Piedmont Tsunamis 2021 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)

• 2018 PWSL Blue Division Champions (PWSL League Champions)
• 2013 PWSL Red Division Champions
• 10+ 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)

• 25 NISCA High School All-Americans
• 55 NISCA Academic All-Americans
• 9 State Champions (7 individual and 2 relays)
• 3 State Records (1 currently still held)
• 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 says 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 Univeristy 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 May of 2021 with bachelor degrees in Mathematics and Spanish. Currently, he is working towards his Master of Teaching degree (also from UVA) with hopes to become a high school mathematics teacher in the near future.

Coach Evan has gained a lot of experience with coaching in the past few years:

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

• 2018 PWSL Blue Division Champions (PWSL League Champions)
• 10 PWSL League Records broken since he has been a coach (of the competitive team)
• 52/70 Team Records broken since he has been a coach (of the competitive team)
   

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

• 5 State Champions (4 individual and 1 relay)
• 1 State Record

Assistant Coach - Luke DeVore

Coach Luke has been coaching with the Piedmont Tsunamis since 2016 and has been swimming with the Tsunamis since 2007 when he was 6 years old. As a Tsunami swimmer, Coach Luke broke multiple records. Noteably, he is a member of the PWSL League Record breaking 15-18 Boys Freestyle and Medley Relays. Coach Luke believes that the Piedmont swim family helped him develop a love for swimming and has provided some of his best memories in the sport.

As an age group swimmer, Luke was part of Nation's Capital Swim Club (NCAP) and the Battlefield High School varsity swim & dive team. Coach Luke was a Scholastic All-American in 2017 and a high school state-team member his sophomore, junior, and senior years.

From 2019-Spring of 2021, Coach Luke attended George Mason University and was a member of the GMU Varisty Swim & Dive team. He currently holds the GMU team records in the 100-yard and 200-yard Butterfly. Additionally, he is an All-American student athlete. Coach Luke was awarded the 2020 VaSID Freshman Rookie of the Year by the Virginia Sports Directors Association and the 2020 Atlantic 10 Conference Swimming Most Outstanding Rookie Award. He also helped the team win their first ever Atlantic 10 conference title.

In the fall, Coach Luke will continue his academic and swimming careers at the Univeristy of South Carolina, where he will swim for the USC Varisty Swim and Dive Team while majoring in Environmental Sustainability Studies. 

Coach Luke has a lot of coaching experience through his years of coaching with the Tsunamis:

Piedmont Tsunamis Swim Team – White Cap Coach (2016-2017), Competitive Team Coach (2018-Present)

• 2018 PWSL Blue Division Champions (PWSL League Champions)
• 5 PWSL League Records broken since he has been a coach (of the competitive team)
• 28/70 Team Records broken since he has been a coach (of the competitive team)​

 

 

---

Assistant Coach - Lindsay Brandt

 

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)

• Was key in developing the team during its early years
• Coached a countless number of swimmers who went on to have long, successful swim careers (including Coach Evan!)

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 (2007-2018)

• Coached swimmers who were beginning their club swim careers

---

White Cap Coaches:                           

McKenna Curry

Emmett Hannam

Joy Kochan

Jett Morrow

Matthew Pianoto

Kyle Rinker

Kendall Rosenburg

Ryan Strotheide

---

Coaches in Training (CITs):

Nick Agulto

Lily Byers

Maddy Maynard