Coaching Staff
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Coach John Hulvey has operated as the head coach of Gator Swim Club since 2021 and is in his 17th year of coaching, with his previous coaching done over 12 years in Jacksonville, FL (Loggerhead, Storm, Spartan) and 3 years in Miami, FL (Coral Gables High School). In addition to club swimming, Coach Hulvey has been the head coach of Coral Gables High School, St. John’s Country Day School, and Buchholz High School and was an assistant coach at the University of North Florida and at the University of Florida.
Coach Hulvey has coached swimmers from their first age group championship title through podium finishes at Junior Nationals. Swimmers have gone on to qualify for Junior Pan Pacs, USA Junior National teams, and he a slew of collegiate programs: Florida State (4), Tampa (3), Naval Academy (3), Kentucky (3), Florida (2), Texas (2), Rice (2), Queens (2), FIT (2), Washington University (2), Tulane, NC State, LSU, Utah, Georgia Tech, Brown, U Chicago, BYU, UNF, UWF, Georgia Southern, Bryant, Rollins, Coast Guard Academy, Maritime Academy, and Thomas.
Currently Coach Hulvey is the Senior Chair for Florida Swimming LSC and has served on the board for the past 5 years. He has also been a part of numerous Florida Zone Teams and All Star Team staffs.
Coach Hulvey's primary groups are Senior 1, 2, and 3 while also working with all Gator coaches to promote a fun and competitive atmosphere in all of our training groups. He is a native of Gainesville and a GSC and University of Florida alum.
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Coach Rob comes to GSC after retiring from the Alachua County Schools. Rob spent his entire career 38 years at A. Quinn Jones Center, a Title I school that serves our emotionally challenged youth. The first 15 years were spent implementing the first full-time K-12 Physical Education program with a Adaptive Physical Endorsement, followed by 23 years as Dean of Students and 35 years coaching the boys and girls swimming and diving teams at Gainesville High School. During this time he was inducted into the University of Florida's College of Health and Human Performance alumni class 2020 Hall of Fame .
He was also named Coach of the Year two times with the girls, 3A 2015, 3A 2016, and two times for boys, 2011 All Classifications, 3A 2013. While coaching at Gainesville High School he won two state titles as well as coaching several team and individual city, district, regional, and state champions. Rob has coached many All-Americans and Academic All-Americans. In 2010, Gainesville's high school City Championships was named in his honor for his contributions to high school swimming and education.
Rob's high school career was spent at Winter Park High School swimming under legendary coach Skip Foster. While at WPHS Coach Rob won a state team title, individual and relay state titles, and was All-American. Rob finished his swimming career at University of Florida under Coach Randy Reese. He also swam for Florida Aquatic Swim Team (FAST), winning several team national ttles. Honors at Florida include being a five-time All-American, two team SEC titles, and two top three team finishes at NCAAs.
Rob has been married to his lovely wife Susan for almost 35 years and have two wonderful daughters, Lily and Carly. Lily swam at Gainesville High School and University of Florida and is currently a lawyer in Miami. Carly also swam on our state champion team of 2015 and graduated from University of Florida . She is now a special education teacher at Chiles Elementary School. Proud to say Coach Rob's entire family are University of Florida graduates. He is very excited to have the opportunity to work with GSC's young gators.
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Bryan Welter comes to Gator Swim Club after four years with Loggerhead Aquatics, a USA Swimming Silver Medal Club, where he guided swimmers to Olympic Trials, Junior Nationals, Futures Championships, and numerous Florida state titles. Prior to that, he served as Site Supervisor and National Prep Coach at Lakeside Aquatic Club in Texas, producing multiple TAGS Champions and National Age Group Champions at one of the country’s premier programs.
Throughout his career, Bryan has coached Olympic Trials qualifiers, National Age Group Champions, and more than 100 USA Swimming Top-10 athletes. He is a Lifetime Member of ASCA and holds its highest professional certification, Level 5.
Bryan is passionate about creating a positive, competitive environment where swimmers of all levels can achieve their goals and grow as athletes and individuals. We are thrilled to have him join the Gator Swim Club family!
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Gus was born and raised in Gainesville, where he swam for Gator Swim Club and Buchholz High School. After graduating from BHS, Gus attended and swam for Nova Southeastern University. His main events in college were the 200 free and 200 back. Gus graduated from Nova with a Bachelor's degree in Exercise and Sports Science and a Master's degree in Sports Science. Gus is now pursuing his CSCS and CPT certifcations while finishing pre-reqs for Physical Therapy School. He is extremely excited to be back to his roots in Gainesville and with Gator Swim Club.
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Jackson Berzsenyi
Coach (Developmental, Age Group)
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Jackson was born and raised in Jacksonville, where he discovered his love for swimming at the age of 8. By 12, he began competing and went on to train as a club swimmer at Swim Jax with former GSC coach Chris Oliver. At Wolfson High School, Jackson was a four-year varsity swimmer and qualified for the state championships three times in Florida’s highly competitive 1A division. Currently a third-year finance student at the University of Florida, Jackson brings both dedication and enthusiasm to coaching. Outside the pool, he enjoys surfing, playing sports, and traveling to new places.
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Peter Bretzmann
Coach (Age Group, Senior)
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Originally from Chapel Hill, NC, Peter has been a lifelong swimmer and had the amazing opportunity to swim collegiately at the University of Florida alongside the many great names we're all familiar with. He specialized in the 200 breaststroke and 400 IM. In August of 2025, Peter graduated with a degree in business management and is now hoping to earn a commission in the Coast Guard as an officer. He is still trying to find new things to do post-swimming, but has recently taken an interest in learning the piano. Peter is very excited to have the opportunity to coach with GSC and put share his experience with our members!
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Micayla Cronk
Coach (Developmental, Age Group)
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Sue Halfacre
Coach (Masters)
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Coach Sue has a long history with Florida swimming, having been the first coach of the University of Florida women's program. In addition to coaching the Masters group for GSC, Sue is the director of the Florida Gator Splash Club. Sue also competes with the Masters group, having been most recently at the 2018 Pan American Masters Championships.
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Ibrahim Hawisa
Coach (Senior)
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Ibrahim started his swimming career in Dubai where he swam for 4 years before moving to Egypt where he swam for the next 5 years. Toward the end of his time there he made it onto the Libyan National Team. After moving to the US, he swam for Blue Dolfins in Oviedo, FL. In high school he finished in the top 4 in the 100 back and top 10 in the 200 medley relay. After retiring as a swimmer, Ibrahim decided to pursue coaching with Blue Dolfins before coming to Gainesville for college and joining the GSC staff. He is studying architecture and has a passion for cars, enjoying working on his car in his free time.
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Lindsey Immel
Coach (Senior)
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Originally from Colorado, Lindsey has been swimming competitively since the age of 8. She was selected to represent Team Colorado at 14 years old at Western Zones as well as All Stars. In high school, she was a member of record-breaking medley relays and won an individual state championship in the 50 and 100 freestyle across her junior and senior years. Lindsey went on to swim collegiately Division 1 at North Carolina State University where she competed in the ACC Championships, specializing in sprint freestyle and backstroke. Along the way Lindsey also worked as a coach with the collegiate coaches at swim camps at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado, and spent time as an assistant coach for a North Carolina summer league team, achieving the highest team ranking in 8 summers. After graduating with a Bachelors of Science degree in natural resources in May, Lindsey is spending a year in Gainesville and is excited to be a part of Gator Swim Club!
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Kush Karve
Coach (Age Group)
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Kush Karve was born in Ocala and grew up in Mt. Dora. He started swimming competitively at the age of 12. Kush trained at Trinity Prep Aquatics. After high school, Kush move to Gainesville to pursue his degree in building construction and career in real estate. After a few years away from the pool, Kush started coaching with GSC in the fall of 2024. In his free time, Kush enjoys anything out in or on the water, cycling, and all things Florida Gators.
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Kayla Lowell
Coach (Developmental, Age Group)
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Originally from Tallahassee, Kayla grew up swimming year-round for Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club (ATAC). She has been swimming competitively for over 10 years, specializing in distance freestyle. At Lawton Chiles High School, she was a four-year varsity swimmer, earning State finals finishes in both individual and relay events, as well as an All-American time in the 400 freestyle relay. Now a second year student at UF, Kayla is finishing up her nursing prerequisites and plans to continue her education at UF’s College of Nursing. When she is not in the pool with UF’s college club team or on deck with GSC, she loves going to the gym, playing guitar, and reading!
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Kirill Luka
Coach (Age Group, Flex)
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Kirill started swimming competitively with the Sarasota Sharks. He made it to the high school state finals in the 200 free and 200 IM in his junior and senior years. After retiring from swimming, Kirill decided to pursue coaching for GSC while majoring in computer science at the University of Florida.
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Emily Nichols
Coach (Developmental, Age Group)
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Originally from the Tampa area, Emily was a member of Tampa YMCA Swimming as a club swimmer, and for the last 2 years she also coached with TYS's developmental and age group programs. Emily competed for Bloomingdale High School, where she was a member of their 2022 FHSAA 4A State Championship 400-freestyle relay team. A sophomore at UF, Emily is majoring in applied physiology and kinesiology on a pre-physical therapy track. When she isn't coaching or studying, she is usually lifeguarding or going to the beach!
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Nick Sandora
Dryland Coordinator
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Originally from Philadelphia, Coach Nick grew up playing baseball and wrestling. He has lived in Gainesville for 21 years, where he has worked as a physical therapist assistant for the last 18. Nick is married to an exceptional occupational therapist and swim mom Arin with two kids, Francesca and Eli. Fran swims in GSC's Senior 1 group and Eli is still exploring his options. The Sandoras own a farm in Alachua that is currently occupied by donkeys, turkeys, and chickens, and ducks, along with their two dogs Apollo and Journey. Coach Nick loves working with the youth in our area—seeing their personal goals and accomplishments is a great motivator for him and we are grateful to have him working with GSC in our dryland sessions!
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Alexis Selden
Coach (Developmental, Age Group)
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Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Alexis swam on her high school's varsity team all four years, where she specialized in the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke. She was a captain for her team, and state champion in 2023 and 2025. As a club swimmer, Alexis served as a junior and senior athlete representative for the Oklahoma Swimming LSC. Alexis coached for the Jenks Trojan Swim Club for three years, helping to guide the 10-and-under swimmers to second place and 11-and-over swimmers to first place in the 2025 state club championships. Alexis is a first-year student at UF studying biomedical engineering on the pre-PA track. Outside of swim, Alexis is on the UF club rowing team, loves kayaking and hiking, and plays the violin!
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Madeline Shields
Coach (Developmental, Age Group)
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Madeline grew up in Vero Beach and swam for Treasure Coast Swim Club starting at age 6. She also competed for Vero Beach High School's swim team for all four years. After graduating, she attended Tulane University where she continued to swim while pursuing a pre-physician assistant major, with her primary events being the 100 fly, 200 fly, and 200 free. Madeline is pursuing her nursing degree at UF and she is very excited to stay involved with swimming as a coach for GSC! Outside of swim and school, Madeline loves doing anything outdoors!
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Makayla Werner
Coach (Sun Country Developmental 1)
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A native of Gainesville and graduate of Buchholz High School, Makayla has been working for SwimAmerica of Gainesville at Sun Country Sports Center since February of 2022. In July of 2023, GSC was fortunate to have her join our coaching staff at the Sun Country location, working with our Developmental 1 groups there. When not at the pool or doing her coursework in sports management, Makayla loves watching Gator football and basketball and spending time with her family and friends. Makayla's younger brother Colton swims in GSC's Senior 2 group.
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Zachary Wolpert
Coach (Developmental, Age Group)
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Zach has been swimming since he was 12 years old and has been a swim coach for 4 years. He started competitive swimming when he was a junior at Flagler Palm Coast High School, and his main events were the 100 butterfly, 100 free, and 50 free. Outside of swim he likes to go to the gym, draw, and try new places to eat. Zach is an architecture major at UF, so a lot of his time is spent drawing and designing buildings.
Administration
Christie Pinter
GSC Team Administrator
[email protected]
GSC Team Administrator
[email protected]
