A 1994 graduate of Clarion University. A competitive swimmer from the age of 3 through college including, some triathlons.  Twenty plus years coaching experience with age group and high school swimmers.  Coached and directed the team through all levels from Swim Lessons to Senior National and US Open Finalist.  Zone team head coach 17 times.  LSC Executive Board of Directors, positions including Age Group Chairman, Senior Chairman, Admin Vice Chairman.  Eastern Zone Board positions of Technical Planning Chairman and Age Group Chairman. USA Swimming Select Camp Coach.  Recipient of the Eastern Zone Service Award.  2007 Allegheny Mountain Coach of the year.  Contact: [email protected] or SMS - 412 889 8314.  

Coaching & aquatic training covering over 4 decades.  All levels, ages, and abilities.  Zone team coach 10 times.  ASCA level 3.  Contact:  [email protected]

Teaching swim lessons to all ages for over 30 years. Coaching with PRA for 11 years.

Coach Lersch joined PRA after being the head coach Woodland Hills Aquatic Team (WHAT) from 2015 through 2018. During his leaderhip, WHAT went from ranking 25th to 14th within AMS. The club posted its highest ever VCC (Virtual Club Championship). During the 2016/17 season, WHAT also became a Level 1 certified club through USA Swimming Club Recognition Program. Prior to joining WHAT, Charles was the Head Age Group Coach at Upper St. Clair Swim Club (USCS) from 2009 through 2015.

His swimmers accomplishments include; National Age Group Top 10 Swimmers, Eastern Zone (EZ) Age Group Champions, EZ Age Group Champs Finalists, EZ Record Holder (relay), IM Extreme Games-NE Champion, AMS Swimmer of the Year and AMS Record Holders.  Swimmers he coached at  WHAT broke over 185 ( 100  SC, 50 LC) individual club  records and at  USCS his  swimmers broke over 120 (70 SC, 50 LC) individual club records.

His swimmers have qualified for EZ Sectionals, EZ Super Sectionals, EZ Senior Champs and USA Futures Champs (as well as WPIAL Champs). Coach Lersch coached WPIAL and PIAA qualifiers, finalists, and champions at the high school level, as well as Junior National qualifiers and finalists, US National qualifiers and Olympic Trial qualifiers at the club level.

He has been active in AMS leadership, including the Age Group Vice Chair. He was a member of the Age Group Committee from 2010-2015, 2017-2019 while serving as the Chair from 2013-2015 and 2017-2019. Coach Lersch was an AMS Zones Team Coach 8-times from 2010 through 2013 & 2018

Coach Lersch started competitive swimming at age 8 with his summer team and at age 11 with a local Y. Though soccer was his favorite sport before high school, by his Junior year swimming took the lead. He finished HS with a PIAA bronze in 50 freetyle,  qualifying for JR Nationals in the 50 freestyle and competing for the EZ Champion Middle Atlantic Zone team in the 500 freestyle (actually what was to become his best event).

In colllege, Coach Lersch was a member of the University of Pittsburgh swim team, 1984-1988. He was two-time Big East Champion and team captain. During the same time he quaified for US Swimming National Championship all four years in freestyle events 200-1500 and competed on the US Swimming LC National Championship team Mission Bay Makos.

Coach Lersch studied at the University of Pittsburgh (BS, Applied Mathematics) and at Virginia Tech (Master of Architecture).