AQUAJETS' COACHING STAFF

Aquajets' coaches are here to support your needs!
If your questions are related to workouts, meets, events, goal setting, and other swimming related needs, please contact your swimmer's lead coach. For all questions related to administration, such as dues, safety, or policy issues, please email [email protected].

 

KATE LUNDSTEN
Head Coach & Head Senior/National Groups Coach
Senior Elite, National Team

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Kate joined the Aquajets Swim Team as Head Coach in 2004. In her current role, she is also the Board Chair of Newjets, Inc., the non-profit parent organization of the Aquajets. Coach Kate swam competitively for 10 years and has been a USA Swimming coach for over 30 years. On multiple occasions, she has been selected as an assistant coach for the USA National and USA Junior National Teams. Most recently, Coach Kate was named Head Women's Coach for Team USA at the 2017 FINA World Junior Championships, and has served on Team USA coaching staffs for the 2018 Junior Pan Pacs Championships and the 2019 Pan Am Games. Most recently, Kate's impact on the sport was featured as part of USA Swimming's Legacy Series. Check out the amazing video here. 

 

Prior to her position at Aquajets, Kate was a 10-year head coach for the Eden Prairie High School Girls’ Swim Team—winning four state titles! Kate was the recipient of numerous coaching awards including State High School Coach of the Year while at Eden Prairie High School. She is widely recognized as a superior stroke technician and encourages and promotes strong technique in practice. Her work has been featured by USA Swimming (click here). Swimmers under Kate's watch have achieved significant success—including state and national records, numerous National Junior Team members, Olympic Trials qualifiers, and even an Olympic Gold medalist!

Kate swam in high school for Minnetonka where she was team captain, winner of multiple state championships and a Junior National qualifier. She attended college at Hamline University, where she earned a B.A. in Art. She was the captain of the Hamline Swim Team and a 24-time All-American, a Division III national champion, and national record holder in the 200 backstroke. She also was the Division III national champion in the 100 backstroke and multiple relay teams. While in college, Kate was awarded the Hamline Top Athlete Senior Award.

LEAH FOREMAN-KEISER
Assistant Head Coach
Junior 2, Senior Elite
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Coach Leah joined the Aquajets’ coaching staff in September 2010, as a developmental coach and co-head dryland coach while coaching high school swimming and working full-time in the corporate world. In September 2016, she left the corporate grind and moved from the dryland gym to the pool deck full-time. She currently leads the Junior 2 and Senior Elite groups, in addition to serving as the team’s primary communications, events, and marketing contact.

 

Leah swam competitively for 15 years, and was coached by Coach Kate for many of those years on Mach 3 Flyers. Leah was a club and high school state champion, and a Junior and Senior National qualifier in the breaststroke events. She earned Academic All-Big Ten honors as a member of the Penn State Women’s Swimming and Diving Team and graduated with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in Kinesiology.

 

When she’s not coaching, Leah is likely in the weight room, obsessively following Nittany Lions' sports, or spending time with her husband, Jeff, their goofy boxer, Dash, and chaos cat, Huey.

MEGAN HUGHES
Assistant Coach
Gold Groups
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Megan joined Aquajets as a coach in 2014. She explains that her path to coaching was almost inevitable…she was born into a swimming family, was in the pool by three months of age, and says she spent most of her time growing up in or near a body of water—from Minnesota to California. In fact, she jokes she could very well be an amphibian! “I absolutely love coaching kids and count it as one my greatest joys to watch kids grow as humans, as well as swimmers,” she explains.

 

In her early years, Megan swam for the Edina Swim Club and competed for Edina High School, where she co-captained the girls’ team. She was also an accomplished synchronized swimmer for Edina (note to swimmers: “sculling matters”!). True to form, she says she spent more time trying to make others laugh than actually listening to her coaches and the sets they were leading (again note to swimmers: don’t follow this lead!).

 

While majoring in English at the University of Kansas, Megan said she spent a good deal of time “fostering friendships” (she had a lot of luck on that front!) and “trying to be noticed by the swim coaches” (sadly, not much luck on this front!). But all ends well—she can claim a stint of collegiate swimming on her résumé thanks to a semester abroad—swimming for the University of Stirling, in Scotland (Did you know? The Scots take hot tubs after they swim). During her college years and through most of her 20s, Megan worked for Young Life and other Youth Ministries with her husband, Eric.
 
She has been a U.S. Masters (iSwim) swimmer since 2009 and says “I love swimming just as much today as I did at three months of age. In fact, my family still competes in Masters meets as a way to stay connected with each other—it’s a total joy!”

 

With the help of her dad, Megan taught her husband Eric to swim when he was 25 years old. She quips that her biggest success as a coach to date is teaching Eric to swim butterfly forward, not backward. Megan and Eric have three kids and a deaf cat—who, by the way, absolutely LOVES to swim. No surprise there, eh?! 

CHRIS MAYER
Assistant Coach
Bluejets, Bluelightning
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Chris first started coaching with Aquajets back in 2012 with the Gold Groups.  He started swimming when he was only five-years-old for what was then the Edina Southdale YMCA Beavers swim team.  He started his lifetime coaching career in 1994 and has been loving it ever since. “Working with kids is an absolute privilege for me,” Chris said.
 
Chris has been an Elementary Art Teacher in Wayzata since 2000. He has two children, Erik and Emma, three cats and loves anything outdoors. Aquajets is a second family for him and he feels lucky to have the opportunity to be part of such a great organization.
TIFFANY SHERMAK
Assistant Coach
BlueSharks, Junior 2, Senior Elite
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Tiffany starting coaching with Aquajets in 2013 and says she “loves connecting with the swimmers, meeting them where they're at and providing an opportunity for progress.” She has coached competitive teams in both Arizona and Montana (where she grew up!), and prior to Aquajets, she had a 13-year tenure at Foss Swim School, working with a variety of ages. 
 
Like many, Tiffany began her swimming career as an age-group swimmer. She was also a versatile and accomplished high school athlete—competing in track as an All-State sprinter, and playing volleyball. She graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy. When she’s not coaching poolside, Tiffany is a local CPA at a public accounting firm and lives in Bloomington with her husband and three kids. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her family, running, playing volleyball, and, of course, doing anything in and around water, including swimming, boating, tubing, and scuba diving, to name just a few!
AMANDA SOLT
Assistant Coach
Goldlightning and Safe Sport
 
Amanda is a former swim instructor for Foss Swim School and was a USA Swimming Stroke & Turn Official from 2016-2020, before fully switching over to coaching.
 
Some of the things Coach Amanda loves most about swimming are making new friends, watching swimmers master new skills, and cheering on the team. 
 
Coach Amanda lives in Prior Lake with her husband, Coach Jeremy, and their four kids. When she is not at the pool, she writes software documentation. She also enjoys volunteering at school, reading mystery novels, and spending time with her family. She is also Aquajets' Safe Sport liaison for USA Swimming and Minnesota Swimming Safe Sport initiatives. 
 
In her spare time, Amanda swims Masters and loves to walk, read mystery novels, and cross-stitch.
 

JENNA SCHULTZ
Assistant Coach
Bluejets and Bluelightning

Coach Jenna graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science; she went on to earn her Juris Doctorate from William Mitchell College of Law. While in Law School, she helped coach the Eden Prairie High School Boys and Girls swim teams and it was here that she realized that she had a passion for coaching.

Jenna began her own swimming career at the age of six with the Foxjets Swim Team and swam for Eden Prairie High School where she was a co-captain her senior year. (Fun fact: Coach Jenna was coached, at the time, by Coach Kate!

Today, Coach Jenna lives in Minnetonka with her husband and two kids. When she is not at the pool, you can find her on the tennis court where she plays competitive doubles tennis. She also enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, being at the lake and spending time with her family.

 

One of the things Coach Jenna says she loves most about swimming is the life lessons that are learned in the pool and the friendships that are made. She believes swimmers are self-motivators and loves seeing their excitement when they hit new milestones and overcome challenges in the pool.

ERIN HAWKER
Assistant Coach
Junior 1
 
Erin first joined Aquajets as a swimmer in 2012, when her family moved to Minnesota from across the border in Wisconsin. She began her swimming career with the Wausau Tide Swim Club and swam on the Aquajets National Team from 2012-2015 under Coach Kate and Coach Philip. Erin swam for the University of Wisconsin/Whitewater where she accumulated six NCAA cuts and earned First Team All-WIAC honors eight times. She was voted Team Captain and was also WIAC Swimmer of the Year. Erin graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work.
 
At Aquajets, Erin spends most of her time coaching the Junior groups and Blue groups. She enjoys spending time with the kids and getting to know them. Erin’s family has a big presence at Aquajets, as her mom, brother, and sister-in-law are also coaches, and her younger sister, Maddie, still swims for Aquajets when she is home from college.
 
Away from the pool, Erin enjoys being with her family, reading, and walking the family’s two adorably fluffy Newfoundlands.

 

JORDYN WENTZEL
Assistant Coach
Gold Groups, Blue Groups, Registration, Volunteer Coordinator
 
Coach Jordyn began swimming competitively when she was 9 years old, and joined Aquajets Swim Team as an age-group swimmer. She swam for Delano High School, where she was a three-time state champion. In addition, she has achieved Olympic Trials qualifying times in the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke and has competed at multiple Junior/National level swim meets.
 
Jordyn graduated from St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN, with an MBA and a BS in Exercise Science and Nutrition with a minor in coaching. Jordyn holds eight individual school records and was a part of all five relay records. She is a 25-time MIAC Champion, 4-time MIAC Women's Swimmer of the Year, 3-time St. Kate’s Athlete of the Year, NCAA Champion (in the 200 breaststroke), and 26-time NCAA All-American. Jordyn is also the NCAA Division III record holder in the 200 breaststroke. She is currently the Head Swimming and Diving Coach at St. Kate’s, in addition to coaching here at Aquajets. 
 
Coach Jordyn’s hobbies outside the pool include reading, traveling, playing games, watching TV, and spending time with family and friends.
KATIE HAYCRAFT
Assistant Coach
Junior 3, Senior Elite, National
 
Katie started coaching with Aquajets in 2022 and has over 20 years of coaching experience. She enjoys working with swimmers and helping them build a love for the sport that has been a part of her life since she was young.
 
Katie swam for Foxjet Swim Club her entire age-group swimming career and was a member of Foxjet’s National Team. She was also a three-time State Champion in the 500 free while swimming for Shakopee High School. After high school, Katie swam Division I at Northern Illinois University, competing primarily in distance free and IM.
 
Katie feels lucky to have been coached by some of the “best of the best” coaches in her career, including Coach Kate and Coach Chris. She learned a lot of valuable life lessons from them both in and out of the pool.
 
Swimming is a huge part of Katie’s family life as well. She met her husband, Justin, while coaching and they been coaching together ever since. She has three children, all of whom are swimmers at Aquajets. In addition to coaching Aquajets, Katie is the Head Coach for the Prior Lake High School Girls’ Swimming and Diving Team, and she works at the middle school in the Prior Lake school district.
 
When not at the pool, Katie enjoys spending time with her family (including their two dogs) and friends, sitting by the fire table on the deck, or just relaxing at home.
JUSTIN HAYCRAFT
Assistant Coach
Junior 1
 
Justin began his coaching career while still in college and has over 20 years of coaching experience. Justin swam for Prior Lake Swim Club and Prior Lake High School as an age-grouper. While looking at colleges, he ensured that his top choices had not only a connection to a law school, but also a swim team, so he chose Hamline University, where he focused on the mile, 400 IM, and 200 backstroke.
 
Justin’s passion for swimming stems from the athletes. He loves to help athletes become aware of how to efficiently move through water. This started when he began seeing huge improvements in the swimming lesson students and the developmental athletes he worked with early in his coaching career. He transitioned to working with high school athletes at his alma mater, Prior Lake High School. Many of his life experiences have been around competitive swimming - he even met his wife, Katie, on the pool deck while coaching against her.
 
Justin attributes his knowledge in coaching to his college coaches Marty Knight and Paul Lundsten as well as the guidance from coaches he has worked with over the years.
 
Along with coaching, Justin is a math teacher at Prior Lake High School and assists with both the boys’ and girls’ teams in Prior Lake.  He currently serves on many committees in swimming including the MNSI Board as Age Group Vice Chair. 
 
When not in the pool, Justin enjoys reading, watching movies with his family, cooking, and spending time with his family including his wife, three kids, and two pugs. 
 
Justin is excited to be a part of the Aquajets family and hopes to share his love of swimming with even more athletes. 
GIO GUTIERREZ
Assistant Coach
Junior 3, Senior Elite, National
 
Coach Gio was born and raised in Peru, where he swam and played multiple sports while growing up before focusing on swimming. Coach Gio swam collegiately at the University of Missouri, where he was an All-American, team captain, and recorded multiple program top 10 times in distance freestyle, butterfly, and the 400 IM. During college, he also represented Peru in numerous international competitions, including the Pan American Games, World Championships, and Open Water World Championships.
  
Gio and Coach Kira met at Missouri and they married after both graduated. Outside of coaching, Gio works full-time on the finance team at UnitedHealth Group, and during his free time, he likes to swim, read books, and spend time with Kira and their young son, Luca. His favorite food from the US is a quesadilla burger with lots of ranch. 
CHRIS GUERRERA
Assistant Coach
Senior Elite, National
 
Coach Chris brings a wealth of swimming knowledge and training expertise to Aquajets, thanks to decades of coaching both high school and club swimmers. Chris takes a particular interest in working with swimmers to teach them the best and most efficient ways to propel themselves through the water, challenging them to think differently and more purposefully in training.
 
Chris was a Junior National qualifier for Mach III Flyers and All-State selection for Minnetonka High School, before swimming collegiately at the University of Illinois. After college, in addition to coaching club swimming, he was the Head Coach of the Minnetonka boys’ team for seven years, and the girls’ head coach for one season.
 
Chris coached at Aquajets from 2012 to 2015 and rejoined the staff in the spring of 2021. Chris and his wife, Nora, have two daughters, both of whom swim for Aquajets, and a dog named Polly.    
ALEC PITTMAN
Assistant Coach
Gold groups, Blue groups, Junior 3
 
Coach Pitt began his swimming career with lessons at Foss Swim School until age nine when he began swimming competitively for Mach 3 Flyers (the same team as Coach Leah and Coach Chris G. before him). He then found his way to Aquajets in the fall of 2013. He swam for Saint Louis Park on and off throughout high school and continued his swimming journey at Lake Forest College in the Fall of 2018. In the Forest, he swam for three years with his junior year being spent at home training with Aquajets due to Covid-19. He was fortunate to be nominated as Captain his senior year and still holds the team record in the mile. He graduated LFC in May of 2022 with a degree in Psychology.
 
Pitt began his coaching career in high school starting with country club swimming in the summers — first at Lafayette and then as the Assistant Head Coach at Interlachen. Coach Kate was eager to recruit him as a Junior coach to assist the Gold groups, so during his senior year of high school he coached Aquajets part-time and taught lessons at Foss (where it all began!)
 
In the fall of 2020, while continuing his college studies at home during the pandemic, Pitt took on a more significant coaching role at Aquajets and discovered his true passion for age group coaching which he attributes to the wonderful staff and swimmers at Aquajets.
 
In his free time, Pitt enjoys listening to heavy rock music (a trait he shares with Coach Leah!), going for walks around the local lakes, and spending time with his family visiting new spots around the cities.
MADISON PREISS
Assistant Coach
Junior 1

 

Madison started coaching for Aquajets in the fall of 2024, however, she joined Aquajets as a swimmer back in 2012 swimming under Coach Kate. Her favorite memories include competing for the USA All-Stars in Dublin, Ireland alongside other Aquajets teammates where she achieved her first Olympic Trials cut.

 

In addition to Aquajets, Madison swam for Wayzata High School from 8th to 12th grade under our very own Coach Leah where she was part of the state championship teams from 2013-2015. Madison holds multiple Wayzata school records.

 

From 2016 to 2020, Madison attended the University of Minnesota, where she swam for the Minnesota Gophers. She was captain her senior year when she achieved her B.S. in Human Resource Development as well as a minor in Communication Studies. Shortly after, Madison decided to pursue her Masters in Human Resources which she received in Winter 2021 and now works in HR for Royal Bank of Canada in downtown Minneapolis.

 

In her free time, Madison loves to cook, read, and hang out with her beagle, Reggie.

EMILY HAAN
Assistant Coach
Junior 1
 
Emily began coaching with Aquajets in the Fall of 2024, marking 10 years since she first joined Aquajets as an age group swimmer under Coach Kate. Her best memories include the team travel meets and creating lifelong friendships! 
 
In high school, Emily represented Minnetonka’s Swim and Dive team all 4 years where she ended her high school career as team captain, a 3-time All-American, and was selected as Minnetonka’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2018. 
 
In college, Emily swam for Iowa State University from 2018-2022 and was reunited with several Aquajets teammates. In Ames, she graduated with a double major in Finance and Marketing. Following graduation, she began working for Robert Half as a Talent Director for Accounting/Finance job placements. 
 
Outside of the pool and the office, Emily enjoys coffee, CrossFit, and attending bible study. 
 
 
NATALIE TRUONG
Assistant Coach
Gold Groups
 
Natalie Truong brings more than 20 years of experience in teaching swim technique and stroke fundamentals. She’s worked with swimmers of all ages and loves helping build the skills, stamina, and confidence to succeed in the water. 
Natalie’s passion for swimming started early—she was convinced she was a mermaid at age three! She’s tried out all kinds of swim sports and was the captain of her high school swim team. One of her favorite things about coaching is showing swimmers that they can enjoy swimming for a lifetime.
When she’s not coaching, Natalie works as a Lamaze Certified Birth Educator and Doula. She stays busy with her four kids and husband, who are all water enthusiasts just like her!
KIRA GUTIERREZ
Assistant Coach
Junior 2, Junior 3, Senior Elite, National
 
Kira began swimming when she was five years old and joined Aquajets soon after when she turned seven. She was a member of the Aquajets National Team throughout high school and swam for Eden Prairie High School, where she was a two-time State Champion in the 500. After high school, Kira swam for the University of Missouri, where she met Coach Gio. She left Mizzou as the school record holder in the 500, 1000, 1650 and was a member of the school-record-holding 800 Free Relay. During her collegiate career, Kira was an NCAA All-American and team captain.
 
Outside of coaching, Kira works full-time as an Occupational Therapist at Fraser during the week and at St. Joseph’s Hospital on the weekends.
 
Kira enjoys swimming, running with her dog, Rio, and spending time with Coach Gio and their young son, Luca, and friends and family.
DAN BIELSKI
Assistant Coach
Bluelightning, Junior 1, Senior Elite, Dryland
 
Dan has been coaching at Aquajets since 2019. He specialized in butterfly and backstroke college at UW-Whitewater and graduated in 2017 from the program. He was a previous school record holder in the 100 butterfly. He returns to the team after attending the College of Saint Scholastica in Duluth as he will obtain his Doctorate of Physical Therapy in May of 2025. Dan has a passion for injury prevention, improving athletic performance through the lens of his degree, and helping athletes build themselves to be the best they can be. You will find him on deck with most groups and in the dryland room! 
 
Outside of coaching and PT, Dan has found a love and passion for hiking, coffee, and photography. He is even building a small photography business around his adventures!
 

 

MADDY POTTER
Assistant Coach
Goldlightning, Bluesharks
 
Maddy joined the Aquajets coaching staff in the fall of 2024 following her graduation from Notre Dame, where she swam for five years and earned her degree in management and consulting and a Masters in nonprofit business administration. She began her coaching career helping with swim lessons for Edina Swim Club in the summers during college.
 
Maddy began swimming at 5 years old with Great Wolf Swim Team. She also swam for Edina Swim Club until she joined Aquajets when she was 15. She competed for the Blake High School swim team during her sophomore and junior years as well. Maddy qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the 100 Fly when she was 16.
 
In her free time, Maddy enjoys reading book series, spending time with friends and family, and cooking! 
PHILIP NIELSEN
Assistant Coach
Gold Groups, Senior Elite, National
 
Coach Philip joined the Aquajets Swim Team in 2004.  He served as the assistant head coach under Kate until 2016. In his time with Aquajets, he coached all the groups but spent most of his time with the Golds, Junior 1 & 2, and Senior Elite. 

Philip was a swimmer for 14 years, swimming club at the Bolles School in Jacksonville, FL, and in college at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN. He earned a bachelor's degree in Peace Studies, with a specialty in mediation and conflict resolution for children and young adults.   

As a coach, Philip loves teaching breaststroke, mental toughness, and body awareness.  He relishes every chance he gets to make kids think outside the box/pool and see a stroke from a different angle.

When he's not coaching, Philip is a full-time stay-at-home dad of three children: Olie, Margaux, and Odynn. He loves music, reading, spending time with his wife Mary, and teasing his children. He also believes pineapple is 100% meant for pizza, especially with pepperoni, roasted red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes. 
Be Excellent to Each Other.