Coaches and Directors
Coaches and Directors
Coach Webber is in his beginning his fifteenth year as the Head Coach and Program Director of HSA. He has previously served as a coach at both the Birmingham Swim League and the Greater Chattanooga Aquatic Club (now Baylor Swim Club). Over the course of his 23 year coaching career, he has coached swimmers at the highest level of the sport, including Olympians, Olympic Trial, National, and Junior National qualifiers. He has also coached numerous Southeastern and High School State champions. He has been selected as the Southeastern Swimming Senior Coach of the Year in 2020, 2022, and 2023. He was also recently selected to be the Head Men's Coach for the NCSA All-Star team traveling to London, England for the Adam Peaty Race International Meet.
Coach Webber has also served the sport of swimming through various means. He has served as the General Chairman of Southeastern Swimming, the Administrative Vice Chair, the Age Group Vice Chairman of Southeastern Swimming, and as the Finance Chair. He has previously chaired the National Club Development committee, and currently sits on the Board of the National Club Swimming Association. He has coached seven Southeastern Swimming All-Star Teams, serving two of those years as the Head Coach. He has also coached at the Southern Zone Select Camp, and the NCSA All-Star Camp.
Family - Coach Webber is a graduate of Clemson Universtiy. He is married to Jenell Webber and they have two daughters who both swim for HSA.
Office Hours: M-F 8:30 am- 12:00 pm (subject to change)
Coach Michael is in his first year with Huntsville Swim Association. He is excited to start his first year as the Head Age Group Coach of HSA and work with great swimmers and coaches. He will be the lead coach of our Apollo 3 group and also work with Discovery 1 as well.
Michael was the Head Age Group Coach with Birmingham Swim League for 11 years from 2014-2025 and during his time they had multiple 8-Under Age Group Championships, multiple 10-Under Age Group Championships and the 11-12 Girls Age Group Championship in 2023. He was named Southeastern Swimming Age Group Coach of the Year in 2023, and he has also coached numerous Southeastern Champions.
Prior to BSL, Coach Bottchen worked with Hoover Blue Thunder from 2010-2014. During this time, HBT won multiple Medium Team Division Championships for Southeastern Swimming, along with the 11-12 Boys Age Group Division at the 2012 Short Course Southeastern Championships.
Before his arrival at HBT, Coach Bottchen spent 5 total years attending Indian River State College where he was a part of multiple Junior College National Championship teams as a swimmer and as a volunteer coach for the college team and an age group coach for the River Rats in Fort Pierce, FL. While coaching at IRSC, Coach Michael had the privilege to learn under the guidance of former Florida State University Head Coach Frank Bradley and Texas A&M University Coach Duncan Sherrard. Under their teachings he was able to coach swimmers who were beginning their first practice all the way to Olympic athletes.
Lori Daniel is excited to be a part of the Huntsville Swim Association team. Lori and her husband, Brent, have two HSA swimmers, Bella & Caroline. Having been an HSA parent for the past seven years, she is aware of some of the questions parents may have, specifically new parents. Look for Lori around the pool if you have any questions or send her an email and she will be happy to help you.
Alison Pick begins her third year at HSA. She is currently the Lead Coach for Voyager 3 as well as an assistant for Voyager 4 and Endeavor 1 groups. She has been coaching for 23 years at all different levels and age ranges. She most recently she was the Head Coach of Kearney High School Girls Team as well as the assistant coach for the Boys Team. Before that she was the Head Coach of Wichita Swim Club from June 2014 until March of 2020. While at WSC, there were many achievements the club and student-athletes achieved. Over sixty team records were broken, five swimmers were recognized as USA Swimming Scholastic All-Americans, three NISCA All-Americans, and much more. WSC also became a USA Swimming Bronze Medal Club for the first time in 10 years. Coach Alison has also been selected to be a MV Zone Team coach as well as a USA Swimming Select Camp coach. She was the Missouri Valley Swimming LSC coaches representative and served on the MV BOD for three years. She is a Level 3 American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) certified coach, a certified USA Swimming coach, and a Level 1 Amphibious Exercise for Improved Swimming (AXIS) certified coach. Coach Pick is also a current member of the USA Swimming Coach Advisory Council (CAC).
Alison brings an impressive resume of coaching and administration experience to HSA. Before she coached in Wichita, she was the Assistant Head Coach at COOG Aquatics in Houston, TX for 2 years. She spent the 8 years before that coaching at SwimMAC Carolina, one of the best club teams in the U.S., where she coached all levels of swimming, from age group to Olympic Trial qualifiers. While living in North Carolina, Alison also worked as assistant coach at Davidson College in Davidson, NC, head coach of Lake Norman Charter School in Huntersville, NC, as well as head coach for the Wynfield Waves and Northstone Country Club, both summer league teams in Huntersville, NC. She also coached at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD. Her first swim coaching gig was as assistant squad coach for the Siouxland Sharks in her hometown of Sioux City, IA.
Coach Alison has many notable coaching awards and experiences. She was awarded 2018 Missouri Valley Senior Coach of the Year and the 2015 Missouri Valley Age Group Coach of the Year, coached Olympic Trial qualifiers in 2012, most recently a 2020 Olympic Trial qualifier, and has received coach of the year twice (2010-11 and 2011-12) during her role as head coach at Lake Norman Charter School in Huntersville, NC. Coach Alison’s favorite thing about coaching swimming is helping guide swimmers toward their goals, help them through the process, and then seeing them achieve those goals. She likes watching the improvement that takes place in her swimmers.
Alison grew up in Sioux City, IA, where she began swimming at age 9. She swam for the Siouxland Sharks for 10 years, and also swam for Sioux City East High all four years of high school. Alison then swam for Northern Illinois University from 1996-2000. Her favorite races to swim are the 100 fly, 200 fly and 100 free.
Butterfly and freestyle tie for Coach Alison’s two favorite strokes. She holds high school records in the 200 Medley Relay, the 200 Free Relay, the 400 Free Relay (which still stands today), and she was also appointed team captain her senior year of high school. She was voted most improved her freshman year at Northern Illinois University and served as team captain there from 1998-2000.
Coach Alison received her Bachelor of Science in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from South Dakota University in 2004, with a minor in Public Recreation. She also studied athletic training at Northern Illinois University from 1996-2000.
Alison is a Chicago Cubs fan, an avid TV watcher and loves watching sports and listening to music (especially Dave Matthews Band). She has a younger brother and loves being an aunt. She adores her niece and nephew and tries to spend as much time with them as she can.
Hanging out with Olympians is something Coach Alison was fortunate enough to be able to do while working at SwimMAC Carolina. If she could spend time with an Olympian she hasn’t yet met in person, she’d pick the versatile Tracy Caulkins or record butterflyer Misty Hyman.
Office Hours : Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 8:00 am- 11:00 am (subject to change)
Coach Arthur has been with the HSA coaching staff since 2013. He arrived in Huntsville after serving in the Peace Corps, teaching English to children in Ukraine. Coach Arthur was Head Coach at Evander Childs High School, where he was named Evander Childs Coach of the Year and led the team to their best record in 15 years. He also coached at Three Village Swim Club in East Setauket, NY, where he was the lead Novice group coach for three years. Coach Arthur has also coached Huntsville High School since 2015. He is currently teaching 7th and 8th grade at Huntsville Jr High.
Family: Coach
Arthur lives in Huntsville with his wife Krystle,
son Cillian, daughter Caitlyn and their dog Bronxy.
Office Hours:
By Appointment
Fall 2024 begins Monica Scarano's second year with HSA. Having lived in Southern California after 22 years. There, she served as Head Coach for boys and girls swim team at Woodcrest Christian High School in Riverside, CA from 2014-18. In early 2019 she joined the Riverside Aquatics Association to work primarily with those under 13 years old.
Earlier in her aquatics career (1989-1997) Scarano was the Aquatics Director at The University of Alabama in Huntsville where she directed and managed all phases of the university’s aquatics facility. From there she went on to become a middle school science and then high school math teacher at Woodcrest Christian School in Riverside, CA.
Coach Jan brings her passion and knowledge of swimming to the HSA coaching staff. She moved to Alabama in 2015 from Boulder City, Nevada to be near family. Coach Jan spent over 20 years with the Boulder City – Henderson Swim Team in Nevada, as well as a year with Madison Swim Association as an age group coach. She started coaching for HSA in 2016. She brings her coaching experience to all age groups and levels. Her main focus is developing young swimmers to reach beyond their expectations. Coach Jan’s swimmers have been Southeastern Champions, Sectional swimmers, State and Junior Olympic champions, USA top ten, and competed at Jr. National, National, and Olympic Trials .
Coach Jan grew up in New
Mexico and was a state champion basketball, volleyball, and
tennis player. She is a graduate of West Texas State A & M
University with a degree in communication graphics and
marketing, and worked as a graphic designer before coaching.
Coach Jan started swimming at the master’s level and believes
this has contributed to her enthusiasm and dedication to the
sport both as a swimmer and USA Swimming Coach. She enjoys
yoga, gardening, art and design.
Family – Coach Jan
and her husband Blake Bunch live in Decatur. Her
daughter Blakeley Bunch is an Auburn University graduate
and lives and works in Madison. Blakeley is a four-year
Auburn athlete in swimming and competed in the 2008
USA Olympic Trials. Blakeley has a son Zander that
swims for HSA, and who is Jan’s only grandchild. Dylan
Bunch is her son who is a graduate of The University of
Denver in Denver, Colorado, where he lives and works.
Dylan swam at the NCAA championships throughout his
collegiate career, and competed in USA Olympic Trials 2012 and
2016.
Coach Jan looks
forward to her HSA swimmers' success in and out of the
pool.
Swimming: Susan began swimming in Mobile at age 5 with Spring Hill Swim Club, continuing through high school with City of Mobile Swim Association and McGill Toolen Catholic High School.
Family: Susan lives in Huntsville with her husband Scott (former Valley Hill CC swimming legend) and their children Sally and Joe.
Coach Rachel is beginning her seventh year as coach of the Intro to HSA group. Rachel has been a coach with the Blossomwood Barracuda summer swim team for the past 20+ years and has coached with swim teams for over 30 years. Rachel is a 1998 Huntsville High graduate and earned her master’s degree in special education from Auburn University in 2003. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Rachel started HSA's lesson program four years ago, and with the help of Coach Sydney, has been able to grow the program tremendously.
Coach Matt had this to
say, “I cannot say enough about Rachel and Coach Susan and
the role they have played in the development and growth of the
Intro swimmers and also in the overall growth of HSA. The
foundation that they are establishing will ensure the continued
growth and success of the HSA team well into the future.”
Swimming and Multi Sport: HSA is fortunate to have
someone with the talent and experience that Rachel brings as a
coach, but is also very proud that Rachel is also HSA swimming
Alumni! Rachel began swimming as a child for the Randolph Summer
league team, later with Huntsville High and HSA. Rachel is an avid
runner and Triathlete.
Family:
Rachel lives in Huntsville with her husband Patrick Clark (HSA
Alumni and Rocket City Record Holder) along with their children
Will(HSA), Lily(HSA) and Eli(HSA).
Swimming: Sarah began swimming at the age of 5 in Shreveport, Louisiana. She competed year-round throughout high school, assisted with numerous swimming stroke clinics, and taught swimming lessons in every city she has resided in. In 1996, her family relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, where she continued swimming for Parkway Swim Club and became a Junior National qualifier. She graduated from Westminster Christian Academy (in St. Louis), where she held numerous records and was a top finisher at the Missouri High School State meet. Sarah is a proud alumni of the University of Kentucky, where she continued her swimming endeavors, specializing in Backstroke and Individual Medley, with her favorite events being the 400 IM and 200 backstroke. While at UK, she earned the Frank G. Society of Character Award and was a four-time SEC Academic All-American. During her last two college summers, she trained under Coach Brook Pate at HSA after her parents relocated to Huntsville. She has a deep love for swimming and a strong desire to help young swimmers become more proficient in the water and succeed outside of the pool.
Family: Coach Sarah lives in Huntsville with her husband Matthew, along with their twin boys Carter and Nathan and daughter Lilly, who all swim for HSA. She also works as a substitute teacher for Huntsville City Schools and enjoys gardening, interior design, and photography.
Swimming: Coach Blakeley graduated with her bachelor’s of science degree from Auburn University in International Business. She swam all four years, was apart of two NCAA Championship Teams (2006, 2007) and two SEC Championship Teams (2007, 2008). Coach Blakeley also qualified for the Olympic Trials in 2008 where she swam the 400 IM and 200 Back. She attended Boulder City High School and swam with the Boulder City Henderson Heatwave Swim Team under Coach Mike Polk. During high school she was the 2003 Las Vegas Review Journal High School Swimmer of the Year, 2004 Nevada High School 500 free champion, California/Nevada Sectional Champion in the 200 back and 400 IM, 2005 Regional Swimmer of the year, 2005 Boulder City High School Swimmer of the year, swimmer for the Nevada State 1st Place Team 5 years, High School All American multiple times and apart of the USA Swimming All America Academic Team.
Family: Coach Blakeley was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico to her parents Blake and Jan Bunch. She grew up in Boulder City, Nevada with her younger brother Dylan. Her greatest accomplishment is her son Zander Fleming. She loves music and plays the cello.
Coach Pate brings over 30 years of coaching experience to our Masters Team and was recently selected for Induction into the Southeastern Swimming Hall of Fame. Brooke served as HSA's head coach until the summer of 2010, when he retired from the Head Coach position. As a Senior coach, Brooke was the 1983 and 1992 Southeastern Swimming Senior Coach of the Year. During his tenure, he also coached numerours Olympic Trial, Senior National, and Junior National qualifiers. Among that group of swimmers were several National Age Group Record Holders and an American Record Holder.
Coach Pate is also an expert bicycle mechanic, and is an avid rider himself. His knowledge of both the swimming and biking world make him an ideal coach to work with both the competitive Masters swimmers, as well as the competitive triathletes that use Masters for swim training.
2/3/25 - Shoulder injury. Plans on returning in a couple of months.
