John Fodell
Head Coach
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The Gators are proud to have All-America
swimmer John Fodell as Head Coach. John finished earning his
masters degree in adapted physical education and joins the team for
the 2007-08 swim season.
As a Grosse Pointe South graduate, John was both a member of the
National Honors Society and was Student Athlete of the Year. At
Albion he earned four varsity letters in swimming and three in
tennis. He holds five school swim records at the college. As
captain of the Albion swim team he was named MVP for 2005-06. John
was also a three-time all-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic
Association swimmer and named an NCAA All-America swimmer in
2007.
For the past three summers Fodell served as swim coach for the
Grosse Pointe Shores Sharks in the Lakefront Swimming Association
league.
Recently John has been a graduate assistant, teaching college
recreation classes as well as overseeing the Healthy Lifestyles
program for the developmentally impaired.
Liz Nelson
Assistant Coach
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Liz has been
involved with swimming her whole life. Her love of swimming
began when her mom signed her up to swim with an AAU Swim
Club, where she competed for 10 years. In a career
that has spanned over 25 years, Liz has served as a coach for
Pointe Aquatics, a USA Swimming Club, and as Pool Manager and Head
Coach for the Country Club of Detroit, a member of the Michigan
Interclub Swim Association. As an Aquatic Supervisor
for Grosse Pointe Community Education, Liz continues to conduct
swim classes at all levels, from
the pre-competitive to the Masters level.
Liz served as the inaugural coach for the
University of Ligget High School Swim Team and also as an assistant
coach for the Grosse Pointe North High School Swim
Team.
She believes it’s very important
for all people to be physically fit, and she spends a lot of
her free time pursuing an active lifestyle: running, swimming and
letting off a "little steam" in the weight room are some of her
favorite pastimes.
Joe Ryan
Assistant Coach
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Joe Ryan is in his fourth year as a swim coach for the
Grosse Pointe Gators. He has also coached with the Grosse Pointe
Farms Barracudas swim team for four years. The Barracudas
have been undefeated in dual meets and hold two Lake
Front Championships during Joe's tenure.
He makes practices fun and challenging for
the swimmers, while keeping swimmers focused on their
development. He hopes to continue to complement his
coaching by pursuing a degree in Education. Joe is a
great coach and mentor for all levels of swimmers.
Ben Jenzen
Assistant Coach
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Ben Jenzen is a graduate from Grosse Pointe South, class of
2004 He was a 5-time All-American in swimming. In
2008, he graduated from the University of Michigan with a
B.S. in Psychology. He was an stand
out pitcher for the Michigan baseball team from
2005-2009, winning 3 Big Ten championships.
Fares Ksebati
Assistant Coach
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A 2009 Grosse
Pointe South graduate, Fares lettered four years in swimming.
Named Captain in his senior year, helped lead the Blue Devils to a
6th place finish at States. In 2009, Fares competed for the
Grosse Pointe Gators at the State and Sectional levels, was a
finalist at the winter SCY state championships, and a summer LC
state championships finalist in three events. Fares is
currently a freshman at Wayne State University competing on the
Varsity swim team. At South, Fares graduated with high
honors, earning the distinction of AP Scholar with Honors from the
College Board. An active member of the Varsity Club, French
Club, and DECA state team. Fares was a student ambassador to
China in a cultural exchange program. He assisted GPS swim
meet operations from 2005-2009.
Jo Ann Mathews
Assistant Coach
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JoAnn is a graduate from
Grosse Pointe South, class of 2005, lettering in swimming all four
years. She has been
swimming competitively since the age of seven and coaching since
2003. She helped the two time Lakefront Swimming
Association Champion, Grosse Pointe Farms Barracudas, as well as,
the Grosse Pointe Gators in 2004. JoAnn attended
Western
Michigan
University
, and recently graduated in December
2009 with a Bachelors of Science in Secondary Education.
