Meet the 2022-2023 HEAT Coaches

Heat Coach Will Barker

Liara Aber

Chris Freeburg

Where are you from? Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Where did you attend school and/or college? ThunderRidge High School in Highlands Ranch, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Why do you coach HEAT? I love swimming and I enjoy working with kids and helping them achieve their goals in the sport.
What is your favorite set to swim or to assign to the team? Broken 50s, so (?)x(12.5 from blocks, 25 mid-pool turn, 12.5 fast finish into the wall)
What is your favorite food? Stuffed peppers (the Costco kind)

Tina Johnson
Heat Masters Swim Team Head Coach
[email protected]

Where are you from? Urbana, Illinois
Where did you attend school and/or college? I attended Illinois State University, where she received a master’s degree in Communications and an undergraduate degree is in Public Relations.
Why do you coach HEAT? “My greatest joy comes from helping people learn to respect and appreciate the water and ultimately be life-long swimmers," says Tina. "This is truly my passion for life."

Abby Krows

Where are you from? Omaha, Nebraska
Where did you attend school and/or college? Westside High School, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Why do you coach HEAT? I enjoy passing my knowledge of swimming onto the kids and helping them better their technique and skill of the sport. I also love to interact with the kids and learn more about their lives outside of swimming
What is your favorite set to swim or to assign to the team? I like doing 25/50s all out because it’s fun to watch them try as hard as they can to race their friends and finish first
What is your favorite food? Pasta
Anything else you’d like to share? I am on the swim team at the University of Illinois and I love to travel

Where are you from? Champaign, Illinois
Where did you attend school and/or college? I am a senior at Centennial High School. I am also committed to swim at the University of Illinois.
Why do you coach HEAT? I love to swim and I want to share my love for it to others. I also want to help train the next generation of swimmers!
What is your favorite set to swim or to assign to the team? Sprint stations
What is your favorite food? Pasta

Where are you from? Canton, Georgia
Where did you attend school and/or college? I swam in college at the University of Illinois.
Why do you coach HEAT? I coach HEAT to share my passion for swimming and help kids be confident in reaching their full potential.
What is your favorite set to swim or to assign to the team? My favorite set to swim when I was swimming was 400 IM test set: 100 fly, 2x100 back, 3x100 breast, 4x100 free FOR TIME!
What is your favorite food? Any form of potatoes

Where are you from? Champaign, Illinois
Where did you attend school and/or college? Central High School and Eastern Illinois University
Why do you coach HEAT? I enjoy watching swimmers achieve things they did not think they could do!
What is your favorite set to swim or to assign to the team? Broken 200's and broken 100's
What is your favorite food? Steak

Where are you from? Savoy, Illinois
Where did you attend school and/or college? I attended Illinois State University. I currently teach 2nd grade at Carrie Busey Elementary School in Champaign.
Why do you coach HEAT? I was a swimmer that grew up going to HEAT. Coach Will was also my high school coach! I want to give back to the swimming community in Champaign.
What is your favorite set to swim or to assign to the team? I always loved 10x25 STAR with Coach Will telling silly Dad jokes in the middle of it!
What is your favorite food? Pasta

Aby Olson

Where are you from? Urbana, Illinois
Where did you attend school and/or college? Urbana High School ; Eastern Michigan University; Illinois State University
Why do you coach HEAT? Mainly for my love of the sport of swimming, and because my kids also swim!
What is your favorite set to swim or to assign to the team? In the past, I would say, 30x100 fastest ave. However, more recently, I like 4x[50 pace + 50ez]. I like giving this during rest periods to help swimmers get a better "feel" for the paces they are shooting for.
What is your favorite food? This is tough, but I'm going to have to go with pizza. Anything goes.

Alexia Popa

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