The coaching philosophy of the entire team comes under Tom Stacy's direction. Tom directly coaches the National Prep Group, Senior Group and regularly assists at Age Group practices. Tom has 15+ years experience as a USA coach. He was the Head Age Group Coach of the Lakewood Recreation Swim Team from 2003 to 2007. He was a 2008 and 2009 Lake Erie Zone Coach. He has been on the Executive Board of the Ohio High School Swim Coaches association since 2010, serving as Secretary from 2013 to 2015, President-Elect 2015 to 2017, President 2017 to 2019 and currently Past President.  Tom served as Senior Chair for Lake Erie Swimming from 2010 until 2014 and 2016 until 2020.  He was also Administrative Vice-Chair from 2014 until 2015 and was General Chair of Lake Erie Swimming from 2015 until 2016.

Tom swam at and graduated from Cleveland State University with an education major. Tom was hired in 2007 as the Strongsville High School Swimming and Diving Team Head Coach. He has had many very successful seasons.  For the 2012 season Tom was awarded the Neil Skinner award as Division 1 girls State Coach of the Year for Ohio.  In his inaugural 2007-2008 high school season he was named NE Ohio District Girl's Coach of the Year by his fellow district coaches. He has been awarded District coach of the year Nine times (Two NE Distict Boys, Two NE District Girls, Three NW District Girls, Two NW District Boys).  He was the 2015 Lake Erie Swimming recipient of the USA Swimming Outstanding Service Award and was awarded the Ohio High School Athletic Association Sportsmanship, Ethics, and Integrity Award in 2014 for Girl's Swimming & Diving.

Coach Mike began coaching with SwimUnited in the fall of 2021, taking over the role of Head Site Coach at Brunswick and Associate Head Coach. In his time at SwimUnited, swimmers that he directly coached have broken multiple team records and have qualified for USA Zones, NCSA Junior Nationals, and USA Swimming Winter Junior Nationals. He also became the head coach of Brunswick High School in 2021, helping the team to return to the OHSAA State Championship in his first season, after a two year hiatus for the program. In his time at Brunswick High School, the team saw their first boys state meet qualifers since 2006 and saw several school records broken. The high school team has also grown in size, having the largest rosters in program history. Coach Mike has been named the Medina County coach of the year in 2024 and 2025, and also the Northwest District Girls coach of the year in 2025.

Prior to SwimUnited, Coach Mike spent 15 years with the YMCA of Greater Cleveland, from 2006-2021, serving as the Head Coach for the Ridgewood YMCA Dolphins. In that time, the team grew from 60 swimmers to a high of 275 swimmers, adding training sites at the North Royalton and French Creek YMCAs. During this time, the team became one of the top YMCA teams in Ohio and also posted several top 3 finishes at Lake Erie Championships. Under Coach Mike's direction, RYD had swimmers qualified for YMCA Nationals every year, with highlights being two top ten team finishes, many swimmers landing on the podium, and multiple top three finishes. Swimmers also regularly qualified for USA Zones and USA Junior Nationals. RYD swimmers and relays still hold Lake Erie district records in several events. RYD swimmers were also selected for the YMCA's National Leadership Camp, USA Swimming National Diversity Select Camp, and YMCA Swimming Adolf Keifer National Swimmer of the Year Scholarship.

Prior to Brunswick High School, Coach Mike had also been the Head Coach at North Royalton High School from 2014-2021. During that time, 12 North Royalton swimmers achieved All Ohio status, with four of them also being named All Americans. North Royalton team records were broken in 21 out of 22 swimming events.

In the past, Coach Mike has also served on the Lake Erie Swimming board as the Senior Vice Chair and YMCA Liaison. As a swimmer, he was a state qualifier at Mayfield High School and swam collegiately at Cleveland State University. Coach Mike met his wife, Deanna, while they were both swimmers at Cleveland State. They have a son named Lucas, a daughter named Everley, and two dogs. In his spare time, Coach Mike enjoys spending time with his family, running, hiking, and travelling. 

Anthony Petruzzi was The Medina Makos Head Coach from 2008- 2021 and has been the Swim United Medina site since coach since then.  He oversees the Medina site team’s direction, overall development, structure and continuing growth of our team. Part of his duties include development of our daily workouts, setting up USA meets, Medina’s USA entries, calendars, parent emails and communication with MCRC. He primarily works with our college, high school and elite swimmers, but oversees all areas of swimmer development.

Anthony is a Level 3 ASCA coach. One of Coach Anthony’s strengths lies in developing solid technique and race strategy in our swimmers.  These skills have been illustrated through the growing number of Makos Swimmers achieving qualifying times to compete at USA national meets including Junior Nationals and Future Championships.  Qualification for and participation in regional meets including USA Zones, Quads, and Sectional meets has more than doubled in the last three years.  Additionally, Anthony has coached two swimmers to Top 15 status in USA Swimming (Ashley Mennenga and Joey Reilman) and has been recognized nationally in American Swimming magazine for his early influence on USA National team member Joey Reilman.

Anthony has been selected as the Head Coach of the Lake Erie Zone Teams (2011 & 2014). Coach Anthony and the Makos received the Lake Erie Swimming Board of Directors Award in 2010 and the 2015 Lake Erie Swimming Club Development Award.

Coach Anthony has also served as the Medina High School Head Swimming and Diving Coach since 2014. Anthony received 2014-15 Northeastern Ohio Conference River Division Boys Coach of the Year. In 2015-16 the Medina boys finished 13-0 and a relay qualified for state for the first time in 6 years, Anthony was named to both the Greater Cleveland Conference and the Gazette Boys Coach of the Year.  In 2019 he received the Northwest District Boys Coach of the year and that same year he receive OHSAA Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity award from the Highschool State Coaches.

Anthony has enjoyed a 30-year career as a Physician’s Assistant and currently works for Metro Health Family Medicine in Medina. He is married to his wife Pam of 37 years, and they have two children who are also excellent swimmers. Samantha Petruzzi was a four-time letter winner at Wittenberg University, and still swims in Columbus with a Masters team. Anthony Petruzzi Jr. also competed at Wittenberg University, was also a four-time letter winner and is a Swim United Coach that helps coach all ages of swimmers from our Developmental group to High school swimmers. 

Ty started swimming at the age of 9 with BMSC and Longbrooke Swim Team.  He then swam for Berea High School from 1991 to 1994.  Following high school he swam at Cleveland State University for four years and was voted Captain of the swim team in 1998.  Ty’s favorite event is the 200 Breaststroke and his most memorable swimming accomplishment was helping his team win the Conference Championship in 1998.  He then served as a Student-Assistant Coach for the Vikings in 1999 where they went on to win another Conference Championship!  Ty Graduated from CSU with a BA in Communications.  

He continued to coach as an assistant at Magnificat High School from 2000 until 2006 until he decided to attend Notre Dame College to pursue his teaching license.  Ty has been teaching since 2011, and has been teaching in Cleveland since 2015.  He has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade Math and Science.   He returned to coaching as an assistant Coach for SwimUnited and Berea-Midpark High School in 2015, and was named the Head Coach of Berea Midpark in 2018.  After a brief hiatus, Ty led the efforts to bring SwimUnited back to Berea.

Colleen grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and started coaching the summer team she swam on in the summer of 1990. Colleen moved to Ohio with her family in 2002. Colleen began coaching in 2005 with Brunswick Recreation Swim team and moved to the Medina Makos in 2006. Colleen came to SwimUnited when Makos and SwimUnited merged in 2021. Colleen has assisted with Highland High School swim team and is the head coach for Buckeye Local School District’s team. Colleen holds her Master’s degree in Speech/Language Pathology and has been working full-time over the last 17 years with Buckeye Local School District. Colleen lives in Grafton, Ohio with her husband, Steve and has two grown daughters who grew up swimming. When not at the pool, Coach Colleen enjoys spending time with her grandchildren. You’ll find Coach Colleen smiling on deck at most of the swim meets.

Brad attended Baldwin Wallace College and earned a degree in Early Childhood Education. He has been teaching first grade and kindergarten for the past 20 years. Brad coaches the Huntington Park swim team in Strongsville and has dedicated his summers to this team for the past 20 seasons.  At the high school level, Brad coached for a combined ten years at St. Ignatius, Parma, and Bedford before returning to Strongsville.  

Throughout his eight year tenure with SwimUnited, Brad has coached at all levels from Performance to Senior. In addition to currently coaching the Elite and Senior Groups at the Strongsville site, Brad also coaches the Strongsville High School swim team

Melissa grew up swimming on the Rocky River High School Swim Team, where she was a 4-year letter winner and the team captain both her Junior and Senior years. She graduated from Bowling Green State University in 2003. Melissa became involved in swimming again as the Assistant Coach for Westlake High School for two seasons, before joining Strongsville High School’s coaching team in 2007. Melissa has also been an assistant coach for the Berea-Midpark High School for the last four years, working as their strength and conditioning coach as well as an assistant coach. Melissa previously worked as a personal trainer, but now works for  T3 Performance when not on deck. She has competed in weightlifting competitions for the last 9 years and holds 6 state records! Melissa loves watching her kids Mia & Rowan compete in swim and football, respectively.

Coach Chris spent 11 years coaching for the RYD Dolphins, and has coached for 14 years overall. With RYD he worked with all groups, but primarily coached 12 and unders. He has helped coach many swimmers to YMCA and USA Zones, and served as a Lake Erie Zones Team coach in 2017.

Coach Chris began swimming with the Oakridge Estates Swim Team when he was 10, and then swam for RYD and North Royalton High School. Coach Chris finished his collegiate swimming at Baldwin-Wallace University, where he specialized in the 500 free and 400 IM.

After swimming, Coach Chris received his Bachelor’s Degree in Physics from Cleveland State University, and currently works during the day for ExactCare Pharmacy.

He is primarily the Brunswick Performance Group coach, and assists with coaching the Development, Elite and Senior groups.

Coach Deanna started coaching with the Ridgewood YMCA Dolphins in 2008. During her time with RYD, she spent time working with swimmers in all practice groups, but primarily coached swimmers age 10-14. Under her direction, swimmers achieved Zone cuts, Sectional cuts, Lake Erie records, and even national rankings as high as number one times in the nation for USA Swimming. Coach Deanna has been selected as a Lake Erie Zone Team coach and was named the Lake Erie Swimming Age Group Coach of the Year in 2017. She was also the Assistant Coach at North Royalton High School for 7 years, where she coached high school All Ohio and All American swimmers. She began her swimming career when she was 7 years old when she started swimming for Berea Midpark Swim Club. When she swam for Midpark High School, she was named MVP all four years and qualified for the State Meet in the 50 freestyle. During her 4 years at Cleveland State University, she was named Outstanding Newcomer and received Most Improved twice. Deanna was also elected Team Captain two times.

James is in his first year of coaching with SwimUnited. He is also in his second season as an assistant coach at Brunswick High School. James swam for the Medina Makos from 2011-2017 and for Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in high school. He continued his swimming career at Grove City College from 2018-2021 where he was named a captain his Junior and Senior seasons. James earned his degree in mechanical engineering and currently works as a design engineer at a consulting firm in Richfield.

AKA Bubba

Coach Steve has been coaching with the Medina Makos since 2012. He currently assists with the Elite and High School Teams.

Coach Steve also coach the Highland High School Swim Team as an assistant coach (2014-2016) and head coach (2016-2019). During his time as head coach, he led the girls team to the Suburban League title in 2018 and was named the Suburban Leach Coach of the Year. Currently is an Assistant Coach for the Medina High School Swim Team and has been there since 2019.

Coach Steve has over 20 years in the Aquatic Field and is currently the Aquatics Manager for the City of Medina at the Medina Community Recreation Center. He manages 2 aquatics facilities and 2 splash pads in the city. He has 2 Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Akron. Also has several instructor certifications from the American Red Cross including Lifeguard Instructor, Water Safety Instructor – Instructor Trainer and is a Certified Pool Operator.

Coach Steve currently lives is Medina with his wife Kellie and twin boys Connor and Logan

Jackie has been coaching since 2006. She has worked with every level in Medina from age  group to college swimmers. Jackie swam competitively for 15 years and was on five zone  teams and one junior national team. In high school she was part of a relay that won the state  championships. She swam 2 years at Miami University before retiring. She has been a coach  for Team Ohio at the Mid- State all stars meet and has also been a zone coach. 

Jackie works full time as a Physician Assistant. She practices internal medicine at Windsor Laurelwood hospital as well as emergency medicine in 4 different ER’s for Metro and the  Cleveland Clinic. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in science from Miami University and has  both an associate and master’s degrees in physician assistant studies. She has been married  for 28 years and has 2 grown daughters - both of which swam !

Lexi began swimming competitively at the age of five; swimming for Lake Shore Swim Club and Lake Erie Silver Dolphins. Swam for Magnificat, was a team captain, and 3 year State Qualifier. Lexi attended and swam for  Cleveland State University, graduating in 3 years with a double major in Psychology and Health Science. After college, Lexi went on to earn her Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy. She also earned her MBA in Healthcare Management. She was a coach for LESD for a year. She has been a practicing Physical Therapist for the last 10 years. This is her first year coaching for SwimUnited, development group. Lexi lives in Strongsville, with her Husband and 3 kids. 

Cayla began swimming at the age of five with a local summer swim league and joined Swim United the following year. She continued swimming with Swim United for 12 years and competed as a member of the Strongsville High School swim team.

During high school, She found a passion for coaching. Cayla started coaching both a summer league team and with Swim United, and she continued coaching in those programs for several years. Most recently, Cayla coached for a summer league and Swim United, and she is currently assisting the Strongsville High School swim team for the 2025–2026 season.

In addition to coaching, Cayla is pursuing a degree in Middle School Education and will be graduating in December 2025.

This is Allison’s 12th year coaching overall, she coached various summer leagues while in college, was an assistant coach at Twinsburg High school while finishing her student teaching in 2011 then became the head swim coach for the Lakewood High School from 2012-2017. Allison has experience in club swimming where she coached for SwimStrong shortly in 2014 and also at lakeshore swim club in 2015/2016 Allison has been an assistant coach for the Medina Makos Swim Team since 2017 which is now part of Swim United. Allison also coaches as an assistant with Medina High School this will be her 5th year with the program.

Allison attended the University of Mount Union in 2012 where she swam and lettered all 4 years and found success with various records and achievements. Allison (Ali) swam the 100/200 breaststroke and 200/400 IM.  Ali graduated from Mount Union with a degree in Education. She also completed her Masters Degree in Literacy Coaching with a specialization in Administration at Baldwin Wallace University in 2016 and is also a certified Dyslexia Therapist. Allison is currently teaching at Claggett Middle School in Medina City Schools. Ali currently lives in Strongsville with her husband Ben and their 2 year old daughter Ava.

Coach Mia is currently a collegiate swimmer at Baldwin Wallace University, where she continues  to compete at the college level while pursuing their degree in early childhood education. As a graduate of Berea-Midpark High School, Class of 2025 Mia was a dedicated member of the varsity swim team and served as team captain during her senior year.
Before college, Mia trained and competed with SwimUnited for four years, building a strong foundation in competitive swimming. Last summer, Mia served as a coach for the Titan Sharks Summer League Team, where she helped swimmers develop their technique, sportsmanship, and confidence in the water. In Mia’s free time she enjoys hanging with her teammates and playing with her dog Ruby. 
 

Jim Stacy began his swimming career at the University Circle YMCA with coach Pete Odell. When Coach Odell moved the team in 1957 Jim followed even though he still lived in East Cleveland. Jim moved to Lakewood in 1960 to swim for Lakewood High School and coach Jim Scullion. As a swimmer for Lakewood Swim Club, Jim ranked in the top five in the country in individual events and relays. As a swimmer for Lakewood High School, he was an individual state runner up, part of a state championship team (1962) and multiple time all-American. After High School, he attended the University of Cincinnati where he was a multiple time conference champion, two-time Division I national qualifier (1965 & 1966), and Olympic trial qualifier (1964).

Jim began his coaching career as the Head Coach of LRSC in 1967, its second season. He gave up coaching from 1968 through 1972 to serve in the United States Navy. He rejoined the coaching ranks as the Head Coach of the Lakewood YMCA from 1974 to 1981. Jim then served as the Head Coach of the Berea Midpark Swim Club from 1982 through 1988. While at BMSC he was Lake Erie Swimming Coach of the Year (1983 & 1984) and developed multiple state and junior national qualifiers.  Jim returned to LRST for the second time in 1989 where he served as an assistant coach until 1993. He served as Head Coach of LRST from 1994 through 1998. As Head Coach of LRST he developed multiple Ohio high school state finalists and multiple junior national qualifiers. He also helped LRST swimmers achieve 8 National top 16 rankings, including several relays which ranked #1 in their USA swimming age group. Jim coached LRST again from 2007 to 2014 coaching an Olympic Trial qualifier, several Junior National Qualifiers, and a few state Champions.  Jim's high school coaching experience includes coaching North Olmsted High School (1992-1997), Padua Franciscan High School (2004-2008), Lakewood High School (2008-2013), and most recently Strongsville High School (2015-2016).

Jim is a graduate of Cleveland State University and he holds a degree in Psychology. He has raised 5 children with his wife Nancy. Jim passed away December 8th, 2018.