
Brian L Pajer
Head Coach - Azot 3 Irvine
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Azot 3 group
Brian Pajer founded the Aquazot
Swim Club in 1999. In the first year, Brian’s
leadership and coaching led the Aquazot team to win the SCS Junior
Olympic Championships and placed among the elite teams at the US
Nationals. Over the past 19 years, Brian has coached
Aquazot swimmers who have represented the USA at the Olympic
Games, World Championships, Pan Pacific Championships, & Pan
American Games. Aquazot has been named a USA Swimming 'Gold
Medal Club' 5 out of the last 7 years.
Coaching Accomplishments:
·
2x U.S. Open Women’s Club Champions
·
2x USA Swimming State Club Champions
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5x USA Swimming Gold Medal Team Recognition
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6x USA Swimming Sectional State Club Champions
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Three USA National Championship Individual Event Champions
·
2009 World University Games – One athlete
·
2009 USA World Championship Team – One athlete
·
2007 Pan American Games – Two athletes
·
2004 Olympic Games – Two athletes
·
2003-2009 Head Coach of the UC Irvine Men and Women’s Swim
Team
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2005 & 2007 Big West Conference- Coach of the year
·
2007 Big West Conference - Men’s Champions
·
2005 Big West Conference - Women’s Champions

Todd J Hickman
Coach - Senior 4 Irvine
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Todd Hickman started
competitive swimming at the age of 5. He was a well rounded
swimmer holding records in Orange County in fly, free, and
IM’s. At age 14 he broke the National Record in the 500 free
and was first in the nation that year in 9 events. He won CIF in
the 200 IM his senior year and was first in the nation in
High School. He received a full ride scholarship to the
University of Arizona and was an NCAA All American in 1987. After
college he competed in his 3rd and final Olympic Trials in 1992 and
was 9th in the 200 IM.
Since then, he was the
athlete rep for Southern California Swimming for the National
Convention; where he held positions in the Club Development
Committee, Time Standards Committee, Officials Committee, and
Athlete Accountant.
Coach Todd’s
everlasting devotion is that his swimmers realize and achieve
whatever particular goals they set for themselves; and they
find personal success and satisfaction in knowing they made
the effort to do the best of which they are capable according
to their own level of competency.
COACHING
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
-
Helped make AZOT a USA
Swimming Gold Medal team for 5 years 2013 to 2017.
-
2017/2018 National Junior
Team Coaches List
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Qualified 1 swimmer for
2012 US Olympic Trials
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Qualified 3 swimmers for
2016 US Olympic Trials
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Coached National Age
Group Record holder
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Coached 3 relay teams to
National Age Group Records
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Coached 5 relays and 7
Individuals to Southern California Records
-
3 Swimmers at National
Select Camp
-
1 Swimmer at National
Diversity Camp
Accomplishments:
- Olympic Trials qualified
& finished top 16 3 times 1984, 1988, 1992
- USA Nationals Qualified 9
years best finish 4th place 400 IM
- Full Scholarship
University of Arizona 1984 -1988
- NCAA All American
1987
- USA Junior National Team
1984-1985
- Ranked top 15 in the USA
and top 25 in the world 1984-1988 and 1991-1992
- Age Group National Record
Holder 13/14 boys 500 free
- Member US National
Lifeguard Team 1990
- High School Swimming 1st
in Nation 200 IM 1984
- Athletes Rep. Southern
California USA Swimming 3 years 1996 to 1998

Meredith Tichy
Coach - Zot 1,2,3 Irvine
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Coach Meredith's
"Mer" primary goal is to share her passion for swimming by
helping her swimmers build a strong foundation in the sport and to
help them become respectful, strong and confident
individuals! She chose to coach because she wants to inspire
others.
Mer’s own swim
journey started when she was 9 years old! Her age group
training paved the way onto the varsity swim team at Yucca Valley
High School and then to the California Baptist University Swim Team
where she was recruited as a scholarship athlete. At CBU she earned
the All American Swimmer Award in the 100 yard backstroke (2011)
and was a member of two NAIA National Championship swim teams (2010
and 2011). After earning she earned her BA in Communication
Studies from California Baptist University and MBA from Everest
University, she continued to train and compete as a Masters Swimmer
in open water events.
Mer’s favorite
memories revolve around her high school swim experiences with her
teammates and friends. When times were hard, swim practice
made life better. Being able to surround herself with positive
friends brought more life out of her and she wants her swimmers to
have the same experience.
Outside of swimming, Mer
loves a range of activities from hot yoga to running, rock climbing
and competing in Spartan mud races. However, her most
favorite thing to do is to spend time with her 3 year old son
Honza.
Coach Mer’s
favorite quote - “Yesterday is history, tomorrow
is a mystery, today is a gift”.

Vanessa Manalastas
Coach - Azot 2 Irvine
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An Aquazot Alumna, Coach
Vanessa has been active in the sport of swimming since she was a
child starting out as an age group swimmer for Head Coach Brian
Pajer. After graduating from the University of California,
Santa Barbara, she returned to the pool and earned an Infant
Toddler Instructor Education Program certificate from the United
States Swim School Association. She transitioned back into
age group swimming and was recruited to join the Aquazot Coaching
staff in 2013. In 2017 Vanessa joined the JSerra High School
coaching staff where she currently leads the freshman/sophomore
swim program.
Combining the knowledge
she obtained through the certification program, her years as an age
group swimmer and high school coach, Vanessa delivers effective
instruction and training to children with a wide range of
personalities and learning styles. This is reflected in her
ability to help most of her AZOT 2 swimmers achieve Blue, WAG, JAG
and JO times.
In her free time Vanessa
enjoys swimming, surfing, and spending time with her husband and
friends.

Kendall Brown
Coach - Azot 1 Irvine
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Coach Kendall’s
goal is to give back to the sport of swimming by encouraging as
many kids as possible to find the lifelong benefits of swimming as
well as the competitive and collegiate opportunities it provides.
"This isn’t just a sport, it’s a lifestyle!" She
wants to instill in her swimmers a desire to improve and to
appreciate the benefits of swimming. She believes that
swimming keeps kids healthy and focused and trains them to be great
students in and out of the water.
Kendall is an
accomplished swimmer in her own right with an impressive 20 years
of experience. She attended Laguna Hills High School where she won
three Seaview League Championship events and helped her team win
the Seaview League Championship. Kendall was a finalist in both the
500 free and 100 fly at the 2011 Division 1 CIF SS. An Aquazot
Alumna, she trained under Coach Brian Pajer where she qualified for
the 400 IM and 200 Butterfly at the 2012 Olympic Trials. She was
also the back-to-back point scorer at CA/NV Sectionals in 2012 and
2013.
Kendall was recruited to
swim at Northern Arizona University and contributed to 3 Western
Athletic Conference Championship Teams. While at NAU she won
3 Gold medals in the 1650 Freestyle, gold in the 500 free (2016), 3
silver medals and 1 bronze in the 400 IM, and a silver medal in the
500 (2015). She has broken pool and school records and is among the
top 5 times in four events at NAU.
Kendall graduated Cum
Laude with a BA in Strategic Communications in Public Relations and
Advertising with a Minor in Cultural Anthropology. When
she’s not in the water she loves going to the beach, surfing,
sketching, sailing, and hiking.
Coach Kendall's favorite
quote - “Do what you
feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway.
You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't.”
~Eleanor Roosevelt

Gabriel Phillips
Coach - Senior 1,2,3 Irvine
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Coach Gabe brings a wide
range of experience as the Coach of the Senior 1, 2 and 3
groups. An accomplished age group and high school swimmer,
Gabe started his collegiate swimming career at Wayland Baptist
University and Concordia University in Irvine where he received a
BS in Biology. He competed in multiple NAIA Championships
placing in the top 8 in 100 Butterfly, 100 Backstroke and 100
Freestyle.
Along the way, Gabe
developed as a coach working with teams in Texas and Southern
California. His goal is to instill in his swimmers an ethic
of hard work through the N.E.G.U. (Never, Ever, Give Up)
principles. He enjoys sharing his swimming experiences (both
failures and success) and passing on to his swimmers the wisdom he
has gained through his own journey in and out of the
pool.
Gabe’s passions and
hobbies include reading about history and philosophy of science,
science journals, and tinkering with science research. He also goes
on hikes and small road trips, enjoying the natural gifts
California has to offer!
Coach Gabe’s
favorite quote – "The
only moments I look to are those yet to come. The present and what
I will accomplish are the best moments life has to offer. The past
is just a memory of what I was and will always remain
that."

Rian Wise
Head Developmental Coach - Zot 1,2,3
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