Jen Muzyk

Director of Aquianas

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Jen was a synchronized swimmer for seventeen years, swimming at the New Canaan YMCA throughout high school. After graduating from Canisius College in 2000, she started coaching first part-time, then as the Assistant Director and now as the Director and Head Coach of the Aquianas. Since joining the coaching staff, Jen has earned the National Coaching Merit Award in 2003 and the East Zone Coach of the Year in 2010.  Jen coached the 2012 13-15 National Team to all gold medal performances at the 2012 UANA Championships and was named United States Synchronized Swimming Developmental Coach of the Year in 2013.

Petra Cacic

Assistant Director of Aquianas

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Laura Mase

Part Time Coach

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Laura has been involved in synchronized swimming since 1993. As a swimmer, Laura swam for the New Canaan Aquianas from 1993-2001, then for the University of Richmond from 2001-2005. From 2005-2007, Laura worked as the Education Director for United States Synchronized Swimming. She attended graduate school at New York University for Speech and Language Pathology from 2008-2011. Laura has been back with the Aquianas as an assistant coach since 2008.

Liz Hogan

Part Time Coach

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Elizabeth joined our Y in October 2012 as a Synchro coach. She is a Psychology major at Sacred Heart University and wants to go into Psychiatric Medicine. She swam for Hamden and coached there before coming to New Canaan in 2012.

Anna Dietrich

Part Time Assistant Coach

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Anna grew up swimming in Pennsylvania and was a founding member of the team that is now Freedom Valley. She was a walk on at The Ohio State University and by the time she was a senior, she was an All-American, National Team athlete and a finalist for the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor. In 2001 and 2002, Anna was a member of National Team II and competed at the Swiss Open. Anna now has a MBA and works for Energizer in brand management. She has been a part time coach since 2009.

Krista Bessinger

Part Time Assistant Coach

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Krista was a synchronized swimmer on the Hamden Heronettes before transferring to the Aquianas her senior year of high school. After graduation, Krista began coaching in Hamden and continuted there for seven years. In 2004 Krista joined the Aquianas coaching staff. She served as the Assistant Coach and then became the Assistant Director in December of 2009. Krista has been the East Zone All-Star coach for the past three summers and has also aquired her national rating as a judge.

Thea Bardin

Part Time Assistant Coach

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Thea swam for the New Canaan YMCA Aquianas for seven years.  She began coaching as a volunteer while she was still in high school and found she loved coaching just as much as she loved swimming.  After leaving the Aquianas, she continued her synchro career at the University of Florida, where she majored in psychology and health science.  She graduated from college in 2006 and joined the Aquianas coaching staff in 2007.