Piedmont Tsunamis 2022 Coaching Staff 

Head Program Coach - Jay Thorpe

Coach Jay hails from Akron, Ohio where he began his swim career at the age of 6 at Portage Country Club. Developing a love for swimming, he began swimming AAU and YMCA.

Coach Jay was a high school All-American and 6 time collegiate All-American. He lives is Bristow, VA with his wife Wendy and has two children J.D. and Sydney.

Coach Jay has coached at various levels including:

Piedmont Tsunamis Swim Team – Head Coach and Program Director (2013-Present)

• 2021 PWSL Blue Division Champions (PWSL League Champions)
• 2018 PWSL Blue Division Champions (PWSL League Champions)
• 2013 PWSL Red Division Champions
• 12 PWSL League Records broken under his leadership
• 68/70 Team Records broken under his leadership
• Director of all indoor and outdoor training activities
• Head Coach for team consisting of 350 competitive and developmental swimmers.

Battlefield High School Varsity Swim Team – Head Coach (2010-Present)

• 2022 VHSL Class 6 Girls State Championship Winners
• 2021 VHSL Class 6 Girls State Championship Runners-Up
• 25 NISCA High School All-Americans
• 55 NISCA Academic All-Americans
• 12 State Champions (9 individual and 3 relays)
• 4 State Records (2 currently still standing)
• 2012 Washington Post All-Met Coach of the Year

USA Swim Coach – 10+ years – Coached various club teams, most recently with QDD (Quantico Devil Dolphins)

• 50+ Sectional qualifiers.
• Over 30 Zone Championship qualifiers.
• 100+ Junior Olympic qualifiers.

Freedom Frogs – 3 years – Special Olympics Head Coach 30+ State Champions

Assistant Head Coach - Evan Brandt

Coach Evan has been coaching with the Piedmont Tsunamis since 2014 but has been a member of the Tsunami Nation since the summer of 2006 (when he was just 7 years old!). Coach Evan believes that this team is the reason he fell in love with the sport of swimming and is so grateful for all the fun memories he has as a Tsunami swimmer.

In high school, Coach Evan was a Junior National qualifier and member of Occoquan Swimming's (OCCS) National Training Group. Also, as a member of the Battlefield High School Varsity Swim Team, he was a VHSL Class 6 State Swim and Dive Championship qualifier (in the 100 Butterfly) and an Academic All-American. Additionally, throughout college, Coach Evan was an active member of the University of Virginia Club Swim Team and competed at the 2018 & 2019 College Club Swimming National Championships.

Coach Evan graduated from the University of Virginia in 2021 with bachelor degrees in Mathematics and Spanish and again from UVA in 2022 with a Master of Teaching degree. In addition to coaching swimming, Coach Evan is a mathematics teacher at Gainesville High School.

Coach Evan has gained a lot of experience with coaching since he started coaching in 2014:

Piedmont Tsunamis Swim Team – Assistant Coach (2014-2018), Assistant Head Coach (2019-Present)

• 2021 PWSL Blue Division Champions (PWSL League Champions)
• 2018 PWSL Blue Division Champions (PWSL League Champions)
• 12 PWSL League Records broken since he has been a coach (of the competitive team)
• 60/70 Team Records broken since he has been a coach (of the competitive team)

Battlefield High School Varsity Swim Team – Assistant Coach (2019-Present)​

• 2022 VHSL Class 6 Girls State Championship Winners
• 2021 VHSL Class 6 Girls State Championship Runners-Up
• 10 NISCA High School All-Americans
• 8 State Champions (6 individual and 2 relays)
• 2 State Records

University of Virginia Club Swim Team – Assistant Coach (2021-2022)

• 2022 Womens College Club Swimming (CCS) National Championship Winners
• 2022 Combined Team CCS National Championship Runners-Up
• 5 CCS National Champions (3 individual and 2 relays)
• 1 CCS National Championship Meet Record

​Competitive Team Coaches

 

Coach Sarah comes from Madisonville, KY where she started swimming at age 8 for the Hopkins County Hurricanes, the local USS team. She stayed with the Hurricanes all through high school. While in high school, Coach Sarah also swam for her high schools, Madisonville North Hopkins High and Hopkins County Central High. She currently still holds a record for the 100 breaststroke (23 years later!). In college, Coach Sarah continued to swim in a Masters swim program while managing local city pools in Lexington, KY. While managing pools, she certified lifeguards through the Red Cross in lifeguarding and CPR/AED. Coach Sarah currently lives in Bristow with her husband, Wes, and 3 children, Jackson, Tanner, and Abigail. She is a former Special Education Teacher for Prince William County Schools and currently works at Reston Hospital as a CNA on the surgical unit.

 

Coach Sarah’s previous coaching experience in Virginia started with Piedmont Tsunamis in the summer of 2005!

 

Piedmont Tsunamis Swim Team - Assistant Coach (2005-Winter 2007), White Cap Head Coach (2021-Present)

• As assistant coach, she was key in developing the team during its early years and coached a countless number of swimmers who went on to have long, successful swim careers (including Coach Evan!)
• As White Cap head coach, she has reinvigorated the program and helped grow it to the largest it's ever been (over 60 swimmers!). The majority of the white caps have competed in "mini meets" and most have moved up to the competitive team.

Braemar Blasters Swim Team - Assistant Coach & Microblasters Head Coach (Developmental Age Group) [2011-2019]

• As an assistant coach, she coached swimmers ages 8-10 years old
• As the Microblasters head coach, she led the team's developmental swimmers
  • Basics of breathing (technique, blowing bubbles, etc.)
  • Basics of diving
  • Basics of freestyle and backstroke

Riptide Swim Team - Assistant Coach (2007-Present)

• Coached swimmers who were beginning their club swim careers

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White Cap Coaches:        

Nick Agulto

Olivia Bellinger

Sammi Brown

Lily Byers

Joy Kochan

Gabriella Maxwell

Jack McMurrer

Madison Michael

Jett Morrow

Kendall Rosenburg

Matthew Tirrell                  

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Coaches in Training (CITs):

Andrew Atwood

Caleb Cho

Lauren Denny

Charlotte Hannam

Fisher Helmlinger

Madison Richardson