Coaches

Shari Clark Skabelund - Head Coach

Shari Clark Skabelund loves teaching, and her primary students happen to be swimmers. Shari has been teaching swimmers for more than five decades, beginning with lessons in the 1970s and continuing with the Springville Seals, Springville High, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley Aquatics, and her four children: Analyn, Andrew, Natalya, and Joshua, all of whom have also taught young swimmers. In April 2021, Shari was named head coach of BYU men and women's swimming and diving. Her husband, Grant, enjoys supporting Shari's efforts.

Christine McElderry - Associate Head Coach--Athlete Development

Christine has a passion for building swimmers by cultivating lifelong skills that apply both in the pool and out. After swimming competitively for eight years and teaching hundreds of swim lessons, Christine joined the UVRays coaching staff in 2008. Christine has filled a variety of roles for the team, including coaching every group from Swim School to Nationals. True to her passion, Christine earned her degree from BYU in Recreation Management and Youth Leadership (2013) and continues to study how best to serve swimmers. Her love of swimming and teaching youth has led to her coaching for Spanish Fork’s County Team (2008-9), head coach for Springville Seals (2011-12), and assisting with BYU’s meets (2011-19). It’s hard to get away from water when you love it so much, but when Christine manages, she enjoys backpacking and canyoneering with her husband and two boys.

Maren Christensen - Assistant Coach

Relationships and people have always been the focus of Maren Christensen’s life. Her relationships with her coaches and diverse swimming connections led her into coaching with Utah Valley Aquatics in 2016. As she prepares to become a marriage and family therapist (she’s a BYU student), Maren uses the principles she’s learning to help swimmers succeed and harness the power of both their body and mind to excel inside and out of the pool.

Jennifer (Jen) George - Assistant Coach

Jen has coached for Utah Valley Aquatics since 2015; she previously coached for the Provo Aquatics Club (2002-4). Jen swam competitively with clubs in California (9 years), Germany (2), and Sweden (2); she recently started competing in open-water marathon swimming. She has degrees in Exercise Science (BS, BYU 2004) and Marriage, Family, and Human Development (MS, BYU 2007), with an interest in the interdependence of physiology and psychology. As a coach, she emphasizes building a foundation of excellent technique and the psychology behind swimming performance. She loves fostering opportunities for swimmers to be proud of themselves for accomplishing hard things.

Nathanael Gunson - Assistant Coach

Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Nathanael Gunson swam competitively for 14 years. He also coached for his club and summer league teams, and assisted his high school swim team after graduating high school. He loves competitive swimming and is grateful to have the opportunity to coach with UVRays.

Zach Miller - Assistant Coach

Zach swam for Coach Shari for eight years with the Springville Seals and then the newly created Utah Valley Aquatics. Zach started coaching at the club level in 2016 as an assistant coach for Orem Timpanogos Aquatics Club (OTAC). He became OTAC’s head coach in 2018. In late-summer 2021, he joined UVRays as an assistant coach working with the National group. Zach loves teaching swimming, but he also loves learning. He has spent his coaching career learning and understanding the coaching styles of coaches like Shari. Zach’s coaching style is personal to each swimmer. One of the things he loved most about OTAC was the smaller team/group dynamic that allowed for individual coaching. He is implementing this same technique with UVRays. Zach is extremely excited to be a part of such a great team and culture, and he looks forward to playing a small part in its success going forward.

Jared Shaw - Assistant Coach

Swimming is Jared Shaw’s passion. Jared swam for BYU as a sprinter, competing in the 50 free and 100 frees and the 100 fly. While racing for BYU he won the 2020 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title in the 50 free and qualified for NCAAs with a 19.29. He was named an All-American and qualified for the 2020 USA Olympic Trials (held in 2021). During his career as an athlete, Jared’s number one concern was improving his swimming technique, and he believes that mindset provides him with a strong coaching foundation. Jared started coaching during summer 2021, joining the UVRays in August 2021. He is currently pursuing a career as an EMT with hopes of going to PA school.

Amber Conrad - Assistant Coach

As a Texas swimmer, Amber started competing at the age of seven under Olympian coaches Josh Davis and Niel Walker. Swimming on the National Team during High School, she was a four-time District and State qualifier, NISCA All-American in the 50 Free and 100 Free, and Junior Nationals qualifier. Recruited to swim for Texas A & M as a sprinter, they won the SEC Championship in 2019. Amber has taught swim lessons for younger kids over the years and enjoys working with all ages. With the background of working with elite coaches, she recognizes the importance of a balanced training program with important emphasis on small details like under-waters, turns, and breathing that can make or break a swimmer. Amber is currently attending BYU pursuing a degree in Speech Pathology, loves living in Utah, and is super excited to work with the UV Rays!

Erynn Swinson - Assistant Coach

Erynn is originally from St. George Utah, where she swam competitively for 15 years. Over the past several years she coached for her club in St. George, and is now excited to be a part of the UVRays team. She is currently working towards a degree in elementary education. She loves working with children, and especially enjoys helping children learn and improve.