Jeff Pearson
Head Coach
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Jeff Pearson took over the Marlins in December of 1995. Since
that time, the team’s progress has been exceptional,
transforming a team of 50 recreational swimmers into arguably the
best swimming team in the Sacramento area with over 500 registered
swimmers each year. During his tenure, Jeff has produced world
ranked swimmers, Junior National and National champions. Most of
Jeff’s senior swimmers go on to swim at the NCAA level on
scholarships.
Jeff’s coaching career began in 1986 and he is currently
certified by the American Swim Coaches’ Association at level
5 (the top 5% of swimming coaches in the U.S.). For the years 2000,
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007 he was honored as Sierra
Nevada Swimming’s Senior Coach of the Year. He was also named
the National Club Swimming Association Coach of the Year for 2002
and awarded the American Swim Coaches association Award of
Excellence in 2006, 2007 and 2008. In 2008, Jeff was named to the
National Team Coaching Staff and was a coach for Team USA at the
FINA World Youth Games in Monterrey, Mexico.
Jeff began coaching in 1986 with Masters and Recreational summer
teams in the Bay Area and Sacramento Area. During 1994 and 1995,
Jeff was the head age group coach at Swim Sacramento as well as the
head coach of the Rancho Arroyo Masters team until he took over the
coaching reigns with the Sierra Marlins in 1995.
Jeff is very active in the swimming community and is currently
serving as the Senior Chair for Sierra Nevada Swimming and the
Chairman of the California and Nevada Sectional Committee. He has
also been a speaker at the
ASCA
World Coaches Clinic.
Jeff attended college at the University of Nebraska (1989 –
1991) and the University of California – Davis (1991 –
1994), where he received a bachelors of science in Exercise
Physiology. He grew up and attended high school in Pleasanton
California and swam for the Pleasanton Swim Team.
As a swimmer, Jeff had an outstanding career. He was a three time
high school All American and four time collegiate All American. He
was a member of the USA National Swimming Team in 1992 and 1993 and
won two national titles in open water long distance
swimming.
Away from the pool, Jeff enjoys skiing and mountain biking.
Darin Mai
Pre-senior/ Junior/ Masters Coach
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Darin began coaching with the Marlins in the Fall of 2004.
Prior to coaching with the Marlins, Darin was the Assistant Coach
for the University of Utah Men’s and Women’s Swim
Team. While in Utah, Darin was also the Director and Head
Coach of the Nike Swim Camps and the Head Coach of the Salt Lake
City Country Club Summer Swim Team.
While attending graduate school at the University
of Texas, he assisted the Men’s Swim Team and was a part
of the coaching staff for Texas Aquatic Masters. Before
heading off to Texas Darin coached at the University of California,
Davis as an Assistant Coach for the Men’s Swim Team and as an
Assistant Coach at Sacramento City College for both Men’s and
Women’s Swimming and Women’s Water Polo.
Darin is certified by the American Swimming Coaches
Association Level 4. He has a bachelor’s degree in
Dietetics with a minor in Exercise Physiology from the University
of California, Davis and a Masters of Education in Kinesiology with
an emphasis in sports nutrition from the University of Texas,
Austin. He is also a certified strength and conditioning
specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning
Association.
While away from the pool deck Darin and his fiancée,
Kristin, enjoy being outdoors skiing (water and snow), riding their
bikes and playing with their dog, Porter.
Brad Robbins
Varsity Group/ Senior Assistant Coach
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Brad began coaching swimming at the recreational level in
Sacramento in 1994 for the Park Terrace Penguins. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in
psychology at Occidental College, Brad joined the Marlin coaching
staff for the first time in 2003, as the coach of the developmental
clinic program.
In addition to coaching for the Marlins, Brad also worked as an
assistant coach for Jesuit and St. Francis High Schools. From
there, he moved on to graduate school, where he earned a
Master’s degree, also in psychology, from San Diego State
University. While in San Diego, Brad
continued to coach USS swimmers, working for Pacific Swim. After
San Diego, Brad continued his academic work, studying sport
psychology for 1 year at Michigan State University, and sport
management for 1 year at the Ohio State University. While in Ohio, Brad was given the opportunity to
work with the men’s swim team as the graduate assistant
coach. Brad also spent one summer at
the University of Texas, working as a coach and counselor for the
Texas Longhorn swim camp.
When not at the pool, Brad enjoys playing other sports, like
tennis, basketball, and bike riding.
Aimee Lehr
Black/ Red Group Coach
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Aimee is the Black/Red coach for the Sierra Marlins. Previous to taking over this position, Aimee had led the Fall and Spring clinics for the
Marlins. Involved in coaching for over
20 years, she has worked with a variety of different swim levels
from beginners to nationally ranked athletes.
A native of the Bay Area, Aimee graduated from Stanford University
with a degree in Psychology. At
Stanford, she was also a member of the Women’s Varsity Swim
Team.
Before moving to Shingle Springs, Aimee was the Aquatics Director
of the Stanford Faculty Swim and Tennis Club as well as the head
coach of Stanford Covington Racing Aquatics, a team she helped
begin with her husband Rad. Very
interested in the technical details of the strokes, she enjoys
working with swimmers on their technique and this is a cornerstone
of her coaching philosophy.
Aimee enjoys spending time with her family, husband Rad, daughter
Taylor (12), and sons Justin (8) & Kyle (6). All three Lehr children are members of the Sierra
Marlins
Barbara Lewis Mill
Developmental/ Mini-Marlin Coach
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Since Barbara joined the Marlins in September 2003, the Mini Marlin
and Developmental groups have doubled in size, and have produced
many swimmers who have earned medals at both the Short- and Long
Course Sierra Nevada Junior Olympics.
Prior to joining the Marlins coaching staff, Barbara worked as the
Novice/Pre-Novice coach for Channel Islands Aquatics in Oxnard
(Ventura County), CA for three years. Locally, she worked
with the Folsom Sea Otters and Auburn Swim Team during the
2002-2003 seasons. Barbara is certified by the American Swim
Coaches Association at Level 2, and is working on collecting the
education and experience necessary to receive her Level 3 Age Group
certification. She truly loves coaching
our 10-and-under athletes!
Barbara is credentialed as a school psychologist and school
counselor, and has extensive experience in child development and
developmental psychology. She currently works for the Rocklin
Unified School District. She is actively involved with state
and local education organizations, and was recently elected to the
Executive Board of the California Association of School
Psychologists. Barbara has a bachelor’s degree in
Psychology from the University of California, Davis (education
minor), and a Masters in Education/ Counseling Psychology from the
University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a Nationally
Certified School Psychologist, and has been recognized as an
Outstanding School Psychologist and with CASP’s
President’s Award. The Placer
County Office of Education has also recognized her as a
“Teacher Who Makes a Difference.”
Barbara and her husband, Steve, are parents of a former Marlin
swimmer (Tom) who is currently swimming for Whitworth University in
Spokane, WA. They also provide support
for her mother. Away from the pool and her other responsibilities,
Barbara enjoys weight training, hiking, escaping to the mountains,
and playing with her family’s many pets.
Erica Robbins
Clinic Coach
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Erica started her swimming career at the age of 5 on a recreational
team and then went year round at the age of 10 where she swam on
Arden Hills for six years. As a junior
in high school, Erica made the transition to the Sierra Marlins
where she swam in Jeff’s Senior group for the remainder of
her high school career. Erica then went
on to swim for Grossmont College where she was State Champion in
the 200 IM. After attending Grossmont,
Erica transferred to Bowling Green State University in Ohio to
continue her swimming career. After one
short semester, Erica returned back to Sacramento and is currently
attending Sacramento State where she is earning her degree in
Communications. In the spring of 2005,
Erica began her coaching career at Rio Del Oro with the Masters
Swim Team. Erica has been head coach
for the Park Terrace Penguins for the past 4 years has also coached
Jesuit High School for 2 years. Away
from the pool, Erica enjoys hanging out with friends and
family.
