I grew up in Freeport Illinois and always knew I wanted to be a swimmer. After watching my 3 older sisters and HS coach father involved in swimming, it was inevitable. After having success as an age-group and HS swimmer and falling in love with the sport for so many reasons, I went on to swim for UW-Madison. During my time with the Badgers I was All-Big Ten Selection, NCAA All-American, Big Ten champion, school record holder, and team captain. I was also an Olympic Trials qualifier in both breaststroke and IM events in 2000 and 2004.

I decided to get back into swimming, this time as a coach, after the birth of my oldest daughter in 2007. I felt this was an amazing opportunity to give back to the sport that was such a huge part of my life. I started coaching for DeForest Aquatic Club as an assistant coach, working with all ages from 2007-2012. Our Family moved to New Glarus in 2012, and I took over the Head coaching job at the Green County YMCA. I was the head coach for GCY from 2012-2020. While with GCY I was voted age-group coach of the year in 2015. I was able to grow so much as a coach in my time at the YMCA. I enjoyed developing the program into a team that not only fostered the growth of beginner swimmers, but also placed in the top ten at both USA and YMCA State meets.

In my years of coaching I have worked with swimmers of all ages and abilities—from teaching beginner swimmers all 4 strokes to state champions and National qualifiers-- I love it all! I believe that swimming is truly a unique sport and you can get so much from every aspect of it. Coaching to me is about building lasting memories and relationships for swimmers, while helping each individual to reach their full potential. To me, watching a swimmer learn to love the sport as much as I do, is the biggest reward!

On a personal note, I am a mother of 4 children (3 daughters and 1 son). My husband Todd is an elementary principal, and we have 2 giant fluffy cats! My girls are involved in swimming, soccer and basketball and keep us very busy! When we get the chance, we love spending any of our extra time in Door County on Lake Michigan!

I grew up in Manitowoc, WI and first started swim team at the YMCA when I was 11. During High School I was a volunteer coach for the Middle School teams in my area. After High School I attended UW-Manitowoc for one year, and then University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point and swam for their team for three years. At UWSP I also helped coach their annual swim camp over the summer! I graduated from UWSP in December 2020 with a Bachelor's degree in Business Marketing.  I moved to Madison in May of 2021, and then started coaching for VAST in the Fall of 2021! 

Outside of the pool I work as a Marketing Project Coordinator for Zimbrick Inc. I love spending lots of time outdoors, I especially enjoy going fishing and hiking! Other than that, I love to read and watch any and all Wisconsin sports!

I grew up in Sun Prairie, WI and started off swimming for Sun Prairie Piranhas before switching to DFAC. I have been swimming and aquatics area my whole life since competing on a club team, teaching swim lessons, and coaching. Once I graduated high school I attended UW-Stevens Point where I continued to compete. I graduated in May 2020 with a Bachelors degree in Mathematics. I moved back into the Madison area and have been coaching with VAST since September 2021.

When I’m not at the pool you will find me still at a pool because I am a Swim Instructor for the Verona Area School District during the school year. If you’re lucky, you will also find me at various concerts throughout the year or soaking up the sun at a beach or lake. Other than swimming I enjoy cheering on Wisconsin for sporting events as well.

I grew up in Apple Valley, MN and first started swimming with Riptide Swim Team at age 14. In High School, I was a 4x all-conference swimmer, 2x state finalist, and team captain. I swam for 5 years at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education and a certificate in social work. At Eau Claire, I was team captain, 8x conference medalist, 5x hardest worker, all-conference and all-district swimmer. I moved to Madison in August 2023 and have loved the community! I started coaching for VAST in the summer of 2024.

Outside of the pool, I teach 5th grade at Belleville Elementary School. I also run a summer school fishing class, compete in Ironmans, and I am pursuing my masters in ESL teaching at Edgewood College. I also love watching all Badger sports! On Wisconsin!

I grew up in Chapel Hill, NC and learned how to swim when I was very young. I didn't start swimming competitively until we joined a summer pool and all my friends had to stop playing and go to practice.  So when I was 9 I swam summer league, and my coach encouraged me to join the club team right after the first summer.  I was hooked at that point and knew swimming was the sport for me.  I always dreamed of making the Olympics and even though I was never a standout as an age group swimmer worked very hard and kept improving.  When college came around I decided that UW-Madison was the best fit athletically and academically.  

As a Badger I continued to improve, becoming the school record holder in the 400IM.  I was a 4 time All-American, 3 Time National Team Member, 200IM National Champion in 2005, and 2x Olympic Trials Finalist in the 200 IM (4th in 2008, 8th in 2004). I also was a member of the World University Games team  and Short Course World Championships team in the 200 IM and 4x200 Free relay.  I retired from the sport in 2008.

Throughout my college and post-college career I ran clinics, taught lessons and coached.  I'm excited to get back on deck with VAST and give back to the sport that gave so much to me.

Personally, I am a Structural Engineer, and my wife Kaitlin and I have 2 boys - both of whom are currently swimming for VAST.  Our family loves spending as much time outdoors as we can - we ski, camp, swim and hike as much as possible.

I am originally from Freeport, Illinois and jump started my swim career at the age of 5 when I joined my local team. I quickly learned that I had a passion for the sport and I always felt at home when I was in a pool. After a successful age-group and highschool career, I moved to the Windy City and swam for the University of Illinois at Chicago!

While at UIC, I obtained my Bachelors in Psychology and Disability & Human Development. I absolutely loved getting to contribute to a team while in college and found a lot of success in the pool. To this day, I anxiously watch the Horizon League Championships every year to see if my conference record will be broken in the 200 Free that I set back in 2018! After undergrad, I attended Clarke University to obtain my Masters in Social Work. While in grad school, I was the assistant coach for a high school girls swim team and gained a lot of valuable experience through that.

On a personal note, I am a social worker in a school setting. I also got married in September 2023 to my husband, Mitchell. We quickly added our Goldendoodle, Ruby, into the family!

Over the last 15 years, I have developed a passionate interest and understanding of the sport of competitive swimming. Last fall, I had the honor of becoming a member of the VAST coaching team, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to expand my knowledge and deepen my enthusiasm for the sport. I began coaching with the Mount Horeb Gators summer team, and it has been a rewarding journey to learn and grow alongside the swimmers I have had the privilege to coach.

While I genuinely enjoy coaching swimmers of all ages, I admit that my favorite age group to work with is the 10 and under category. Their infectious enthusiasm and genuine joy never fails to warm my heart and bring a smile to my face. On a personal note, I make a point to swim, run, or walk every day and love to be outdoors. My favorite place to be in the winter is Tyrol Basin and in the summer by our outdoor pool.

Growing up in the Green Bay area, I graduated from Pulaski High School in 1996. Aside from my involvement in swimming, I also have a background in track and field. From 1996 to 1997, I ran for the University of Alabama. From 1998 to 2002, I had the incredible opportunity to run middle distance for the University of Wisconsin Madison. During my time there, I pursued a degree in Kinesiology-Teacher Prep, which further deepened my passion for both sports and education.

Professionally, I have been working as a travel counselor at Epic for over 11 years, and recently, my husband, Matt, and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. I have 4 children who all currently swim or once swam in the Madison area.

Looking forward to a fun and exciting year with the team!

Hi! My name is Aras Mulholland. I'm thrilled to be VAST's new dryland coach! For almost three years, I’ve been personal training and coaching athletes from all sorts of different backgrounds. With focuses in strength & conditioning, athletic training and injury prevention, ensuring that each of my athletes develops their full potential and is set up with the tools and knowledge they need for longevity and success within their sport and outside of it. 

Outside of coaching, I enjoy traveling the world, hiking, backpacking, surfing, and going to concerts with friends and family. When the Wisconsin winter weather settles in, you can always find me snowboarding local ski hills or out west in the mountains. 

I’m eager to get started and see how I can help every athlete grow this season!

I grew up in Verona, WI and started swimming for the Seminole Sharks when I was 7. I joined MAC when I was 12 then switched to VAST my senior year of high school. I attended Verona Area High School where I qualified for WIAA state my sophomore - senior year. 

I currently attend UW Madison where I swim on the club swim team. I am studying Human Development and Family Studies and Psychology. Outside of the pool and classes, I enjoy playing my french horn in band, reading, and being outside.

My name is Emma Neumann and I’m so excited to be coaching VAST again! I grew up in Fitchburg, WI and began swimming competitively at age 8. I got my start swimming for the Seminole Sharks, one of the All-City League summer teams. I immediately fell in love with the sport and never looked back. I began club swimming at age 9 and swam for various clubs around the area, but settled in with BAC at age 11. During the last 2 months of my senior year, I made the switch to swim for VAST to finish out my USA club career. I attended Verona for high school and swam all 4 years and qualified for WIAA State my senior year. 

After my senior year of high school, I began coaching for VAST and have been doing so since the summer of 2021.  I am also a coach for the Seminole Swim and Dive team where I have been coaching the 9-10 age group for the past two years. Since I attend UW-Madison, I have only coached during the summer and breaks. This year I’ll be helping out a few days a week year round and couldn’t be more excited! 

This fall, I’ll be a junior at UW-Madison where I am studying Community and Nonprofit Leadership with certificates in Health Policy, Athletic Healthcare and Gender and Women's Studies. Outside of classes, I spend most of my time swimming on campus for UW’s club team, Swim Club UW! 

Hi! My name is Alaina Sautebin, and I am from Waunakee, WI. I have been swimming for 10 years now, and have swam for Waunakee Wave, VAST, and Middleton Gators, as well as swimming all four years of high school. 

I now attend UW-Madison where I am a Junior, studying Psychology with a certificate in Athletic Healthcare. I also have extended my swimming career by joining Swim Club-UW, where I am the Marketing Chair on the board. Aside from school and Swim Club, I love spending time with friends and family, being outside, cycling, and more! 

I am so excited to be coaching for VAST and I look forward to being back with the team this upcoming season!

Hi everybody! My name is Katie (aka Squishy) McClure, and I am from Fitchburg, WI. I have been swimming for almost 13 years and have swam for OCSC, VAST, Edgewood High School, and the Seminole Sharks! I have 3 summers of junior coaching experience, and this past summer, I was able to coach the 8 & Under age group at Seminole. 

I am currently a freshman at UW-Madison studying Nutritional Sciences, and I plan to join Swim Club-UW this fall. Aside from school and coaching, I spend my time lifting, going on walks around campus, getting coffee, and of course, spending time with family/friends/my dogs.

I am so excited to begin coaching at VAST this fall after 5 years of being on the team myself!

Hello swimmers, my name is Stephen Swanson Petro. This Fall will be my first season with VAST, but I have been coaching swimming for over 15 years. I grew up in Arlington Heights, IL in the northwest suburbs of Chicago where I swam, played water polo, and started my coaching career. I am the third child of six kids (two older brothers, two younger sisters, and a younger brother), of which my younger siblings and I are all swimmers. My older brother Andrew played football and competed in Track & Field at Illinois Wesleyan, my sister Amanda swam for Ohio State, my sister Sarah swam for SIU Carbondale, and my younger brother Michael swam for LSU. Growing up I swam for my high school, local park district teams, and USA Swimming club teams experiencing all different types of competition styles. My main swimming events for competition were 100 and 200 Breaststroke, 200 IM, and 100 Free and I graduated high school with water polo records for goals in a game, season, and career, and assists in a game. In 2016, I moved from Illinois to Missoula, Montana and have since lived in Illinois, Idaho, and now Wisconsin, which has always been a special place for my wife and me because we love camping and outdoor activities. I married my wife Erika in Kettle Moraine state park in 2021 and we currently live in Evansville, WI with our 9-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier Smokey.

My very first job was as a swim instructor, and I have been working in aquatics ever since. I currently work at the Verona Aquatic Center teaching the swimming unit for the elementary school physical education classes, coaching for Middleton high school girls, and will be coaching and managing at Seminole pool over the summer. I am excited to continue to work with those swimmers who I have met already through my other positions and to get to know and work with the rest of the swimmers as well!

I'm a Verona native and grew up in a family of swimmers alongside my two sisters. I started swimming at age seven with the original Verona Swim Team and continued my club career through Madison Aquatic Club.

I've been coaching 12 & Under swimmers at Hawks Landing during the summer since I was 18 and love helping young athletes grow both in and out of the pool. I swam collegiately at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where I competed all four years as a member of the travel team. As a freshman, I placed 8th at the WIAC Championships in the 200 backstroke and was voted Newcomer of the Year in 2021. My primary events were 100s and 200s of backstroke, breaststroke, and IM, and I served as a team captain during my junior year.

I graduated in Spring 2025 with a degree in Communications with a Public Relations emphasis and a minor in Advertising. In December 2025, I began my post-graduate career working in marketing and outreach for SPEAK.studio.

Swimming has always been a huge part of my life, and I love being part of the journey for younger athletes while helping foster confidence, discipline, and a lifelong love for the sport.