megan joined Aquajets as a coach in 2014. She explains that her path to coaching was almost inevitable…she was born into a swimming family, was in the pool by three months of age, and says she spent most of her time growing up in or near a body of water—from Minnesota to California. In fact, she jokes she could very well be an amphibian! “I absolutely love coaching kids and count it as one my greatest joys to watch kids grow as humans, as well as swimmers,” she explains.

 

In her early years, Megan swam for the Edina Swim Club and competed for Edina High School, where she co-captained the girls’ team. She was also an accomplished synchronized swimmer for Edina (note to swimmers: “sculling matters”!). True to form, she says she spent more time trying to make others laugh than actually listening to her coaches and the sets they were leading (again note to swimmers: don’t follow this lead!).

 

While majoring in English at the University of Kansas, Megan said she spent a good deal of time “fostering friendships” (she had a lot of luck on that front!) and “trying to be noticed by the swim coaches” (sadly, not much luck on this front!). But all ends well—she can claim a stint of collegiate swimming on her résumé thanks to a semester abroad—swimming for the University of Stirling, in Scotland (Did you know? The Scots take hot tubs after they swim). During her college years and through most of her 20s, Megan worked for Young Life and other Youth Ministries with her husband, Eric.
 
She has been a U.S. Masters (iSwim) swimmer since 2009 and says “I love swimming just as much today as I did at three months of age. In fact, my family still competes in Masters meets as a way to stay connected with each other—it’s a total joy!”

 

With the help of her dad, Megan taught her husband Eric to swim when he was 25 years old. She quips that her biggest success as a coach to date is teaching Eric to swim butterfly forward, not backward. Megan and Eric have three kids and a deaf cat—who, by the way, absolutely LOVES to swim. No surprise there, eh?! 

CHRIS MAYER
Assistant Coach
Bluejets, Bluelightning
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Chris first started coaching with Aquajets back in 2012 with the Gold Groups.  He started swimming when he was only five-years-old for what was then the Edina Southdale YMCA Beavers swim team.  He started his lifetime coaching career in 1994 and has been loving it ever since. “Working with kids is an absolute privilege for me,” Chris said.
 
Chris has been an Elementary Art Teacher in Wayzata since 2000. He has two children, Erik and Emma, three cats and loves anything outdoors. Aquajets is a second family for him and he feels lucky to have the opportunity to be part of such a great organization.
TIFFANY SHERMAK
Assistant Coach
BlueSharks, Junior 2, Senior Elite
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Tiffany starting coaching with Aquajets in 2013 and says she “loves connecting with the swimmers, meeting them where they're at and providing an opportunity for progress.” She has coached competitive teams in both Arizona and Montana (where she grew up!), and prior to Aquajets, she had a 13-year tenure at Foss Swim School, working with a variety of ages. 
 
Like many, Tiffany began her swimming career as an age-group swimmer. She was also a versatile and accomplished high school athlete—competing in track as an All-State sprinter, and playing volleyball. She graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy. When she’s not coaching poolside, Tiffany is a local CPA at a public accounting firm and lives in Bloomington with her husband and three kids. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her family, running, playing volleyball, and, of course, doing anything in and around water, including swimming, boating, tubing, and scuba diving, to name just a few!

BRIAN KIRKVOLD
Assistant Coach
Dryland

Coach Brian began coaching Dryland for the Aquajets Blue groups and recently made the leap “across the hall” to coach the Competitive Prep and Blue groups in the pool as well!  

 

Competitive swimming has always played a big role in Coach Brian’s life. He says he’s been fortunate to have had some fantastic coaches throughout his swimming career…including at Foxjets and on the collegiate level at Kenyon College. Brian explains that his coaches, and the sport of swimming itself, taught him “…more than just how to swim fast in the pool, I learned how to be a good person. I hope to pass that along to the kids that I coach at Aquajets” — including his two amazing daughters on the team!

 

In addition to his various coaching duties, swimming remains a big part of Coach Brian’s life. Each year, he tackles an open-water swim across Lake Minnetonka, as well as the Lake Superior “Point to La Pointe” — the ambitious 2.1-mile event from Bayfield to Madeline Island in Wisconsin. 

 

What’s next? “Who knows,” he says. “Maybe I'll swim The Channel one day!”

AMANDA SOLT
Assistant Coach
BlueSharks and Safe Sport
 
Amanda is a former swim instructor for Foss Swim School and was a USA Swimming Stroke & Turn Official from 2016-2020, before fully switching over to coaching.
 
Some of the things Coach Amanda loves most about swimming are making new friends, watching swimmers master new skills, and cheering on the team. 
 
Coach Amanda lives in Prior Lake with her husband, Coach Jeremy, and their four kids. When she is not at the pool, she writes software documentation. She also enjoys volunteering at school, reading mystery novels, and spending time with her family. She is also Aquajets' Safe Sport liaison for USA Swimming and Minnesota Swimming Safe Sport initiatives. 
 
In her spare time, Amanda swims Masters and loves to walk, read mystery novels, and cross-stitch.
 

JENNA SCHULTZ
Assistant Coach
Bluejets and Bluelightning

Coach Jenna graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science; she went on to earn her Juris Doctorate from William Mitchell College of Law. While in Law School, she helped coach the Eden Prairie High School Boys and Girls swim teams and it was here that she realized that she had a passion for coaching.

Jenna began her own swimming career at the age of six with the Foxjets Swim Team and swam for Eden Prairie High School where she was a co-captain her senior year. (Fun fact: Coach Jenna was coached, at the time, by Coach Kate!

Today, Coach Jenna lives in Minnetonka with her husband and two kids. When she is not at the pool, you can find her on the tennis court where she plays competitive doubles tennis. She also enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, being at the lake and spending time with her family.

 

One of the things Coach Jenna says she loves most about swimming is the life lessons that are learned in the pool and the friendships that are made. She believes swimmers are self-motivators and loves seeing their excitement when they hit new milestones and overcome challenges in the pool.

ERIN HAWKER
Assistant Coach
Junior 1
 
Erin first joined Aquajets as a swimmer in 2012, when her family moved to Minnesota from across the border in Wisconsin. She began her swimming career with the Wausau Tide Swim Club and swam on the Aquajets National Team from 2012-2015 under Coach Kate and Coach Philip. Erin swam for the University of Wisconsin/Whitewater where she accumulated six NCAA cuts and earned First Team All-WIAC honors eight times. She was voted Team Captain and was also WIAC Swimmer of the Year. Erin graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work.
 
At Aquajets, Erin spends most of her time coaching the Junior groups and Blue groups. She enjoys spending time with the kids and getting to know them. Erin’s family has a big presence at Aquajets, as her mom, brother, and sister-in-law are also coaches, and her younger sister, Maddie, still swims for Aquajets when she is home from college.
 
Away from the pool, Erin enjoys being with her family, reading, and walking the family’s two adorably fluffy Newfoundlands.

 

JORDYN WENTZEL
Assistant Coach
Gold Groups, Volunteer Coordinator
 
Coach Jordyn began swimming competitively when she was 9 years old and joined Aquajets Swim Team as an age group swimmer. She swam for Delano High School, where she was a three-time state champion. In addition, she has achieved Olympic Trials qualifying times in the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke and has competed at multiple Junior/National level swim meets. Currently, Jordyn attends school at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN. She graduated in the Spring of 2022 with a BS in Exercise Science and Nutrition with a minor in coaching. She is back at school getting her Master’s in Business Administration. Jordyn holds eight individual school records and multiple relay records. She is a 20-time MIAC Champion, 3-time MIAC Women's Swimmer of the Year, NCAA Champion (in the 200 breaststroke), and 16-time NCAA All-American. Jordyn is also the NCAA Division III record holder in the 200 breaststroke.
 
Coach Jordyn’s hobbies outside the pool include reading, traveling, playing games, watching tv, and spending time with family and friends.

BROOKE EVENSEN
Assistant Coach
Bluelightning

Brooke joined the Aquajets coaching staff in the spring of 2020, however, she has been a part of the team since she was just 10 years old. Brooke swam with Aquajets through high school, graduating from Robbinsdale Armstrong, before heading off to swim at Iowa State University where she earned her Bachelor’s in Kinesiology. She received her Master’s from Washington University in St. Louis in Occupational Therapy. When she is not coaching on deck, she is working as an OT.
 
Brooke loves the opportunity to connect with swimmers and encourage their love for the sport. After being a swimmer for so many years, she enjoys the flip side of being the empowering and motivating coach! In her free time, Brooke loves to bake, read, exercise, and spend time with family and friends. 
 
KATIE HAYCRAFT
Assistant Coach
Junior 3, Senior Elite, National
 
Katie started coaching with Aquajets in 2022 and has over 20 years of coaching experience. She enjoys working with swimmers and helping them build a love for the sport that has been a part of her life since she was young.
 
Katie swam for Foxjet Swim Club her entire age-group swimming career and was a member of Foxjet’s National Team. She was also a three-time State Champion in the 500 free while swimming for Shakopee High School. After high school, Katie swam Division I at Northern Illinois University, competing primarily in distance free and IM.
 
Katie feels lucky to have been coached by some of the “best of the best” coaches in her career, including Coach Kate and Coach Chris. She learned a lot of valuable life lessons from them both in and out of the pool.
 
Swimming is a huge part of Katie’s family life as well. She met her husband, Justin, while coaching and they been coaching together ever since. She has three children, all of whom are swimmers at Aquajets. In addition to coaching Aquajets, Katie is the Head Coach for the Prior Lake High School Girls’ Swimming and Diving Team, and she works at the middle school in the Prior Lake school district.
 
When not at the pool, Katie enjoys spending time with her family (including their two dogs) and friends, sitting by the fire table on the deck, or just relaxing at home.
JUSTIN HAYCRAFT
Assistant Coach
Junior 1
 
Justin began his coaching career while still in college and has over 20 years of coaching experience. Justin swam for Prior Lake Swim Club and Prior Lake High School as an age-grouper. While looking at colleges, he ensured that his top choices had not only a connection to a law school, but also a swim team, so he chose Hamline University, where he focused on the mile, 400 IM, and 200 backstroke.
 
Justin’s passion for swimming stems from the athletes. He loves to help athletes become aware of how to efficiently move through water. This started when he began seeing huge improvements in the swimming lesson students and the developmental athletes he worked with early in his coaching career. He transitioned to working with high school athletes at his alma mater, Prior Lake High School. Many of his life experiences have been around competitive swimming - he even met his wife, Katie, on the pool deck while coaching against her.
 
Justin attributes his knowledge in coaching to his college coaches Marty Knight and Paul Lundsten as well as the guidance from coaches he has worked with over the years.
 
Along with coaching, Justin is a math teacher at Prior Lake High School and assists with both the boys’ and girls’ teams in Prior Lake.  He currently serves on many committees in swimming including the MNSI Board as Age Group Vice Chair. 
 
When not in the pool, Justin enjoys reading, watching movies with his family, cooking, and spending time with his family including his wife, three kids, and two pugs. 
 
Justin is excited to be a part of the Aquajets family and hopes to share his love of swimming with even more athletes. 
GIO GUTIERREZ
Assistant Coach
Junior 3, National
 
Coach Gio was born and raised in Peru, where he swam and played multiple sports while growing up before focusing on swimming. Coach Gio swam collegiately at the University of Missouri, where he was an All-American, team captain, and recorded multiple program top 10 times in distance freestyle, butterfly, and the 400 IM. During college, he also represented Peru in multiple international competitions including the Pan American Games and World Championships, and Open Water World Championships.
 
While at Missouri, he met Coach Kira and they married after both graduated. Outside of coaching, Gio works full time as a Management Trainee at Cintas Corp, and during his free time, Gio likes to swim and read books. His favorite food from the US is a quesadilla burger with lots of ranch. 
CHRIS GUERRERA
Assistant Coach
Senior Elite, National
 
Coach Chris brings a wealth of swimming knowledge and training expertise to Aquajets, thanks to decades of coaching both high school and club swimmers. Chris takes a particular interest in working with swimmers to teach them the best and most efficient ways to propel themselves through the water, challenging them to think differently and more purposefully in training.
 
Chris was a Junior National qualifier for Mach III Flyers and All-State selection for Minnetonka High School, before swimming collegiately at the University of Illinois. After college, in addition to coaching club swimming, he was the Head Coach of the Minnetonka boys’ team for seven years, and the girls’ head coach for one season.
 
Chris coached at Aquajets from 2012 to 2015 and rejoined the staff in the spring of 2021. Chris and his wife, Nora, have two daughters, both of whom swim for Aquajets, and a dog named Polly.    
OLIVIA ANDERSON
Assistant Coach
Bluesharks, Junior 2, Junior 3
 
Coach Olivia has been a member of the Aquajets Team since 2005. As an age group swimmer, Olivia was a multiple-time State and National age group record holder. She was also a three-time member of the U.S. National Junior Team and competed in the 2013 FINA Junior World Championships. Olivia qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials at the age of 14 and was a semi-finalist in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes at the 2016 and 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials. She was a multiple-time Minnesota High School State Champion and record holder, graduating from Edina High School in 2015. She then went on to compete at the University of Texas where she was an NCAA qualifier and two-time Big 12 champion. She graduated from UT in 2019 with a degree in Communication & Leadership.
 
Prior to coming back to coach at Aquajets, Olivia coached at the University of California at San Diego for a year.
 
When Olivia is not coaching, she enjoys being active, playing golf, being at the lake, spending time with family and friends, and watching sports (especially the Vikings and Longhorns!) 
ALEC PITTMAN
Assistant Coach
Gold groups, Blue groups, Junior 2, Senior Elite
 
Coach Pitt began his swimming career with lessons at Foss Swim School until age nine when he began swimming competitively for Mach 3 Flyers (the same team as Coach Leah and Coach Chris G. before him). He then found his way to Aquajets in the fall of 2013. He swam for Saint Louis Park on and off throughout high school and continued his swimming journey at Lake Forest College in the Fall of 2018. In the Forest, he swam for three years with his junior year being spent at home training with Aquajets due to Covid-19. He was fortunate to be nominated as Captain his senior year and still holds the team record in the mile. He graduated LFC in May of 2022 with a degree in Psychology.
 
Pitt began his coaching career in high school starting with country club swimming in the summers — first at Lafayette and then as the Assistant Head Coach at Interlachen. Coach Kate was eager to recruit him as a Junior coach to assist the Gold groups, so during his senior year of high school he coached Aquajets part-time and taught lessons at Foss (where it all began!)
 
In the fall of 2020, while continuing his college studies at home during the pandemic, Pitt took on a more significant coaching role at Aquajets and discovered his true passion for age group coaching which he attributes to the wonderful staff and swimmers at Aquajets.
 
In his free time, Pitt enjoys listening to heavy rock music (a trait he shares with Coach Leah!), going for walks around the local lakes, and spending time with his family visiting new spots around the cities.
KELSEY HACKLER
Assistant Coach
Junior 3, National
 
Kelsey has had a passion for the sport of swimming from an early age. Her mom was her first swim coach at the age of six and she fed that love for the sport and for coaching. She was also taught by Coach Kate back in the day! Kelsey swam for Watertown-Mayer in high school and then went on to finish out her collegiate swimming career as a Gopher at the University of Minnesota. In her time at the U, she became an NCAA All-American, All-Conference, and Big Ten Champion. Before retiring from swimming, she competed at the 2000 US Olympic Team Trials in the 100 and 200 breaststroke. After graduating from the U with a degree in Psychology and Educational Psychology, Kelsey began her coaching journey. She was hired as the Head Age Group coach at Edina Swim Club and she also served as the Aquatics Director and Head Coach at Woodhill Country Club. She then took some time off to devote her time to being a mom to her two boys. 
 
Fast forward years later, Kelsey and her husband, Jeff, got involved with CrossFit, and at that time, she entered back into the world of coaching. She worked with the Kids and Teens program at their gym and loved what it taught her, especially knowing the strong foundation it builds for every kind of athlete. She and her husband currently coach the Waconia boys high school swim team where their two boys, Jack and Davis, attend school and are members of the team. Kelsey is thrilled to be coaching club swimming again for Aquajets! 
 
When she’s not poolside, you’ll find her on a soccer field (with a coffee cup in hand) cheering on her youngest, at a Gopher sporting event, on the golf course, or on nice long walks with their dog Teddy!