Matt Lear
Head Coach
Coach Matt has been coaching in northern Virginia since 1998. Native to Herndon, he grew up swimming in Northern Virginia with Solotar, HAC, and NCAP, as well as in the NVSL with the Herndon Hammerheads and Hiddenbrook Hurricanes. He has served as Head Coach for a few NVSL teams; Herndon, Hiddenbrook, Great Falls, Pinecrest, and Virginia Run. He has also worked as a teacher in a variety of grade levels for Fairfax County Public Schools. Outside of coaching, he enjoys spending time with family, hiking, and competing in triathlons. Coach Matt is excited to be returning for a fourth season with the HAC Commanders and looks forward to a fun and successful year in the pool.
Sheila Houle
Age Group Coach
Originally from Upstate New York, Sheila relocated to Herndon in the fall of 2017 and soon joined the Herndon Commanders. Her journey in swimming began at Glens Falls High School, where she earned a top spot in the medley relay, specializing in backstroke. Sheila continued to grow as an athlete, mastering other strokes—particularly the butterfly—and played a key role in breaking a 15-year-old school record in the 200 free relay.
After high school, Sheila shifted her focus from competitive swimming to academics, earning a degree in Biology from the University of Massachusetts–Amherst. Before moving to Virginia, she worked as a Lab Manager at the Neural Stem Cell Institute and coached part-time with the Delmar Dolfins Swim Club for nearly eight years.
Now coaching HAC’s morning groups, Sheila is passionate about fostering growth both in and out of the pool. Her experience working with swimmers of all ages helps her connect with athletes and support their development. She has found a true niche in the swimming community and is excited to share her love for the sport.
When she’s not on deck, Sheila enjoys spending time with her husband, their daughter Willow, and their two cats and 2 dogs—usually off on some kind of new adventure!
Kathy McLaughlin
Senior Bronze Coach
Coach McLaughlin is a graduate of Syracuse University where she swam on a swimming scholarship for 4 years. She currently teaches 10th grade PE/Health at Herndon High School. She is also in her 18th year as Head Coach of the Herndon High School Swim/Dive Team. She has been a swim coach for over 40 years. She has coached many years for Solotar swim team and HAC. She was also the head coach of the Kingstream Kahunas summer league program for 17 years. She currently coaches the HAC Senior Bronze group, 3 nights from 8:00 to 9:00pm.
Atley Manola
Age Group Coach
Atley began competitively swimming at the age of 6 for her local summer swim team in small town Ohio. After that first summer, her fire for the sport was ignited and she joined a club swim team that ultimately took her to Sweden for an international competition when she was 11. Her family later moved to Arizona where she continued to train and compete which resulted in a couple of high school state championship awards in breaststroke. Her passion for the sport of 13 years continued and culminated in her participation as a breaststroker on the Brigham Young University swim team. Though she enjoyed the thrill of competing collegiately, she decided to retire and focus on her Physiology and Developmental Biology degree. After college, she worked as a forensic DNA scientist and currently works as a genetic analyst for a rare disease company based out of Maryland. After a 10 year break, Atley decided to jump back in the water and continue competing. She currently swims on the Reston Master’s swim team and is excited to pass on her love of the sport through coaching the Commanders. Atley’s knowledge and passion for the sport, coupled with her experience, will set swimmers up for success. When she is not working or swimming, Atley enjoys being with her husband, 2 children and 2 dogs.
Kathy Lear
Age Group Coach
Kathy recently retired from Fairfax County Public Schools where she was an elementary special education teacher/special education department chair for 15 years. Prior to teaching she coached swimming from 1989-1997. Kathy coached Herndon Hammerheads for 9 summers and was an age group coach for Solotar Swim Club and Herndon Aquatic Club during that time. When not coaching Kathy enjoys spending time with her 4 children and 8 grandchildren.
Gus Wood
Age Group Coach
Gus started swimming on the Herndon Aquatic Club in 2011 and swam competitively with the team until 2022 after volunteering as an in-water assistant for the mini group and breaking several distance records. In 2022, they started working at the Herndon Community Center as an instructor for swim lessons and joined the Herndon Halibuts as an assistant coach in 2023. Gus joined the Herndon Aquatic Club as a coach in 2024 while continuing to work with swim lessons and summer league.
Petra Brusnighan
Age Group Coach
Petra is a new coach to HAC with a passion for swimming. She began on a swim team when she was three years old and year-round competitive swimming at seven years old. She continued her swimming career, stopping in college to focus on her studies at UCF. Now, as a dedicated swim coach, Petra is committed to creating a positive and supportive team environment that fosters a passion for swimming and promotes swimmers of all ages and skill levels. She believes that swimming is more than just competition - it’s about building character and having fun. Petra strives to create a positive and inclusive practice environment that encourages swimmers to put in the effort, try their best, learn from mistakes, and support one another every step of the way.
Sydney Bright
Age Group Coach
Sydney is a passionate swim coach and former competitive swimmer who helps athletes develop confidence, discipline, and kindness—both in and out of the pool. Drawing on her years of experience as an athlete and coach, she understands the dedication it takes to perform at a high level, as well as the importance of compassion and self-belief along the journey.
Her coaching style blends technical precision with encouragement and care, helping swimmers refine their strokes, build endurance, and achieve personal bests while fostering a deep love for the sport. Sydney creates an environment rooted in positivity and respect, where every swimmer feels seen, supported, and inspired to reach their full potential.
Known for her approachable, kind, and motivating energy, Sydney is dedicated to helping each swimmer grow not only as an athlete but as a confident, gracious, and resilient individual.
Kerstin Severin
Aquatics Services Manager
Erin Rider
Aquatics Program Specialist, Safe Sport Coordinator
