With a vision to develop any and all types of swimmers and athletes, Matt embarks on his 25th season as a swimming coach.  From his first coaching position with the Chapel Gate Gators in Pittsburgh through our ninth season with Fairfax Foxes Swimming, Matt enjoys working with people and the opportunities coaching provides to develop swimmers of all abilities and circumstances.

Before the Foxes, Matt served as the head coach at Howard University for five seasons from 2009 through 2014 as well as an assistant coach at Davidson College for the 2008-2009 season.  Prior to collegiate coaching, Matt was the head coach of Fairfax High School from 2003-2008, capturing three Virginia Northern Region titles and winning the Girls Virginia State Championship in 2008, the first in Fairfax’s history.  Additionally, Matt was the head coach for the NVSL's Villa Gorillas from 2004 through 2008 and again in 2010 and has had USA Swimming assistant coaching positions with the Mason Makos of PVS and with SwimMac Carolina of North Carolina Swimming. The Foxes work in partnership with the greater swimming community, including the "Swim With Beth" swimming program,and including 40 summer league teams represented through the Foxes, where Matt and the staff hold summer clinics and Outreach opporutnities for those swimmers that are underserved.

Matt graduated from the College of William & Mary in 2003, majoring in psychology and elementary education and swimming for the Tribe all four seasons, serving as co-captain for his senior season.  He earned his Masters Degree in Supervision and Administration from the University of Virginia in 2010 and is currently an assistant principal with Fairfax County Public Schools, residing in Fairfax with his wife, Patty, their two daughters Genevieve and Valerie and their sons, Edwin and Dante.

Contact Coach Matt at [email protected]

Julia started swimming competitively at her elementary school, Cairo American College, in Egypt. After returning to Virginia, Julia swam year round and also swam at the Villa Aquatic Club over the summers where Matt Salerno was the head coach. She was a varsity swimmer for Fairfax High School before moving to Dhaka, Bangladesh where she continued to be a varsity swimmer and was captain her senior year.  

Julia has taught swim lessons at the Villa Aquatic Club for numerous summers, was also an instructor for the Swim with Beth program and coached the Fairfax Club Estates Flippers alongside Coach Matt and Christy. Julia has also been a lifeguard at Villa Aquatic and is now one of their pool operators.  

Julia graduated from James Madison University and received a bachelor’s of science in global justice and a minor in nonprofit studies. She currently works for Beyond Pricing, a vacation rental software company. 

Contact Coach Julia at: [email protected]

Kelly Ellis is a proud New York native. She attended Oswego State University and received a degree in Psychology. Kelly also swam for four years on Oswego’s team. She was incredibly versatile with her specialty strokes being breaststroke and IM. After graduating Kelly pursued her masters in School Counseling at Radford University. Kelly is currently a high school counselor with Fairfax County Public Schools.

Kelly has coached both age group/club swimming and high school teams in both New York and Virginia. She is married and has a 14 year old son. In her free time Kelly enjoys competing in open water swims and triathlons. Kelly is also a member of the Master Gorillas swim team where she met Foxes founder, Matt Salerno.

Contact Coach Kelly at: [email protected]

Christy Talley was born and raised right here in Fairfax, VA. After graduating Fairfax High School, she attended and graduated from the University of Mary Washington before getting her Masters degree in Elementary Education from Liberty University. 

Christy won two division titles as the head coach with Villa Gorillas diving program.  As the founding coach of the Villa dive team, she guided her athletes for seven seasons. Christy was also the head dive coach for Howard University for one season and Paul VI dive team for two seasons.  Christy has provided swimming lessons for over 20 years, offering acute insight and technique to develop swimmers of all ages.  Christy also coached the Fairfax Club Estates swim team alongside Julia and Matt.  Christy is an FCPS Advanced Academics Resource teacher at Halley Elementary School and resides in Clifton with her husband Jonathan, a Fairfax County firefighter, their son Wyatt, and daughter Reagan.

A proud product of Fairfax, Jennifer has shown a love and loyalty for this area with her devotion to swimming and teaching. Jennifer is a graduate of Woodson High School and swam at Bridgewater College where she majored in Liberal Studies. She earned her Masters Degree as a Math Specialist leader from George Mason University and today, she is a teacher with FCPS at Kings Glen Elementary School. 

Ruth Anne grew up in Williamsburg, VA and started swimming at age 6. She joined the  Williamsburg Aquatic Club for age group swimming and competed at the Junior National level in high school. She went on to attend the College of William and Mary and was a proud Tribe varsity swimmer (alongside Coach Matt) all four years. As a senior, she was named the CAA Swimmer of the Year and she was inducted into the W&M Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.

Ruth Anne has a passion for swimming and enjoys sharing that with others. She has taught beginner swim lessons to kids through adults, coached summer league teams, high school, as well as USA age group teams in Williamsburg, Charlottesville and Northern Virginia. She is excited to join the Foxes coaching staff.  Currently, Ruth Anne is a pediatric Registered Nurse and works at INOVA Fairfax Hospital. She met her husband, Joel, on the swim team at W&M and they have two girls who are starting their second year as Foxes. Ruth Anne actively trains and competes with the Club Tribe Masters swim team.

Contact Coach Ruthie at: [email protected]

Chuck grew up on Long Island, starting off his swim career with Team Suffolk when he was 7. He swam year round for Team Suffolk and also for the Smithtown High School East varsity team, becoming well rounded in all four strokes and focusing on IM and breaststroke. Chuck was a captain of the Vassar College swim team his senior year and dabbled in breaststroke his freshman and sophomore year, backstroke his junior year, and butterfly his senior year (crazy I know), while always training in IM. 

He started his coaching career with the Las Vegas Swim Club, while getting his Masters in Ecology at UNLV, absolutely falling in love with coaching and helping swimmers succeed. After getting a job as a wildlife biologist in Austin, he didn't want to stop coaching, so he took a coaching position with Lost Creek Aquatics. After living and traveling around the country, he moved back to the East Coast to be closer to home and family in New York. Currently, Chuck is working as a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is engaged to his wonderful fiancee Natalie, and has the cutest Australian shepherd named Magnolia. 

Contact Coach Chuck at [email protected] 

 

Joel Thomas is a born-and-raised Northern Virginia swimmer. He began his swimming career at age 9 for the NVSL team Camelot Knights. He was a four-year swimmer for Jefferson High School as well as a football player and gymnast. Joel went on to swim and dive for the College of William and Mary. He has coached both NVSL and USA Swimming and is a member of a U.S. Masters swim team, Club Tribe. He is excited to be back on the pool deck with FXFX and will be working with the Silver and Senior swimmers as well as captaining our eXurb Dryland Fitness program.

 

Contact Coach Joel at: [email protected]

 

Hannah Patteson - Assistant coach

 

 

Hannah has been swimming competitively in the Fairfax area since the age of 7.  Growing up as a Fairfax Frog, a Mason Mako (where she was coached by Matt Salerno), and later swimming for and graduating from Woodson High School -- swimming has always been an important part of Hannah’s life. Hannah obtained her undergraduate B.S in Biology and Masters Degree in Secondary Science Education from William and Mary. Hannah has been back in the Fairfax area for the last 5 years where she teaches Biology and serves as a Head Swim & Dive coach with FCPS at Falls Church High School. This past summer Hannah found herself back at her home “pond” as the head coach of NVSL’s Fairfax Frogs.

 

Contact Coach Hannah at [email protected] 

 

Kelly Hanik - Assistant Coach

 

 

Kelly grew up in the Philadelphia area where she began swimming on her summer swim team at the age of 6. Her passion for swimming lead her to Saint Francis University(Loretto, PA) where she competed at the Division I level and obtained a Masters of Occupational Therapy. Throughout her swimming career, and even after hanging up her goggles, Kelly was a swim coach for various summer teams in the Philadelphia region. She was an assistant coach in the Suburban Aquatic League at both Centennial Aquatic Club and Pennridge Aquatic club. Kelly is currently the head coach of The Burke Station Destroyers. 

 

Kelly is a Mom to 2 kiddos on the Foxes and works as an Occupational Therapist in Fairfax County Public Schools.  Kelly is very excited to be joining this great coaching staff and is eager to be able to make waves with these awesome swimmers! 

 

Contact Coach Kelly at [email protected]

 

Chrissy Amatucci - Assistant Coach

 

 

 

Chrissy grew up in Northern Virginia and began swimming at Cottontail Pool when she was six. After many years swimming at Cottintail  Pool, her family switched to Fairfax Club Estates pool, where Coach Matt, Julia, and Christy were her swim coaches. In addition to her NVSL teams, she swam competitively for many years on a local club team.

 

Chrissy is completing her degree in special education from George Mason University and is currently an IA/teacher trainee with FCPS in Enhanced Autism Classroom. She enjoys coaching the Sunday Foxes and Bronze level swimmers.

 

Contact Coach Chrissy at [email protected]

 

Katy Mankin - Assistant Coach

 

 

Katy was born and raised in Northern Virginia and learned to swim at Camelot Pool then at the Hamlet. She swam through high school with York Swim Club and subsequently coached for York once she graduated from JMU. Katy swam and played water polo at JMU and has coached for various NVSL teams including the Hamlet, Sleepy Hollow Bath & Racquet (SHBR), as well as Sleepy Hollow Recreation Association (SHRA). She has taught middle school English for 20+ years and is currently working at Holmes Middle School.

 

Katy has 9th grade twins and though both swim for their high school team, she is happy one of them has found a passion for the Foxes! 

 

Contact Coach Katy at: [email protected]

 

 

Sara Radcliffe - Assistant Coach

 

 

Sara Radcliffe swam competitively from ages seven to eighteen and was a member of the Fairfax Foxes for the last three of those years. She has been actively coaching for the last ten years. Sara started coaching for the Swim With Beth program, coached for a number of years with her summer NVSL team the Poplar Tree Pirates, and was the head coach of her summer team’s winter swim program.

She earned her bachelor's degree from George Mason University and is currently working toward her master’s degree in Education. She will begin teaching elementary school in the Fall of 2025. 

Sara is excited to continue her coaching journey with her favorite team the Fairfax Foxes!

 

Contact Coach Sara at: [email protected]

 

Amanda Stice - Assistant Coach

 

 

Amanda swam competitively in middle school, and all four years of college while attending Asbury University where she earned a degree in Spanish and Adventure Leadership.

 

Amanda has been working at a camp on the north shore of Oahu for the last two years where her main role was lifeguarding on the oceanfront and the pool. She just recently returned to the area and is excited to start this new chapter of coaching for the Fairfax Foxes 

 

Amanda recently joined and trains with the Club Tribe Masters swim team.

 

Contact Coach Amanda at: [email protected]

 

Julia Paker - Assistant Coach

Julia was born in Fairfax, Virginia. She learned to swim at Somerset Olde Creek Pool. In sixth grade she joined Fairfax Foxes and was on the team until she graduated high school. Julia swam all four years of high school while continuing club swim. She is now a freshman at George Mason University majoring in Computer Science. Julia is excited to bring her knowledge and love for swim to the Foxes!

 

Contact Coach Julia at: [email protected]

 

Cicely Lewis - Assistant Coach

Cicely grew up swimming locally for Country Club Hills, Fairfax High School, and the Aquatic Team Cardinal club team. She continued her swimming career at the College of William & Mary, where she trained alongside fellow Foxes coaches Matt and Ruth Anne. After graduating, Cicely coached a season at Fairfax High School with Matt before joining the Peace Corps.

 

Following her service in Nicaragua, Cicely returned to Virginia, coaching George Mason Masters, American University Masters, and serving as a swim instructor for the Team Z triathlon enterprise. She was a founding Fairfax Foxes coach for their inaugural 2016 season before heading back overseas to El Salvador, Cambodia, and Zambia- and is thrilled to be back with such a strong and supportive program. 

 

Cicely holds a master’s degree in International Training and Education from American University and currently serves as the operational director of the FL Wolters Group, a growing therapy and wellness practice based in Washington, DC. She lives in Fairfax with her husband, Donyel, and their two children, Carter Alice and Cooper.

Coach Cicely brings a wealth of experience, a global perspective, and a true love for working with swimmers of all ages. She’s passionate about helping individuals grow in skill, confidence, and character—both in and out of the pool.

Contact Coach Cicely at: [email protected]

Andy Simpson - Assistant Coach

 

 

Andy was born and raised in Ohio. He started competitive swimming in fifth grade and continued through high school. During this time, he met his future wife Maggie on the swim team. After high school, he attended the University of Akron where unfortunately there was no men's swim team. He completed a BS and MS in Applied Mathematics while coaching his local youth swim team, the Copley Water Warriors. After graduating college, he moved to Virginia with his wife and their dog taking a job in the defense industry. While in Virgina, Andy earned another masters degree from George Mason University in Data Analytics Engineering. He has two children who are both on the Foxes. Andy is an assistant coach for the Newington Forest Neptunes. He practices with the St. James Masters team. He is very excited to join the Foxes staff!

 

Contact Coach Andy at:  [email protected]

 

Montse Malmierca - Assistant Coach

 

 

 

Montse, originally from Madrid, Spain, learned to swim in open water and nurtured her passion for the sport of swimming during her high school years. She earned her Bachelor of Laws from the Autonomous University of Madrid, then relocated to the United States, where she received a Master of Laws in International Legal Studies from American University in Washington, DC. Balancing her professional and family responsibilities, Montse has continued to foster her love for competitive swimming. 
 
Before joining the Foxes, Montse dedicated over a decade to teaching swimming to children and adults of all ages with Maryland Parks & Planning. She later took on the role of age group coach for Elite Rays Swim Club and high school assistant coach for Frederick Douglass. She is actively involved with the PVS Open Water and DEI Committees, advocating for competitive swimmers with physical, neurological, and cultural differences. She also promotes the expansion of open water competitive events in local lakes and rivers. 
 
In addition to her coaching roles, Montse has served as a stroke and turn official in the Prince Mount Summer League for several years and more recently with PVS.  
 
She works as a tax and customs advisor at the Embassy of Spain in Washington, DC, and resides in the DMV with her three children, two of whom are proud Foxes. Montse enjoys year-round swimming—whether indoor, outdoor, or open water—along with running, biking, the arts, and bird watching.  

 

Contact Coach Montse at: [email protected]

 

 

Terry OBrien - Assistant Coach

Terry was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He swam competitively on his pool's summer team from age 4 until graduation. Terry took time off from competitive swimming after high school. During that time he enjoyed playing basketball, jogging, racquetball and an occasional swimming workout. Terry met his wife Sara, in Baltimore and they are raising their four children in Annandale. Terry became involved with their kids' summer swim team and helps coach the winter swim program. Not long ago, Terry joined a masters swim team and has participated in a handful of swim meets. Terry coaches several sports but especially loves the sport of swimming and is very excited to be joining the Foxes! 

Contact Coach Terry at: [email protected]

Grace Duncan - Assistant Coach

Grace Duncan grew up in West Springfield. She began swimming with the NVSL Walden Glen Wahoo’s at age 5 and swam every summer as a Wahoo until graduation. She joined FXFX in 8^th grade and competed with the club through senior year, having found a home in the Foxes community. Grace returned to Walden Glen as a coach for several summer and winter training seasons. Grace earned her bachelor’s degree in music from Messiah University and along with her private studio, is currently teaching in private schools in Fairfax County. Grace is thrilled to be returning to her favorite team as a proud Foxes coach this season!

Contact Coach Grace at: [email protected]

 

Kennedy Jones - Assistant Coach

Kennedy was raised in Northern-Virginia and started swimming with the Burke Centre Penguins. She swam in high school and with the Foxes during the 2020-21 season. Kennedy was on both the swim and sailing teams at Washington College while double-majoring in Environmental Science and Political Science. She is super excited to coach this season!

Contact Coach Kennedy at: [email protected]