Email: caitlindigney@gmail.com

Kirsten Lickel, 11-12 coach
Kirsten is a fifth-year coach and an award-winning swimmer. She is an 11-time All City Champion, a member of the All-City record holding 200 Medley Relay team (13-14 girls) and a Division 1 state swim meet qualifier for four years. In 2008, she captained the Madison East High School Division 1 state champion swim team, and also swam on the 1st-place 200 free relay. She recently completed her first year on the UW-Eau Claire swim team, where she was named most valuable freshman and qualified for the NCAA Div. III national championship. In addition to MO and East, she has been a member of M*G*M Aquatics and Badger Aquatics Club. Kirsten’s favorite food is ice cream and she loves the color pink. She says that she is looking forward to coaching the awesome 11-12s and having fun in the sun this summer!

Brianne Schwarz, 9-10 coach
Beans Beans, as we all know her, will be a fifth-year coach for our team this summer. She has been a member of the Monona Swim and Dive Club, MEYO, and the LaFollette HS swim team. She is currently a junior at the UW-Eau Claire – next year she is planning to serve her second year as an RA in her college dorm. Beans is looking forward to seeing all the smiling faces bright and early in the mornings and getting to spend time with the great friends she has made throughout the years. Something you might not know about Beans Beans: I love the smell of laundry detergent and playing catch. Also, I, along with many of the other coaches on this team, am slightly obsessed with coffee.

Emily Bowen, 8&U coach
Emily grew up swimming for the McFarland Spartan Sharks, the Monona Swim and Dive team and the McFarland HS team. She has been coaching for MO as a junior coach for two years and as an age group coach for three years. As a McFarland HS swimmer she was Honorable mention All-State her junior year and competed in the Division 2 state meet all four years. She was a part of the All-City age group championship team as a 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14 as well as a member of the 13-14 Medley Relay team that still holds an All-City record. Emily attends UW Eau Claire where she is studying to become a Spanish teacher. She is part of the UW-Eau Claire swim team, and was part of the school’s record-setting 200-yard free relay. In her spare time Emily loves to play soccer, work with little kids and drink Caribou coffee.

Greta Kucher, 8&U coach
Greta is a third-year swim coach with MO, in addition to her two years as a junior coach. She started swimming with our club when she was 7 and was also a member of MEYO, M*G*M Aquatics and the MG HS team. She was captain of the high school team and received the “MO the Magician” award two years in a row. Greta remembers that her swimming career began when she quit ballet and joined swim team after she swam across the lake at Girl Scout camp at age 6. Greta is currently a sophomore at UW LaCrosse. We are all looking forward to having Greta back with our team this summer.

Colin Schmidt 9-10 coach
Colin Schmidt is a second-year coach for MO this summer, and was no stranger to the team before coaching. In 2007 Colin was the recipient of the Jenny McGlaughlin award – given to one swimmer each year that demonstrates all of the qualities that make the perfect team member – hard work, great attitude, superior teammate. Colin swam for MO for six years (15-18 100 Freestyle record holder), for the LaFollette HS team (2 time WIAA state qualifier) and most recently for the UW LaCrosse (WIAC Conference Meet Finalist and WIAC Swimmer of the Week). We are thrilled to have Colin working with our 9-10's this summer – especially since he tells us that he enjoys playing Super Nintendo AND he can wiggle his ears. Thanks for coming back Colin.

Matt Brunsell 8 & U, stroke & turn coach
Matt is a second- year coach with our team. He was a MO swimmer for 13 years! Matt also was a member of MEYO and the LaFollette HS swim team. He was a four year HS letter winner – his senior year he was named team captain, received the coach’s choice award, scholar athlete and Academic All-American honors. He was also a two-year volunteer football coach at LaFollette HS. Currently Matt is a sophomore at UW-Madison and also serves as a lifeguard at the Madison East YMCA. Matt likes to travel and has been to Canada , Mexico , Spain , Norway , Denmark , Sweden and Morocco . Matt says that he is really looking forward to helping kids swim, and hopefully to help them have the same positive experience that I have had during my swimming career. We all know that Matt was always the very best swim-buddy – now we are looking forward to him being an awesome swim coach. Welcome aboard Matt!

Katie Barta 9-10 coach
Katie will be returning for her fourth season as a coach for the 8 & Under age group. She has had a wonderful swimming career at Monona Grove HS, Monona Swim and Dive Club, MGM Aquatics and the McFarland Sharks. She medaled at the WIAA Division 2 state meet in three seasons and was a member of the first place finishing 400 free-style relay for MG in 2008! Katie also is a lifeguard and swim instructor at the high school pool. Katie attends UW Madison. She is dearly loved by all of her swimmers and tells us that she is looking forward to a big win at all-City this year!

Elizabeth Emmerich
Elizabeth is a sophomore at Monona Grove HS, where she competes for the girls swim team. She’s also competed for MEYO. She is a member of the team-record medley and free relays for the 15-18 girls, and has won 8 All-City titles while swimming with MO. Among her other talents, Elizabeth can touch her nose with the tip of her tongue.

Kelsey Millin
Kelsey is a sophomore at Monona Grove HS, where she competes for the girls swim team. This is his first year as a junior coach for MO. This is her 9th year swimming for MO; she has also competed for MEYO for five years. She holds the 11-12 MO team record in the 50 backstroke, and is a member of the team-record medley and free relays for the 15-18 girls. She has won six All-City titles while swimming for MO. She wants to be a dentist when she grows up.

Jake McDade
Jake is a sophomore at Monona Grove HS, where he competes for the boys swim team. This is his first year as a junor coach for MO. He has been a member of the Badger Aquatic and MGM swim teams, and has competed for MO since he was 8. He has qualified for the state high school Div. 2 swim meet his first two years at MG, currently holds the school record in the 500 free, and is a member of the school-record 400 free relay. He is a member of four relay teams that hold MO team records. He has lifeguarded at both the Monona outdoor and MG indoor pool, and has also taught swimming lessons. He can play a musical instrument with his feet, and can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under a minute (like his mentor, Jonny Gausewitz). He is looking forward to everything this summer at MO, especially the All-City Swim Meet.

Ashley Storms
Ashley, a junior at Monona Grove HS, has competed for the MG girls swim team as well as MO. She also throws the discus for the MG girls track team. She’s been a lifeguard and swim instructor at both the MG and Monona pools, and has coached for the summer track program in Monona. Ashley loves to spend time outdoors and she’s a great baker.

Julia Wanke
Julia is a junior at Madison East HS, where she competes on the girls swim team, and manages the boys track team. This is her first year as a junior coach. She was a member of the Madison East HS girls swim team that won the state high school championship in 2008, and were state runners-up in 2009. She’s been a member of the MO 13-14 and 15-18 age groups that have won age-group titles at the All-City swim meet two years in a row. Her career plans include either nursing or athletic training. She wants to get to know MO’s younger swimmers and help them with their swimming.

Hayley Martin
Hayley Martin joined the Monona Swim & Dive Club when she was 5 years old, which makes 2009 her 14th season with the club. She is a second-year coach with the club. She is also a lifeguard and swimming instructor at the Monona Pool. As a member of the MG women’s swim team, she won first place in the Div. 2 state meet in the 50 yard freestyle, and as the anchor on the first-place 200-free relay team. She holds four MO team records. She also swims for the MEYO where she holds 11 team records, and has qualified for the YMCA Nationals four years in a row. This fall, she will swim at the University of Nebraska for head coach Pablo Morales, a former Olympic gold medalist.

Tyler Dorshorst, head dive coach
Tyler is in his first year coaching the MO divers. He is currently enrolled at UW-Madison, where he dives for the Badger swim and dive team. He has also coached for the nationally ranked GC Divers. He is multiple qualifier for the USA Diving National Championships, and finished second at the 2008 Speedo West National Championships. Tyler loves reggae music, playing his guitar, and being outside in the sun. He’s looking forward to a fun summer on the pool deck with the wonderful MO divers.

Caleb Percevecz, assistant dive coach
Caleb is also in his first year as a dive coach for MO. He is currently enrolled at UW-Madison, where he dives for the Badgers. He has also dove for, and coached, his club team – Clavadistas Del Sol in Arizona . He is a four-time Arizona state diving champion. He can, among other talents, wiggle his ears, and can’t wait to meet all of the new MO team members and divers.