Coaches & Directors

We are here to support your needs. If your questions are related to workouts, meets, events, goal setting, and other swimming related needs, please contact one of the coaches. For all questions related to administrative, such as dues, safety, or policy issues, please contact one of the board members (listed below). (831) 429-SWIM (7946)

Coaching Staff

Meredith A Rhodes

Head Coach/Administrator

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Meredith Rhodes was born in Santa Cruz and spent the majority of her upbringing in Santa Cruz County. She joined the world of competitive swimming before her 5th birthday and swam year round until age 18. During her High School career, Meredith was a 2-time Scholar Athlete (3.5 GPA or higher during athletic season), Athlete of the Month, 2-time Team Captain, 3-time MVP, Most Versatile Swimmer, 2-time League Champion, 6th in the State of Nevada in the 200 yard Individual Medley, CCS Qualifier and Finalist in 100 yard Breaststroke and 200 yard Individual Medley.  Some of her club team accomplishments include: 1 Pool Record set, 3-time High-Point Winner, 2 Team Records Set, Ranked Number 1 in Pacific Region, Most Inspirational Swimmer, CVAL Champion, and Most Coachable Swimmer. Competed in Trans-Monterey Bay Race, Tiburon Open Water swim, Junior Olympics, Far Westerns, Senior Pacific Championships, California-Nevada Speedo Sectional Championships, Janet Evans Invitational, Speedo Grand Challenge, and Santa Clara International Grand Prix.

She attended Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona and studied Athletic Training and Pre-Medicine. Her studies continue at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California with studies in Athletic Training and Kinisiology.

Coach Rhodes has been coaching with Santa Cruz County Aquatics since September 2005, and has worked hard educating herself to be a more efficient leader, coach, and teacher. She bases her swim coaching on technical perfection, and training with quality, not quantity. She is an American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Certified Level 2 coach. Meredith is very dedicated to this team and plans to stay with us for a very long time.

Since her coaching career began with SCCA, she has coached numerous swimmers who have placed top 10 in Pacific Swimming, and helped our senior swimmers continue their swimming with Colleges and Universities of all swimming division levels. 

In her spare time, Meredith enjoys riding her bike,  spoiling her neice and 3 nephews, country music, taking her dogs to the beach, and camping with friends. 

Office Phone: (831) 454-8952

"A Happy Swimmer is a Fast Swimmer!"

"You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get".
-Michael Phelps



Nick Orstad

Junior Silver Coach

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Nick was born and raised in San Diego. Nick started swimming in high school where he lettered 4 years for swimming and 2 for water polo and was a scholar athlete. He joined Heartland Swim Association sophomore year and Shores Water Polo club sophomore year. He focused mainly on water polo playing in both the 2006 and 2007 Junior Olympics. He decided to play water polo at UC Santa Cruz, and when team was cut began to start  swimming again and played polo the last season in 2009. Nick currently plays club polo and swims on the UCSC swim team. He is a Psychology Major.

Caitlin Parker

Beginner/Pre-Comp Coach

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Caitlin Parker was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. She lived and swam there for most of her life. Her mother has said that " she was swimming before she learned to walk." She first started swimming in the competitive world when she was six for the Cottonwood Country Club. To this day she still holds two relay records for 15/17 girls. At 8 she made the big decision to join Cottonwood Heights Aquatics Team, where she swam until she was 16. On CHAT, Caitlin was Team Captain, and also won both the spirit award and most inspirational swimmer. Cottonwood Heights Aquatics are 56 year state champions. They believe very strongly in teaching team unity and achieving your own personal goals both with life and swimming. Caitlin hopes to bring those same philosphies to SCCA.

At the age of 15, Caitlin started swimming varsity butterfly for Cottonwood High School.After one season of juggling all three teams, she decided that she was going to stop swimming and concentrate on school. She graduated with a 3.7 GPA. In 2005 Caitlin moved to Santa Cruz for school and currently owns a quaint little coffee shop downtown. 

 Caitlin is an American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Certified Level 1 coach.

Tom Roth

Beginner Coach

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Tom Roth was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and has spent the majority of his time since then in the water.  Tom started to swim competitively in the 6th grade for the Oahu Club, a small but great local team in Hawaii.  While he moved on to different sports just before high school, he never left the water.  Beyond competitive swimming, Tom has competed in water polo up to the collegiate club level, raced kayaks as well as outrigger canoes, participated in multiple triathlons, and enjoys open ocean paddleboard races.  

Tom’s greatest athletic achievement has been crossing the Molokai Channel, a 32-mile channel between two Hawaiian islands, on his paddleboard as well as competing in the Honolulu Tin Man Triathlon within a week of each other.

Tom Graduated from Colorado State University in 2008 with a degree in 
International Studies, with an emphasis in Chinese language and history.  He has been living in Santa Cruz since the spring of 2009 and is very excited to work with the swimmers at SCCA to help them have fun while achieving their potentials, both in and out of the water.
Board of Directors

Katie Wohlstatter

President

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Meredith A Rhodes

Head Coach/USS Rep

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Tom Wolff

Treasurer

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Bruce Copley

Parlimentarian

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Betsy Maushardt

Recording Secretary

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David Rosenthal

Corresponding Secretary

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Jeannine McGuckin

Member at Large

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Noreen Brayton

Member at Large

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Sheryl Pinard

Member at Large

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