Coaches and Directors
Coach David Sokolofsky has grown up in the Wilmington swimming community. As an age group swimmer for the Waves of Wilmington, David was a State Champion and YMCA All-American. After graduating from E.A. Laney High School, David attended UNC-Wilmington where he studied Business Administration and swam for the Seahawks. During his tenure at UNCW, David helped lead the Seahawk Men to their first ever conference championship, was co-captain of the team his senior year, and held pool, school, and conference records.
Prior to becoming Head Coach of the Waves of Wilmington in April 2012, David's coaching experience included Master Swim Instructor for the UNCW Swim School, Head Age Group Coach for the Wilmington Y Navigators, and six years as the Head Coach and Director of Competitive Swimming for the Cape Fear Aquatic Club.
David completed his graduate studies through the California University of Pennsylvania, earning a Master of Science in Exercise Science and Health Promotion. He is also certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine as a Performance Enhancement Specialist and Corrective Exercise Specialist.
Jon grew up in Raleigh, swimming for YOTA. He moved to Wilmington in 2016 to swim for UNCW while studying Business Administration. Jon swam all four years and was a captain his Junior and Senior seasons.
Jon’s coaching career began with his summer league team, Lake Park, and was continued in Wilmington with Cape Fear Aquatic Club and UNCW Swim School. He moved to WOW in August of 2019. Jon has also spent the last two summers coaching for the YMCA Narwhals summer swim team. Following undergrad, Jon spent a year Graduate Assisting with UNCW Swim and Dive while getting his M.A.T in Physical Education and Health from UNCW.
Maddie is from Holly Springs, North Carolina. She swam for Harnett County Aquatic Club (HCAC) but later switched to the Marlins of Raleigh (MOR) with her brother. As time went on, she eventually became a Scholastic All American as well as a National qualifier. After graduating from high school in 2019, Maddie went to and swam for the United States Military Academy – West Point. She attended the academy for two years where she majored in Engineering Psychology and juggled the life of being a cadet-athlete. Unfortunately, she had to leave West Point in the Summer of 2021 due to some injuries.
After leaving the academy, she went home to recover and started coaching to stay close to the water. Maddie began by working with Point Me to the Water, LLC. as a swim instructor for the masters swim program as well as giving swim lessons to young kids. Maddie also started coaching with Raleigh Swimming Association (RSA) as an assistant coach at their satellite location in her hometown. Throughout that time, she also completed her Associate in Arts Degree at Wake Technical Community College. In 2022, Maddie transferred to UNC-Wilmington where she majored in Public Health with a concentration in Community Health Education. She joined WOW in April of 2023 as an assistant coach. Maddie studied abroad in the Summer of 2024 in Uganda while completing an internship for her major. She has since then earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Health.
Hi! I’m Sarah and I’m super excited to be coaching for WOW this year. I swam for a small club team in the Northern Virginia area called VLAC as well as summer league. I attended the University of Maine where I competed on their swim team while completing my degree in Kinesiology and Physical Education. Following graduation, I returned home and coached for my club team, VLAC, as well as another team, The St. James. I moved to Wilmington over the summer to be closer to family and look forward to continuing coaching.
I believe sports are a way to grow not only athletic ability but also good character qualities. I believe swimming can teach life long skills like discipline, leadership, and sportsmanship. These are things I will focus on with your kids while I foster a love for the sport of swimming. I can’t wait to work with your kiddos this year!
