Zac M Mekker
Head Coach
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Indiana
Wesleyan University - M.S. Secondary Education, Mathematics
2004
University at Buffalo - B.A. Mathematics - 1999
Liverpool High School - 1994
The Liverpool Jets
Swim Club has been a large part of Coach Zac's life for over 3
decades. He first joined the team as a 6-year old in
1982. Zac continued to train with the program through the
entirety of his competitive career in college. Along the way,
he assisted with swim camps and swim lessons to share his passion
of the sport with new athletes. Upon graduation from the
University at Buffalo in 1999, Coach Zac returned to the Liverpool
High School pool deck as the JETS Head Coach. Over the course
of his first two seasons, the program grew from 40 swimmers to over
110. As director of the popular Jets Summer Learn to Swim
program, he helps bring over 400 future swimmers through the pool
doors each summer.
In the scholastic arena, Coach
Zac served as the head coach of the LHS girls varsity swimming and
diving team from 2001-2018. Over the course of those 18
seasons, the program re-wrote ALL of the school records
at least once, earned 3 league titles, 2 Section III titles, 4 NY
State Top Ten finishes, and 17 consecutive NY State Scholar-Athlete
Team Awards. Athletes have qualified for the NYS
Championships in all but three of those 18
seasons. Coach Zac was awarded Section III
Coach of the Year honors in 2007 and 2013. His swimmers have gone on to successfully represent schools
in all three collegiate divisions. The Liverpool Jets were
represented on the National Level on multiple occassions, including
the 2016 USA Olympic Trials.
Additionally, Coach Zac also
teaches 8th grade mathematics for the North Syracuse School
District. He proudly raises three wonderful children with the
help of his loving wife, Shannon.
James K Walker
Coach - Age Group
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LeMoyne College - 2016
Liverpool High School - 2009
James K Walker joined the Liverpool Jets coaching staff in the
Fall of 2013. James is a Liverpool High School and Liverpool
Jets Alumnus. In high school, James was a team captain and
qualified for the NYS Championships in multiple events. Coach
Walker went on to successfully compete at LeMoyne College at
the NCAA Division II level.
Coach Walker's experience includes stints with the Syracuse
Chargers. James was the assistant coach for the
Liverpool High School Girls Varsity Swimming and Diving Team
from 2015-2017. James brings a terrific work ethic and a
great familiarty of the program. His ability to
instruct a wide range of abilities and ages allows him
to be a versatile member of our staff. James was even
the Varisty Diving Coach with the Liverpool Boys Varsity program
from 2016-2018.
Carly A Jones
Assistant Coach
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Ithaca College - May 2013
LHS Hall of Fame Inductee
Liverpool High School -
2009
Carly Jones joined the Liveprool Jets coaching staff in January of
2016. However, she has been an instructor and swim camp
counselor for the popular Liverpool Jets Learn to Swim program
since 2007. Carly was a member of the Liverpool Jets Swim
Club from age 9 through her college years. In high school,
she racked up numerous awards including Section III Swimmer of the
Year, LHS School records in the 100 Breast and 200 IM, and over 10
Section III individual and relay titles. She went on to
compete in the NYS Championships for 4 straight years.
Because of these accomplishments, Carly was elected to the
Liverpool High School Athletic Hall of Fame. After graduating
with honors from Liverpool, Carly headed to Ithaca College where
she became a school record-holder and an 8-time NCAA All-American.
Upon graduation from Ithaca, Carly remained on campus as an
assistant coach for the Ithaca College Women's Swim Team.
Several of her athletes went on to compete in the NCAA
Division 3 Championships.
In addition to coaching with the Liverpool Jets Swim Club, Carly is
also an aquatics supervisor at the Northwest YMCA and runs the
Beaver Meadows Golf Course summer swim team. In 2018, Carly
became the Assistant Varsity Swim Coach at Liverpool High School
for both the girls and boys swim teams. In 2019, Carly began
her stint as head coach of the girls varsity swimming and diving
team.
Madison M Hall
Coach - Developmental
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Coach Maddie joined the JETS coaching staff in 2015. In addition to coaching with our Developmental Group, Maddie is also a swim lesson instructor in the popular Liverpool Jets Learn to Swim program. Maddie swam for the Liverpool Jets Swim Club and went on to successfully compete for the Liverpool High School Warriors. In addition to being named Team Captain, Maddie was a member of a school-record setting 200 Free Relay.
In addition to coaching for the Liverpool Jets Swim Club, Maddie is currently studying at OCC as she pursues her degree in Physical Education.
Madison C Sestak
Assistant Coach
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Keene State
University - B.S. Biology - 2016
Liverpool High School - 2012
Coach Maddie joined the Liverpool Jets coaching staff in
2018. Coach Maddie works primarily with our Age Group
program. In addition to working with our younger swimmers,
Coach Maddie also created and facilitated the Whole Body Swim
Course that is enjoyed by our Sr/Jr level swimmers. The Whole
Body Course looks to incorporate mental and physical training to
help compliment the work that is being done in the pool. The
combiniation of boxing and yoga along with a steady dose of visual
training and goal-setting create a platform to assist growth in
many areas.
Coach Maddie Sestak swam with the Liverpool Jets from age 9 through
the end of college. She earned 4 varsity letters at Liverpool
High School and was team captain her senior year. After her
days at LHS came to a close, Maddie went on to study Biology at
Keene State University in Vermont. While at KSU, Maddie
successfully competed as a collegiate swimmer and earned team
captain honors once again. To compliment the training that
was done in the pool, Maddie incorporated boxing into her training
regimen while at college. After graduation, Maddie she worked
in Boston in Neuropsychology with athletes from a variety of
backgrounds, including professional football
players. Coach Maddie is now back in the area developing
a strong career in the real estate market.
Madeline S Murphy
Assistant Coach
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Mike Ferrell
Coach - Senior/Junior
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Coach Mike
Ferrell is an honors graduate from SUNY Cortland with BS and MS
degrees in Physical Education as well as Ph.D. degree from Syracuse
University in Sports Medicine and Exercise Sciences. Dr.
Ferrell’s study and research focus for the past 20 years has
been in the biomechanical and psychophysiological areas pertaining
to peak athletic performance. Dr. Ferrell offers personal
consultation services toward enhanced athletic performance
encompassing most athletic pursuits.
Coach Ferrell began
coaching age-group swimming in Dayton, Ohio in the early
1970s. Since moving to Syracuse in the mid 1970s, Coach
Ferrell has served as head coach of the Camillus Swim Club,
Baldwinsville Sharks Swim Club, boys varsity swimming at
Jamesville-Dewitt, and girls varsity at Baldwinsville. Coach
Ferrell’s swimmers and teams have enjoyed success at local,
regional, state, and international age-group competitions.
Coach Ferrell’s scholastic teams have been consistently
ranked in the top ten in NYS with his swimmers going on to
successfully compete at all three levels of collegiate
swimming. His varsity swimmers have won events at ESG,
Sectionals, and States and status as High School All-American. He
is, also, the current Head Coach of the Liverpool Varsity Boys Swim
Team
Coach Ferrell
resides with his wife, Marty, in the Cicero area and three of four
children remain in the CNY region.
Scott Henry
Coach
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Saint
Bonaventure University - PUT DEGREE HERE - Year
Syracuse University - PUT DEGREE HERE - 1986
Liverpool High School - 1982
Coach Henry brings a
wealth of knowledge from years of experience in the sport of
swimming and dry-land training. His constant attention to
detail and the long-term view he uses towards our swimmers'
development make him an extremely valuable member of our
staff.
In high school, Coach
Henry was an All-American and continues to hold the LHS school
record in the 100 Breaststroke (58.23). Upon graduation, he
continued his very successful swimming career at Syracuse
University.
In addition to
coaching with the Liverpool Jets, Coach Henry currently serves as
the head coach of the Liverpool Boys Modified Swimming and Diving
Team.
Katie L Cristaldi
Coach
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LeMoyne
College - BA Psychology/Childhood Education, MS Elementary
Education
Cicero-North Syracuse -
Coach Katie was a member of
the Liverpool Jets for close to a decade as an athlete prior to
signing on to our coaching staff. She spent five years as an
instructor in our Learn to Swim program. Coach Katie swam for
the Cicero-North Syracuse varsity team for 4 years and continued
her competitive career at Lemoyne College. She
also works as a Special Education
teacher.
Kelly Daly
Coach - Developmental
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SUNY Geneseo - May 2013
Kelly joined the Liverpool Jets Coach Staff in the fall of 2013. Prior to her arrival in Syracuse, Kelly spent time coaching with the Tonowanda Titans our in Buffalo, NY. As a member of the Titans Coaching Staff, Kelly had the opportunity to work with athletes of all ability levels.
Kelly successfully competed at the collegiate level while attending SUNY Geneseo. She relocated to the Syracuse area to begin working with the Syracuse City School District as a Speech Pathologist. We are thrilled to have Kelly on our coaching staff. The enthusiasm and knowledge she brings for the sport will certainly benefit the athletes in the Developmental Level.
Rebecca K Evangelista
Assistant Coach
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University at Buffalo - May 2015
Becky began coaching with the Liverpool Jets in January of 2016. Prior to joining our staff, Becky successfully competed for the University at Buffalo on their NCAA Division I swimming program. Becky trained for over a decade with the Liverpool Jets Swim Club starting at age 8. Becky's swimming resume includes qualifying for the NYS Championships, mutliple Section III Titles, and a school record in the 200 freestyle. Becky also qualified for USA Sectionals, helped set a Niagara District Record in the 200 free relay and was captain of the LHS Girls Varsity Swim Team.
In addition to coaching, Becky is also currently pursuin her nursing degree at BOCES.
Brandon T Genalo
Coach - Age Group
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Syracuse
University - M.S. Secondary Education, Social Studies 2010
Binghamton University - B.A. Politcal Science - 2006
Liverpool High School - 2002
Brandon is a Liverpool
Jets Alumnus and a former team captain of the Liverpool Varsity
Swim Team. As captain, Brandon helped lead the Warriors to
Section III and League titles.
Brandon wears several
hats while at the pool. Aside from coaching with the
Liverpool Jets Swim Club, Brandon is also the pool director for the
Liverpool Central School District. In addition maintaing our
aquatics facility, Brandon is also in charge of the district's
successful learn to swim program that runs throughout the school
year. Brandon currently serves as the head coach of the
Liverpool Girls Modified Swimming and Diving Team and
is assistant coach on the Liverpool Boys Varsity Swimming and
Diving Team.
Tom J Manzo
Coach - Developmental
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Clarkson
University - B.S. Mechanical Engineering - 2008
Liverpool High School - 2004
Coach Tom was a member of the
Jets from 1993-2008, a member of the Liverpool Varsity team from
2000-2004, earning team Captain honors his senior year. He swam
four years at Clarkson University and was team captain his junior
and senior year. He was a part of the “Learn to Swim”
staff from 2002-2006, and has joined the Jets coaching staff in
September of 2008.
Tom received a
Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson and
is currently working for IPD:
Engineering.
Brianna Marie Litz
Assistant Coach
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Brianna Litz is an assistant coach the is involved with our
Developmental and Age Group swimmers. She began coaching with
the Liverpool Jets Swim Club in January of 2012.
Brianna is a Liverpool Jets and Liverpool High School Swimming
Alumnus. As a captain of her high school team,
she helped raise the level of expectations for our scholastic
girls swimmers. She continued on to swim at the NCAA -
Division II level for LeMoyne College.
Aside from coaching with the Liverpool Jets Swim Club, Brianna
was also an assistant on the Liverpool High School Girls
Varsity Swimming and Diving program. She currently
holds her NY State Teaching Certification for
Secondary Education in the area of Biology.
