Steel City Aquatics Announces Montour Site Staff
As we continue to grow and strive for excellence in aquatics, we are continually dedicated to providing exceptional opportunities and a highly-qualified staff. It is with great pride that we acknowledge the expansion of our club with the addition of our Montour Site. We are thrilled to announce the outstanding staff members that will be leading our new Montour site, supporting its athletes, and taking our organization to new measures.
Melissa Kehl – Site Head Coach
We are proud to congratulate Coach Melissa as the new Head Coach - Montour Site.
Melissa is an alumnus and resident of Montour who has been with Steel City Aquatics for the last several years. She has over 25 years of extensive coaching experience. Her previous coaching stints include head coaching positions with the Montour Marlins and Freedom Area Aqua Club, as well as an assistant coach for the Montour Marlins, West Allegheny Aqua Club, and Seneca Valley Aqua Club.
Furthermore, Melissa has 15 years of varsity and middle school experience, operating in both Head and Assistant Head Coach positions. Melissa has helped lead these teams to AA WPIAL and WPIAL Runner-up team titles, and WPIAL and State individual champions.
Melissa began swimming at the age of five for the Robinson Rays summer swim team. Her love for swimming continued as she swam for the Montour Marlins and the Montour Varsity swim teams, where she achieved WPIAL and State qualifying times. She was recruited by Indiana University of Pennsylvania and she continued swimming through her college years.
Melissa has been married for over 30 years to her husband, Matt. They have four children who have enjoyed a passion for competitive swimming. Her daughter, Leah, swam for California University of PA. Melissa’s son, Jarod, swam for the University of Kentucky, and her other son, Blaise, currently attends Slippery Rock University. Her youngest son, Bobby, is a current member of Steel City Aquatics.
We are extremely thankful for all that Melissa has developed within our organization, and we look forward to the great things that she will bring to the Montour community.
Mercedes McCarthy – Assistant Head Coach & Steel City Aquatics Learn-2-Swim Director
We are excited to congratulate Coach Merci as the Assistant Head Coach at the Montour Site. Coach Merci will continue working with the developmental programs of Steel City Aquatics. Additionally, we are delighted to announce Coach Merci’s appointment as Steel City Aquatics Director of Learn-2-Swim. Merci will work to bring Learn-2-Swim programming excellence to all 3 Steel City Aquatics locations.
Coach Merci has been with Steel City Aquatics for the last several years and she has an extensive background in swimming and coaching. She has spent time as a coach for Northgate Aquatics, where she was one of the founding coaches for the program and supervised the Master’s swimming program at Northgate High School. She previously worked as a developmental and age-group coach with Team Pittsburgh Aquatics and has coached High school swimming for the Beaver Area, Oakland, and Central Catholic for the last 16 years. She has coached numerous MAC, WPIAL, and P.I.A.A. State qualifying swimmers, who have achieved High School All-American status. At Oakland and Central Catholic, she has won a combined 10 WPIAL team Championships, and 8 P.I.A.A. State Team Championships with Oakland Catholic. She was the P.I.A.A. State Coach of the Year for Oakland Catholic in 2009 and 2010.
Merci is a member of the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA), and a Level 3 Coach. She is an ASCA Certified Site supervisor for Swim America, where she has trained at the ASCA training facility in Fort Lauderdale, FL. She has been a program director for Swim America for 10 years, where she has offered coaching, swim instruction, and aquatics management to various pools around the Pittsburgh area.
When not coaching, Merci runs an aquatics management company, where she provides training in safety and staffing programs at numerous pools in the Pittsburgh area. She has been an American Red Cross Instructor for over 25 years, and she has instructed hundreds of lifeguards.
We are tremendously blessed to continue having Coach Merci and her expertise as a part of our organization.
Katie Matuszewski - Assistant Coach
We are thrilled to welcome Katie Matuszewski to Steel City Aquatics!
Coach Katie is a graduate of Montour High School where she was a 4-time WPIAL and PIAA States participant and PIAA runner-up in the 100 fly. She then went on to California University of PA on a swimming scholarship and competed at Nationals her freshman year. She continued her education at Rutgers and is a Registered Dietitian.
Coach Katie’s coaching experience began as assistant coach of the Montour Marlins in 2010. She continued coaching for the Jewish Community Center and Montour Aqua Club, where she filled in as head coach during her last season there in 2022.
Katie and her husband reside in the Montour School District and have two children, who both swim for Steel City Aquatics.
These individuals have been carefully selected for their experience, dedication, and ability to provide a positive training environment and aquatic opportunity to the Montour Community. The Montour Site staff will work closely with our Head Coach and the existing coaching team to ensure that our swimmers receive the best guidance, experience, and support to excel in their swimming journeys.
We believe that this chosen staff, in addition to our current coaching staff, will continue to progress Steel City Aquatics’ training and developmental programs, promote teamwork and sportsmanship, and create an inclusive and supportive environment for all our members.
We extend a warm welcome to our new Site Head Coach and the staff members joining us at the Montour Site. Their expertise and dedication will undoubtedly excel the continued success and growth of Steel City Aquatics.
Stay tuned for further updates regarding the Montour Site's opening and the training and lesson schedules that will be available at this location. If you have any questions or require additional information, please feel free to contact Steel City Aquatics by emailing [email protected].
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to Steel City Aquatics. Together, we will continue to inspire our athletes to achieve their dreams in the pool and in life.
