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Coaching Staff

Eric Steidinger

Coach - Swimming Senior Program

Eric received both his BA (Environmental Science) and MS (Education) from Johns Hopkins University, where he was also a Graduate Assistant coach. His graduate education included advanced study in such issues as adolescent counseling, education of the culturally diverse, effective leadership and eating disorders in female athletes.

His past coaching positions include both Assistant and Head Coach for San Jose State University, and National Group Coach for various clubs in California, including Santa Clara Swim Club, where he helped coach Olympic and World Champion medalists. While at Duke Aquatics, Eric has built the program into one that has received the Sliver Medal of Excellence from USA Swimming in each of its first five years.

Eric is a former Senior National qualifying sprinter who helped Fort Lauderdale Swim Team win the US Swimming National Championships in the summer of 1993. Eric brings to Duke Aquatics a passion for competitive swimming. When not coaching, he likes to play and listen to music, be outdoors and travel.

Brent Watkins

Coach - Swimming Age Group Program

Brent has been with Duke Aquatics since September 2004 and has coached age group, senior, and masters swimmers of all ages and abilities. Brent’s age group swimmers have achieved over 40 national rankings and broken 15 state records, while going on to qualify for National & US Open meets as senior swimmers. Before coming to DA, he coached at North Baltimore Aquatic Club, home of multiple Olympic medalists.

Brent has always demonstrated a passion to help young people become successful. He earned a degree in Elementary Education from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, where he was also co-captain of the swim team and water polo team. Off of the pool deck, Brent enjoys music, sports, and learning.

Josh Weaver

Coach - Swimming Masters Program

Josh joined Duke Aquatics as a part time coach in January of 2008 and in September of 2008 became part of the full-time coaching staff. He earned his BS from Penn State University in Recreation and Park management. While at Penn State, Josh was a 3-year NCAA All-American and a 2000 Olympic Trial qualifier in the 100 and 200 backstroke. While at Penn State he also set school records in the 100 and 200 backstroke, and was a member of the Big Ten record setting medley relay. Josh was also part of the Penn State’s Big Ten Championship team in 1999.

Josh has previous coaching experience with the York YMCA in York Pennsylvania, as well as Big Cat Aquatics in State College Pennsylvania. Josh brings several years of Championship level competition experience to Duke Aquatics. During his age group swimming years, Josh was a YMCA national champion and YMCA national record holder. In addition to competing, Josh has spent a lot of time teaching swim lessons during his career.

Josh lives in Durham with his wife Kristin, and their 5 year old son Ryan. When not at the pool, Josh enjoys learning to play the guitar, sports, listening to music, and being outdoors.

David S Swanson

Coach - Swimming

Dave started at Duke Aquatics in August of 2010. He just moved from Belton, TX. He is from the North Carolina area and is glad to be back. Dave started his coaching career as an assistant coach for Providence High School. After that, he became the Head Coach for Parkwood High School. He moved to Texas so, he could take his first full-time coaching position with Swim Belton. While there, he served as the Head Age Group Coach and Head Master’s Coach. Dave just married his college sweetheart, Kim. In his spare time, Dave likes to go paddling, camping, and watch minor league baseball.

Andrea Bojanski

Coach - Swimming

Andrea has coached summer swim league for the past 6 years and also for Duke Aquatics. She just graduated in May 2009 from Liberty University with a degree in child and adolescent development, where she swam on the club swim team, This year, she plans on working, coaching, and applying for grad school to get a Master's in Education. In her spare time, she enjoys running, swimming, cooking, and learning to speak Greek.

Kristin Weaver

Coach - Swimming Instructor

Kristin comes to Duke Aquatics as a part time swim coach and swim lessons instructor. She earned her BS in Human Development and Family studies from Penn State University in 2003. While at Penn State, Kristin was a 2-time NCAA All-American and a member of the womens’ Big Ten Championship team in 2002. During her swimming career Kristin specialized in sprint freestyle.

Kristin’s previous coaching experience included Durham Summer swim league coaching for Hope Valley Country Club while in high school. She has taught swim lessons since the age of 15. Kristin grew up in Durham and has swum competitively since she was 5 years old. During her age group swimming years, she was a 3-time North Carolina Swimming state champion in the 50 and 100 backstroke.

Kristin is Coach Josh’s wife and they live in Durham with their 5 year old son, Ryan, 1 Dog, and 1Cat. Kristin spends most of her time as a clinical research coordinator for maternal fetal medicine at Duke. When not working, Kristin loves taking pictures, editing her photos on Photoshop, listening to music, following college football and basketball, and Hurricanes hockey.

Branham Pate

Coach - Swimming

Branham has a Sports Management degree from N.C. State University as well as an extensive background in aquatics. He has taught swim lessons for 8 years, coaches summer league with the Chapel Hill Tennis club, and also coaches the Carolina Friends high school swim team.

Meredith Robinson

Coach - Swimming

Meredith swam for Duke Aquatics and Eric Steidinger throughout high school and has been coaching with Duke Aquatics for three years, and Head Coach of Hollow Rock Swim Team for the past four years. She is now a Senior at UNC-Chapel Hill, majoring in American History and planning to become a teacher. Even though she no longer swims, Meredith makes sure it is still a part of her life through coaching and swim lessons. She loves to be around young swimmers to help them improve and enjoy the sport!

Anne Helmich

Coach - Swimming

Anne is beginning her 2nd year with Duke Aquatics this fall. She enjoys working with people of all ages and hopes to foster a love for the sport of swimming.

She has a BA from Seattle Pacific University in Physical Education and a masters degree from City University in Education.

For fun, she enjoys being with family and friends, participating in water sports, reading and baking. She lives in HIllsborough with her husband, Bo, and their three children, Emma, Paul and Andrew.

Mike Neville

Coach

Mike graduated with a BS in Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology at UCLA. He then pursed a career in medicine, including residency, at Wake Forest University. Mike completed a fellowship in Cardiac anesthesiology at Stanford. He is now a private practice anesthesiologist with Critical Health Systems in Raleigh.

Mike grew up in age group and senior swimming in Walnut Creek, CA. He coached summer leagues, USA age group and high school swimming in Northern California.

Mike currently resides in Chapel Hill with his wife and two children, Katie & Todd, ages 7 & 9. In addition to work, family and coaching he enjoys running, most water sports and watching football.

Maggie M Skiles

Coach - Swimming

Maggie is a recent graduate of Western Kentucky University, where she graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Exercise Science/Exercise Physiology. She swam for the University all four years for their mid-distance program and currently is ranked in the Top 5 All-Time in the 200 Free, 500 Free, and 1650 Free for WKU. Maggie has developed a passion for swimming over the past fifteen years as a club swimmer, and is looking forward to coaching at Duke Aquatics!

Maggie moved here from Scottsbluff, Nebraska in hopes to attend graduate school in the next couple years. She enjoys biking, babysitting, and spending time with her family and friends. She has aspirations to finish her private pilot's training in the near future. GO HUSKERS!

Martha Worthington

Coach - Swimming

Martha Worthington is senior at Northwood High School in Pittsboro and is planning to graduate in January. She plans on major in education to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher.

Martha has been swimming for Durham Summer Swim League’s Five Oaks for fourteen years now and has been coaching for three years. She has also coached for Duke Blue Devil Aquatics.

Outside of school and coaching Martha enjoys watching college football, Go Hokies!!! Hanging out with friends and spending time wither her family.

Dan Colella

Coach - Swimming

Current Head Coach Duke University Men’s & Women’s Swim Teams. Dan began his tenure at Duke with the 2005-06 season and has since helped build the program into one of the fastest rising in the ACC, placing 9^th & 6^th respectively in 2008. The placing by the women’s team is the highest for a Duke Swimming team since 1978 and Duke had an individual place 16^th in the 1650 at the 2008 Women’s NCAA Div I Championships, the highest since by a Duke swimmer since 1981.

Colella earned a bachelors degree in natural resource management and geology from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., in 1984. In addition to being a member of the Order of the Gownsmen, an academic honor society, and Beta Theta Pi, Dan was a member of the school’s swimming team. He served as captain for two years and earned three accolades as the team’s MVP from 1981-83.

Colella and his wife, Victoria, have two children, Henry and George, and reside in Chapel Hill, N.C. The couple is soon to adopt two daughters, Ellinor and Caroline, from Vietnam in May 2008.

Dawn Chuck

Coach - Swimming

Dawn joined the Duke swimming and diving staff in 2005-06 as an assistant swimming coach and has played an integral role in the development of an up-and-coming program.

A graduate of Brown University and eight-year member of the Jamaican National Swimming Squad, Chuck brought extensive international and collegiate swimming experience to the Duke team. She is a two-time participant in the Olympic Games, having represented Jamaica in 2000 and 2004, and has earned medals in the Carifta Games, Caribbean Island Swimming Championships, Centro Americano y del Caribe Nataciones and Caribbean and Central American Games. Chuck also represented Jamaica at the Pan American Games in 1999 (Winnipeg) and 2003 (Santo Domingo), and the Commonwealth Games in 2002 (Manchester), and added even more national experience to her resume this past year, as she was the coach for the Jamaican National Team at the 2007 World Championship meet in Melbourne, Australia.

Chuck graduated in 2002 with a bachelor of science degree in Psychology from Brown, where she was team captain of the swim team her senior year and is still in the record books for being a member of the 400 free and 800 free relay teams that set school records in 2001. She was the Ivy League Champion in the 200 free in 2001 and the 100 free in 2002, and participated in the 2002 NCAA Championships. Chuck went on to earn a masters degree in Human Performance at the University of Florida in 2005.

Dawn is originally from Kingston, Jamaica, but joins her sister, Mariana, in Durham.

Drew Johansen

Coach - Diving

Drew is entering his second year as the Head Diving Coach for Duke University. Drew coached in Columbus, Ohio before moving to Durham. He was the Head Coach and founder of the US Elite Diving Academy. US Elite won the Combined Senior Team Championship in 2006.

Drew formerly coached in the NCAA ranks as the head coach of Illinois State University and Florida Atlantic University While in the NCAA Drew coached numerous All Americans and a Division II National Champion. Drew was recognized in 2002 and 2004 as US Diving’s "JO Coach of the Year". In 2005 Drew was recognized as a finalist for the US Olympic Committee Developmental Coach of the Year and in 2006 won both the Senior "Coaches Award of Excellence" and "Senior Coach of the Year"