Coach Susan grew up in Ohio and has been involved in competitive swimming for many years, with a particular passion for butterfly and backstroke. Over the past 30 years, she has successfully created and coached multiple swim teams, working with a diverse range of athletes including YMCA National swimmers, high school state qualifiers, USA National Championship competitors, and even an Olympic qualifier.

Coach Susan is a highly qualified instructor, holding certifications as a USA Level 3 Swim Coach, YMCA Certified Swim Coach, and US Masters Swim Coach. She also has specialized training in Strength & Conditioning, along with numerous health and wellness certifications.

She coaches swimmers of all ages on our USA teams, with a primary focus on athletes aged 11 and older, helping them reach their full potential in the pool.

Coaching philosophy : A swimmer’s achievement is not necessarily measured by their place at meets but rather through their character. The great thing about swimming is that everyone improves, while most improvements do not usually come overnight as it takes time to develop the skills necessary to become a good swimmer. I believe in being patient and to encourage swimmers to do their best, and they will improve.

Coach Tony, our co-head coach, grew up in Ohio and began his swim career as a year-round age group swimmer at his local YMCA at just 5 years old. In high school, he helped set multiple state records, specializing in distance events and the 100 Butterfly. Throughout his career, Tony set numerous records in both YMCA and high school swimming.

While attending college, Tony continued competing in US Masters swimming and began coaching a YMCA/USA certified swim team. He has coached swimmers at many competitive levels, including local meets, Zones, Sectionals, Futures, and YMCA Nationals.

Coach Tony holds certifications as a USA Level 2 coach and a YMCA coach. He coaches all ages of our USA swimmers, with a main focus on the 13 and older groups, guiding them to reach their full potential.

Coaching philosophy: Whether I am coaching an elite swimmer or a just beginner, the fundamentals remain the same. My four pillars to helping athletes achieve swimming success are: Technique, Intensity, Growth and most importantly, Have Fun!

Coach Anna is a Charleston native with deep roots in the local swim community. She began swimming on summer league teams before transitioning to year-round competition at the age of eight. Anna swam for SMRT and was a standout on the James Island Charter High School varsity swim team, where she set multiple school records.

Her success in the pool earned her a scholarship to Wingate University in North Carolina, where she competed at the NCAA Division II level. During her collegiate career, Anna specialized in the 100 and 200 backstroke as well as the 400 IM, representing the Wingate Bulldogs for all four years. She graduated with a degree in Fine Arts before returning home to Charleston.

Since then, Anna has continued to share her love for the sport by teaching swim lessons to children of all ages and coaching the James Island High School swim team. After taking a break to stay home and homeschool her children, she’s now back on deck—and loving the opportunity to coach again. Both Anna and her husband are former collegiate swimmers and are now proud swim parents, cheering on their two children at local meets.

Coach Anna brings a lifelong passion for swimming, technical expertise, and a nurturing coaching style to every practice.

Coaching Philosophy:

Swimming is as fun and rewarding as you make it. The goal is to help athletes improve their strokes and technique while instilling in them a lifelong love for the sport. Keep a positive attitude, make swimming memories you will cherish forever, and believe in everything you do.

Coach Katiria ("Coach Kat") was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where she discovered her love for swimming at the age of 12. At 13, she was accepted into a public boarding school that specialized in athletics, launching her competitive swimming journey. As a high school freshman, she quickly made a name for herself, competing in numerous local, national, and international meets. One of her proudest accomplishments came in 2003, when she earned a silver medal in the 50-meter butterfly at the Puerto Rico National Championships.

Thanks to her success in the pool, Kat received a full scholarship to college and went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Accounting from UAGM.

Kat is a proud military spouse and mother of three. In 2017, her family relocated to South Carolina following Hurricane Maria. Her passion for swimming was reignited in 2021 when her children joined a local swim team, and she began volunteering in the sport. In 2023, she served as a Volunteer Assistant Coach before officially joining the Tidalwaves coaching staff.

Coach Kat brings a wealth of experience, energy, and dedication to our team, and she is passionate about helping young athletes grow both in and out of the water.

Coaching Philosophy: Discipline, dedication, perseverance, self-confidence teamwork, open communication and love for what you do goes a long way. My goal is to help develop competitive swimmers with good technique in each stoke, while providing a safe and fun environment. She always believes in being positive, giving your best and always enjoy the ride!

Coach Luke is originally from Illinois and has a unique background in both swimming and diving. As a high school athlete, he made history by becoming only the third person in Illinois to qualify for state-level competition in both swimming and diving events. He continued diving in college until his school discontinued the swim and dive program.

With over 10 years of experience teaching swim lessons, Coach Luke has also coached age group swimmers in Texas and Illinois and served as a high school swim coach in Illinois. He and his wife spent time as missionaries in Zambia, where he started a swim lesson program and taught swimming to locals, believing that swimming is a vital life skill.

Currently, Coach Luke is pursuing his residency in pediatrics at MUSC. He brings a wealth of athletic, coaching, and life experience to our team, along with a passion for helping swimmers develop both in the pool and beyond.

Coach Michael joined our coaching staff at the start of the 2023–2024 season and currently serves as the technical coach for our Dolphins, Sharks, and Senior swim groups. He brings a wealth of experience and passion to our team, focusing primarily on swimmers aged 11 and older in our USA Swimming groups.

Michael began his swimming journey at the age of 5, competing year-round with his local YMCA team through high school. During his high school career, he qualified for districts, sectionals, and state competitions all four years, specializing in freestyle and distance events.

A proud Navy veteran, Michael is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at the College of Charleston. He holds certifications as both a USA Swimming and YMCA swim coach, and is committed to helping swimmers of all ages grow in skill, confidence, and discipline in and out of the water.

Coaching philosophy: You are your own biggest rival. I believe teaching children that improving their selves and focusing on their own lane and beating there selves is number one and the results will follow.

Coach Tiffany coaches our YMCA 4-10 year age group and serves as one of the lead dryland coaches for our USA swimmers. She is a certified group exercise and indoor cycling instructor at the Summerville Family YMCA and firmly believes that cross-training builds stronger, more well-rounded athletes.

Tiffany’s athletic journey began on a YMCA summer swim team in Missouri. She later competed as a high school and collegiate track and cross-country runner, often using swimming as a key cross-training tool. Her background in aquatics also includes lifeguarding and managing a country club pool during high school and college.

Before transitioning fully into fitness coaching, Tiffany worked as a newspaper journalist. She then spent time as a missionary in Zambia, which inspired her to combine her athletic passion with community service.

As a dryland coach, Tiffany focuses on improving cardiovascular power and endurance, muscular and core strength, all while making sure athletes have fun and enjoy the challenge of trying new things.

Coach Betsy brings a lifelong passion for swimming and a deep understanding of the sport to our team. She began swimming competitively before the age of 5 and trained year-round with the Lynchburg YMCA from ages 5 to 19. A proud Hokie, she attended Virginia Tech where she majored in Nutrition and Exercise Science before continuing on to Physical Therapy school.

Her competitive spirit never faded—after college, she returned to the pool with the local Master's team, gravitating toward her favorite events: the 100 and 200 butterfly, the 400 IM, and distance races.

Betsy's coaching journey began when her children took up swimming while the family lived in Huntsville, AL. After relocating to Summerville in June 2024 and signing her daughters up for the YMCA team, she found herself drawn to the pool deck. Just eight months of cheering from the sidelines led her to finally ask Coach Susan about joining the coaching staff.

Coach Betsy is passionate about the unique individual/team dynamic of swimming. She believes in pushing athletes to be their best in practice so they can shine in competition—not just for themselves, but for their team. Her greatest joy as a coach is watching swimmers grow in confidence, character, and strength both in and out of the water.

Outside of coaching, Betsy works as a local Physical Therapist. She enjoys exercising, reading, and spending time with her husband, three children, and their chocolate lab, Emmett. One of her greatest joys is seeing her children fall in love with the same sports she and her husband grew up playing—and witnessing the lifelong friendships they’re building along the way.

Coach Elizabeth discovered her love for swimming at the age of 6, starting on a summer league team in Michigan. Since then, her passion for the sport has remained constant, even as she’s lived in various places across the U.S. and abroad. Now proud to call Summerville home, Elizabeth is an active and valued member of the YMCA community. She first connected with the Tidalwaves through the Swim Masters conditioning program and soon became even more involved when her children joined the year-round swim team. Her dedication led her to become a certified YMCA Level 2 official as well as a USA Swimming certified official.

Coach Elizabeth now brings her love of swimming and strong technical focus to our 11 & older training group, where she helps swimmers refine their strokes, build confidence, and grow in the sport.

Her swim philosophy emphasizes mastering stroke techniques as the foundation for success, and she hopes to share her joy and passion for swimming with all her athletes.

Coach Jessica began swimming competitively at age 9 with her military team at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and continued through age 20. She swam four years for Pemberton High School and two years at Burlington College, both in New Jersey.

Jessica has taught and coached at McGuire Air Force Base and spent a summer coaching with the Newington Tigersharks Swim League. Her favorite strokes are freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly.

As a proud military wife, Jessica has lived and swum all over the world, from Florida and Panama to Ohio and Germany, before finally settling at Joint Base Charleston. She and her family have called the Summerville area home for the past 30 years.

After rediscovering her love for the sport while coaching her granddaughter three years ago, Jessica is thrilled to be back on deck sharing her passion for swimming with the Tidalwaves!

Coach Rachael is originally from Pennsylvania, where she began her swimming and diving career in high school before continuing to compete at the collegiate level for Seton Hall University in New Jersey. Her love for the water didn’t end after college—she became an active member of the Palmetto Masters swim team here in Charleston and continued competing for several years.

After a brief move to Texas, where she also joined a Masters swim team, Rachael has returned to the Charleston area and now trains at the YMCA in Summerville.

In addition to coaching, Rachael is a full-time nurse. She brings a deep passion for fitness, swimming, and community to our team. Outside of the pool, she enjoys spending quality time outdoors with her family.

Coach Teresa discovered her passion for the water in middle school in California, where she began swimming competitively. By her freshman year of high school, she had also joined the water polo team, competing in the fall and swimming during the winter and spring seasons. She continued swimming and competing throughout both high school and college. When she wasn’t in the pool, Teresa could often be found catching waves and boogie boarding in the chilly Pacific Ocean.

Coach Teresa has been an integral part of our team for the past five years, starting as a dedicated volunteer. She has contributed in many areas—from timing at meets and running concessions to serving as our parent coordinator. Her commitment and enthusiasm for the sport and our community naturally led her to transition into a coaching role.

Now as a coach, Teresa brings her deep love of swimming and strong connection to our team to help inspire and guide our athletes.

Coaching philosophy is: She believes the most important role she can play as a coach is working to improve technique, encouraging them to practice with diligence when things get tough, and helping swimmers to see how they can reap the benefits of their hard work. Having and developing this growth mindset is so important in the water and in life.

Coach Todd swam for Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Ohio, from 2000 to 2005. His main events were the 200 Individual Medley and 100 Butterfly, and he was a regular contributor on both the 200 Medley Relay and 400 Freestyle Relay teams.

During his high school career, Todd made multiple appearances at the Northeast Ohio District Championships in both individual and relay events. One of his proudest moments came in 2003 when he competed in the 200 Freestyle Relay at the Ohio High School State Championship Finals.

Today, Todd proudly serves in the U.S. Navy and has two children swimming with the Tidalwaves. He’s excited to share his passion for the sport and the values of teamwork and perseverance with the next generation of swimmers!

Coach Matti serves as our weightlifting coach and brings a strong educational and professional background in health and fitness to the team. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Springfield College in Massachusetts and a Master’s degree in Adapted Physical Education from the State University of New York at Cortland. Matti is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor. In addition to coaching, she is the Health and Wellness Director at the Summerville Family YMCA, where she has launched successful programs such as Women on Weights and Teens on Weights.

Passionate about fitness, health, and sports, Matti is dedicated to helping individuals of all ages lead active, healthy lifestyles and achieve their personal fitness goals.

Matti’s coaching philosophy is: "The only difference between who you are and who you want to be, is what you do."

Coach Emily is a dedicated fitness professional with a passion for helping others achieve their health and performance goals. She holds an impressive array of certifications, including NASM Certified Personal Trainer (CPT), AFAA Group Fitness Certification, Barre Above, Sports Performance Specialist, and a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) certification through Yoga Alliance.

Emily brings her extensive expertise to the YMCA Tidalwaves as our dryland coach, where she plays a key role in enhancing athletes' strength, mobility, and overall performance outside the pool. A true fitness enthusiast, Emily leads by example—her personal wellness routine includes barre, yoga, and maintaining a balanced, healthy lifestyle.

Emily's coaching philosophy emphasizes the importance of building strength, confidence, and resilience in her athletes, encouraging them to reach their full potential both physically and mentally.

Coach Dennise hails from Puerto Rico and brings a strong athletic background and deep passion for fitness to our team. She began competing in volleyball and track and field in elementary school and continued through high school, eventually earning a college scholarship for volleyball. Throughout her collegiate career, she focused on strength and conditioning while pursuing her degree in education.

In addition to being a dedicated coach, Dennise is a full-time teacher and passionate advocate for physical fitness, healthy living, and family. She now focuses her coaching on developing core and leg strength for our athletes—critical foundations for strong swimmers.

Coach Dennise believes in the power of mindset and movement, and encourages everyone around her with the philosophy: "If you put your mind to it and train your body, you can achieve anything."