David Hill
David coaches the Hilltop Fighters and Sharknado training groups for the Spartans of La Canada. He is also the Head Coach for the La Canada High School boys’ swim team. David has been coaching competitive swimmers in the La Canada area for more than a decade and is a pillar of the long-standing tradition of aquatic excellence in the La Canada community. Through his many years of coaching, David has coached athletes at all levels: from Olympic Trials qualifiers and NISCA All Americans ranked nationally in the sport to youth swimmers getting into the water for the first time. David was named the San Gabriel All-Area Boys Swimming Coach of the Year (2018, 2019) and has led the La Canada High School boys’ swim team to multiple Rio Hondo League championship wins and a CIF-SS D2 championship title (2019). David has consistently promoted excellence in the La Canada swimming community’s youth and has provided a structure for athletes to thrive. A La Canada resident and La Canada High School alumni, David looks forward to continuing to foster the deep tradition of high-quality aquatic athletes in our community. In his spare time, David enjoys music, spending time with his girlfriend, Thanya, and their dog, Fletcher, bowling, playing games with friends, and spending time in the kitchen.

 


 
Mariya Petrova
Mariya coaches the Team Mario and Phoenix training groups for the Spartans of La Canada. She is also the Assistant Coach for both the La Canada High School boys and girls swim teams and the Rose Bowl Aquatics Masters team, and she is a Certified Lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor with the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center. Mariya also provides private swimming lessons and personal training for athletes at all levels in Southern California. She has a highly motivated, results-oriented coaching approach whose optimism and ebullient nature on deck brings out the best in young swimmers by focusing on attention to detail and swim technique. Prior to her time in the United States, she began swimming at age 6; and by age 12, she swam and studied at the sports school in the School of Olympic Reserve in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, where she completed the “master of sports” (the top-earned title for sportsmen). At age 17, she began swimming with the University team at Dnipro, Ukraine. In 2013, she went on to coach multiple age group swimmers at SportLife DeLux in Kiev, Ukraine. In 2016, she immigrated to the United States and began providing private lessons. In 2017, she trained with the Rose Bowl Masters team and won first place in the championship meet for her 50-meter breaststroke. When Mariya is not on deck coaching, she enjoys tennis, surfing, skiing, triathlons, traveling and spending time with her husband. “I love what I do. Coaching is my calling.”    -- Mariya      

 

Mario Marshall

Coach Mario Marshall is a 16x U.S. Masters Swimming All American and 7x U.S. Masters Swimming National Record Holder. He is a 3x Matt Biondi Classic Champion and the 2020 Cal Tech Pentathlon Champion. Coach Mario is a 2019 U.S. Masters All Star and 2019 CCCAA State Champion. He also competed in the 2016 American Ninja Warrior Competition! Mario has twenty four years of experience coaching athletes at all levels, including professional and Olympic athletes. Mario studied kinesiology at California State University, Northridge with an emphasis on physical education. Mario has been a member of the following swim teams throughout his impressive swimming career: CSUN, Pierce College, Canyons Aquatics, Trojan Swim Club, Swim Up Hill and, currently, Golden Road Aquatics. Mario and his family reside in Palmdale, CA. He lives by the quotes “Figure It Out” (Larry Marshall) and “What’s next?” (Maria Marshall).
 

 

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Sheridan (Burge-Lopez) Sanders

Coach Sheridan (Burge-Lopez) Sanders is a former Australian Olympic swimmer competing in the 200m and 400m freestyle at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. She also represented her country at the 1987 Pan Pacific Games and the 1990 Commonwealth Games where she placed 3rd in the 800m Freestyle. After retiring from competitive swimming, Coach Sheridan took up Triathlons for fun and fitness, competing in several half Ironman Triathlons and a full Ironman triathlon. After her athletic career, Coach Sheridan worked for Speedo Australia in sales and marketing for six years. She also managed Sea Eagles Swim School in Australia, for several years. Coach Sheridan has taught young swimmers, ages 2-16, as well as adults, how to swim and be water safe for more than twenty years. Coach Sheridan will be working with a few training groups including Speedwagon and Sharknado.

 
   
 
Mason Morris
 
Coach Mason is a junior who swam for the University of Southern California’s NCAA team studying International Relations. He is from north county San Diego, where he swam for Rancho San Dieguito, attended The Bishop’s School, and was team captain his sophomore, junior, and senior years. During this time, he was a scholastic all-American all four years and broke multiple team, high school, and LSC records in butterfly. He and five other teammates also hold the junior world record in the uneven relay category for Catalina channel swim. Moreover, Mason was a junior national finaler at both the winter and summer championships. At the college level, he was a CSCAA-scholar All-American, Second Team, and named to the Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Role, while also a consistent finalist in the 200 butterfly at PAC-12’s. He also currently sits on the executive board of USC’s athletic senate. Furthermore, Mason has been coaching swimmers for the past seven years and is very passionate about helping swimmers achieve their next qualifying time through high-level technique. Coach Mason enjoys surfing before class, rock climbing, 20th-century history, language learning, and raising rare plants. If you have any gardening questions or need help studying for your AP history tests, Coach Mason would be delighted to help!  
 
 
 
Patrick Mulcare
 
Coach Patrick Mulcare is a 2020 graduate of the University of Southern California with a degree in Media Arts and Practice. He is a freelance post-production editor, asset manager and archivist. Patrick also works in the Prop Department at Geffen Playhouse. Patrick is well known as one of the fastest backstrokers the United States has ever seen. Patrick remains USC’s 200y backstroke recordholder, having broken Trojan Olympic champion Lenny Krayzelburg's 1997 USC record in 2016. Patrick also holds the USC records for the 200 LCM backstroke and the 200IM LCM. Coach Patrick is a two-time 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials semifinalist and a five-time All-American. He qualified for the D1 NCAA men’s swimming championship every year of his college swimming career and was an A finalist in the 200 backstroke three of those four years. He is a versatile, accomplished swimmer across many events in addition to the 200 backstroke, both in yards and long course meters, including the 100 backstroke, 200 freestyle and both the 400 IM and 200 IM. Coach Patrick was the 2016 200y backstroke Pac-12 champion. During his time with USC, Coach Patrick was named to the CSCAA Scholar All-American first team as well as to the Pac-12 All-Academic second team. In high school, Coach Patrick led his school, Southridge High in Beaverton, Oregon, to third place in 2014 at the Oregon state championships. At that meet, Patrick broke a 15-year-old record in the 200y IM (1:49.02) and also reset the state standard in the 100y back (48.53) during title swims. Patrick was a three-time finalist at the 2015 U.S. Winter Nationals, highlighted by his second-place finish in the 200m back in 1:57.34, 0.10 behind Olympic gold medalist Matt Grevers' winning time. Patrick represented the U.S. at the 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China, where he was a four-time finalist, placing fourth in the 200m IM and 200m back and eighth in both the 100m back and 200m free. Patrick, who qualified for six events at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials before entering USC, also attended Oakwood High in Dayton, Ohio, before moving to Oregon. While still in Dayton, Patrick qualified for the 2012 Olympic Trials as a sophomore in high school and helped Oakwood win a state title in the 400y free relay. He also set a state record (15-16) in the 400m IM. He is a former NAG (11-12) record holder in the 200 freestyle relay while with the Dayton Raiders.
 
 
 
 
Sarah Olson
 

Coach Sarah Olson is working with our Spartans of La Canada Hurricane Riders training groups. She also serves as a cardiac nurse at the Huntington Hospital in Pasadena. Coach Sarah graduated from University of California, San Diego in 2016 with a degree in Human Biology, and also with a BSN in Nursing at Xavier/Ohio in 2022.  She was on the UCSD swim team as a freshman. 

 

Sarah graduated from La Canada High School in 2012, and was a 4 year varsity swimmer, team captain, Team MVP, NISCA All-American, and school record holder (including current 50 free record of .23.80).

 

Some of Sarah’s extracurricular activities included Girl Scouts (Gold Award), National Charity League, Rose Bowl Swim Club (captain & former record holder), Group Leader at La Canada Presbyterian Church, Ceramics & teaching individual swim lessons.

 

Sarah enjoys spending time with her family, including her fiancé, Shaan, and cat, Joey.

 

 
 
Niyoosha Nadaaf

Coach Niyoosha Nadaaf has a master’s degree in industrial engineering and she is currently working on the LA Metro "D" line (Purple Line) subway extension project, focused on improving Los Angeles public transportation for the 2028 Olympics. Coach Niyoosha’s journey in swimming began at a young age in Iran, where she competed in the national league at just 10 years old. Throughout the following years, Coach Niyoosha continued to swim competitively in university leagues, solidifying her dedication to the sport. Coach Niyoosha worked for several years as a swim coach and lifeguard in Iran, training both age group swimmers and adult swimmers. In 2010, Niyoosha’s journey led her to Canada, where she devoted her time volunteering as a swim coach with the YMCA. In 2016, Niyoosha relocated to California. We are thrilled to have Niyoosha helping our team with the Sharknado 2 training group where she can provide her much needed expertise and guidance to help our team’s young swimmers. Coach Niyoosha cherishes moments spent with her family. She loves reading and diving into the depths of literature.

 
   
 
John O'Grady
John coaches the Condors and Speedwagon training groups for the Spartans of La Canada. He is also the Head Coach for the La Canada High School girls’ swim team. John has an eye for stroke technique and is known for helping countless swimmers make small improvements to their strokes that often bring big results at race time. In addition to helping swimmers get faster, John ensures his swimmers are practicing proper stroke technique in order to lower the potential for athletic injuries. John is also the inventor of the popular Aqua Knuckles training device. Aqua Knuckles help swimmers develop open finger muscle memory in order to pull more water and swim faster. Aqua Knuckles are used by swimmers at all levels, worldwide. From his early days as an “8 & under” age-group swimmer, through high school and college swimming…to his recent masters team swimming, John has a love for the sport of swimming that has carried him through decades. When he is not in the water or on a pool deck, John runs a boutique media services company focused on creative projects of all kinds for both large and small entities. He enjoys cooking, surfing, travel, photography and spending time with his wife and children.