Leadership & Administration:
Dan Jacobs - Head Coach/Chief Operations Officer
dan@machineaquatics.com
Dan started swimming when he was 4 years old for his neighborhood team, the Marlbank Mudtoads. He swam AAU/USS for Coast Guard Blue Dolphins in Yorktown, VA, until the age of fourteen, when he moved to Northern Virginia. Dan then swam for Solotar, Oakton High School, and Vienna Aquatic Club (VAC). He started coaching in 1985 as a developmental assistant at VAC, and assistant coached there until he graduated HS.
Dan attended College at Old Dominion University, where he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He also swam Division 1 for ODU.
During the summers Dan coached at Dunn Loring for three years before accepting the head coach position at Vienna Aquatic Club. Upon graduation from ODU he worked in the graphic design field for approximately 12 years, continuing to coach for VAC in the summer and coach year-round for York Swim Club.
Dan started Machine Aquatics in 2001 with Paris Jacobs and Christian Doud. We all strive to make a positive impact on every swimmer and help each individual reach his or her maximum potential. He believes he will never stop learning to be a better coach.
Paris Jacobs - Owner/Chief Executive Officer
paris@machineaquatics.com
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Paris grew up recreationally swimming for Dynamo Swim Club. She began her coaching career in Atlanta at her summer league pool as an assistant coach. She moved to the Northern Virginia area in 1993 to attend boarding school. She attended George Mason University studying Business.
After working as a developmental age group coach for a few years, in 2001 Paris co-founded Machine Aquatics, where she served as team manager and age group coach until 2009 when she stepped off the deck as a full-time Machine coach to run the dry side team operations and be a mom.
Since its inception in 2001, Machine Aquatics has grown into Machine Brands, which encompasses four divisions. Machine Aquatics, a nationally ranked USA Swimming competitive team with seven training sites and 1100+ members, Machine Swim School, a large swim school providing 800+ lessons weekly, Machine Performance Center, a 22,000 sq. ft. performance center for swim, fitness, yoga, and physical therapy.
Paris serves as CEO of Machine Brands overseeing the business operation and development of all divisions. After a long volunteer career within USA Swimming and USA Swimming Foundation, Paris served as a business development consultant for The American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) from 2015-2017 and the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the American Swim Coaches Association from 2018-2020. Paris also severed as Senior Management Advisor and Event Operations Director for the International Swimming League (ISL) in 2019 & 2020.
Paris has two children Lillyan (20), who is a Junior at the University of South Carolina studying exercise science and neuroscience, and Daniel, III (18), who is a Freshman at Salisbury University studying Sports Management/ Business and a defenseman for the Lacrosse Team.
Alison Galbraith - Team Administrator, Virginia
alison@machineaquatics.com
Alison is the Team Administrator for the Virginia side of the team. She also manages all of our registration and billing. When she’s not at her desk, you’ll find Alison practicing yoga, playing with her three dogs, bugging her children, or planning her next trip to Costa Rica.
Becky Widman - Team Administrator, Maryland
becky@machineaquatics.com
Becky is the Team Administrator for the Maryland side of the team. She also manages all of our meet entries for our swimmers and coaches. When she’s not at her desk, you’ll find Becky whipping up tasty treats for the officials and coaches in hospitality, chasing her dogs and children through their busy days or simply heading out for a run.
Site Directors:
Audrey Moore Location
LynnAnn Nickley
lynnann@machineaquatics.com
This will be my seventeenth year with Machine. I started out as an Age Group coach at George Mason, working with Paris Jacobs, & then moved to Head Age Group Coach/Senior Coach at Audrey Moore Recreation Center in Annandale, Va. In the fall of 2015, I became Site Manager and National Prep/National Coach. In the years since then, we have had one US Open qualifier and multiple JR National, NCSA, & Sectional qualifiers. I enjoy our swimmers tremendously and love helping them believe in themselves so that they can achieve their goals. I attended James Madison University, where I majored in Marketing, played field hockey, and taught swimming. I have lived in Springfield for twenty-seven years and enjoy walking, hiking, & biking with my husband. In addition to coaching, I also love spending time with my family, & babysitting my granddaughters.
Claude Moore Location
Suzanne Patras
suzanne@machineaquatics.com
As Head Site Coach of Claude Moore for Machine Aquatics, Suzanne Patras draws upon more than 16 years of experience to oversee age group and senior swimming. Nominated several times for the Fitter and Faster ASCA Age Group Swim Coach of the Year, Suzanne Patras has coached Masters National champions, international record holders, and Junior National team swimmers.
Suzanne Patras joins Machine Aquatics after serving as the Head Coach for SNOW Swimming until the merger of the clubs in August 2022, before which she acted as the coach and Director of Competitive Swimming at the New Cannan YMCA and owned and functioned as the head coach of the Phoenix Swim Team in Plymouth, Minnesota. She also coached Minnesota high school programs and served two years as the business manager and head age group coach with Twin Cities Swim Team. Moreover, she is a certified Level 5 ASCA coach, nutritionist, and personal trainer and maintains an active membership with the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Association of Swim Coaches.
Complementing her coaching experience, Suzanne Patras holds an MBA and a BBA in sports management and accounting from St. Leo University.
Dulles South Location
Jeff Newman
jeff@machineaquatics.com
Coach Jeff’s coaching philosophy is “lead by example, provide excellent instruction, motivate through positive feedback, and strive for greatness.” Coach Jeff possesses years of experience in coaching, swimming instruction, technique, and skill development. Coach Jeff was a coach for the Ashburn Village Aqua-Jets CSL summer league for the past two seasons and was a coach for the Blue Wave club swim team for three consecutive years prior to the pandemic. He also coached a developmental swim team, Frozen Jets, during that time. Over the past five years, Coach Jeff has taught group and private swim lessons and coached Master's swim for two years. He has also coached youth basketball, football and developed and initiated other sports skills development programs. Most recently, Coach Jeff was the Director of the Youth Program at The Fitness Equation in Chantilly, Virginia. Coach Jeff attended Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Coach Jeff’s passion is encouraging youth to achieve their greatest potential and promoting a love of sport and competition.
Fairland Location
Chad Williams
chad@machineaquatics.com
Ida Lee Location
Tanya Chang
tanya@machineaquatics.com
Tanya swam competitively, starting in the sixth grade and in high school qualified for the Pennsylvania State Championships and YMCA Nationals. In addition, she qualified for and medaled at Division III Nationals while swimming for the Johns Hopkins University. She graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with a B.A. and completed graduate work at George Washington University. Tanya worked for the Federal Government for several years before becoming a full-time mom and teacher for her three kids. While she started out coaching for a couple of years for the Nittany Lions Aquatic Club at Penn State, she has been coaching in the Loudoun County area since 2017, and the 2023-2024 season will be her second year with the Machine Aquatic family. In the summers, she is the head coach of the Woodlea Watermocs, an ODSL summer swim team in Loudoun County. She loves the sport of swimming and wants to pass on that enthusiasm, dedication, and love of the sport to the younger swimmers.
The Madeira School Location
Alex Miller
alex@machineaquatics.com
Oakmarr Location
Jason Cochran
jason@machineaquatics.com
Hello Machine families! My name is Jason Cochran, and I am in my 7th year with Machine Aquatics and 19th year overall of coaching. This season I will be coaching afternoons at Tuckahoe, working with the HP, Gears, & Stroke Mechanics Groups. I am also the Assistant National Team Coach in the mornings at our Oakmarr Site!
I believe in creating a positive and interactive group dynamic that emphasizes safety, learning proper technique, life skills, and confidence when racing. Throughout my career, I have coached and developed athletes ranging from first-year swim team members to national qualifiers, including Olympic Trials Qualifiers! I have also had several opportunities to work with USA Swimming, most recently as the Head Coach of the 2022 Eastern Zone Select Camp.
Outside of Machine, I coach in the NVSL with the Great Falls Rapids. I love sports, and the pro teams that I support are the NY Giants, NY Mets, & NJ Devils! I am a proud WVU graduate…Let's Go, Mountaineers! I look forward to seeing you all at the pool.
Tuckahoe Location
Blair Piddington
blair@machineaquatics.com
21st Year with Machine Aquatics
I have been coaching Machine since 2002, working with all age groups, abilities, and levels. I consider Machine my passion, and I love what I do. I grew up swimming at the Vienna Aquatic Club when I was 5 and ended up joining YORK, where I swam until I was 18 (before Machine was Created). I coached both as an assistant (with Coach Dan) and then as Head Coach of Vienna Aquatic Club between the years 2001 and 2015. I left NVSL and moved my way to the Country Club League, joining Trump National as their Head Coach for 3 years. I took the opportunity to take over Westwood Country Club last year and am so excited to continue Coaching there. Vienna is my home, and I am now lucky to Teach and Coach in Vienna.
I absolutely love coaching and am very competitive in trying to get the very best out of each swimmer. If you ask me what I believe is the most important part of having a successful group, I think it’s the relationships you build. Right with that is the culture we can build for the group and the overall mindset of each person in the group. I want the swimmers to love the sport, their team, all while working hard and being able to break through barriers. I want my swimmers and my group to really become a close nit group where they push each other and encourage each other by being there every day and having fun. I am always trying to learn and become a better coach, which is something that is always pushed and stressed through Machine. I can’t wait for another year at Machine because I believe this is the best Swim Team in the entire country. We have coaches of all different experiences who work together and create a positive atmosphere. We will continue to get better and continue to turn heads on deck with our energy and fast swimming! See you all on deck!
Tysons One Life Fitness Location
Dylan Cudahy
dylan@machineaquatics.com
I started swimming at the age of 2 when I gave my parents a heart attack by ripping off my pool floaties and diving into the water with an attitude of "I can probably figure this out". Since then, my love for the sport has only grown.
I joined Machine Aquatics as a swimmer when I moved up to Herndon, Virginia, just before I started 7th grade. I spent five years training under Coach Dan at Oak Marr, going from a 13-year-old learning the basics all the way to earning an Olympic Trials Cut in the 400 IM.
After highschool, I enrolled in the University of Virginia. While my original intention was to join the varsity swim team, I contracted Lyme disease and was forced to set my passion for the sport aside in order to focus on my health and academic career. However, shortly after that decision, I ended up joining Club Swim at UVA (2022 National Championship Runner Ups), where I spent three years as a swimmer and a coach. It was through that wonderful organization that I realized my true passion lies in coaching.
I graduated from UVA in December of 2021 with a degree in Engineering Science, and shortly after that signed on to join Machine as a full-time coach. In my view, having exceptional coaches like Dan, not to mention the rest of the incredible staff at Machine, was a huge part of my becoming the person I am today. I hope to do that for all of the swimmers that come my way.
The University of Maryland Location
Dan Haines
danh@machineaquatics.com
A competitive swimmer from age 6 through my late 20s, I competed in summer league, YMCA, AAU/USAS, high school, college, and Open Water. I was also a 6-year cross country and 3-year track athlete, and briefly a student of dance.
My coaching career began as a summer league assistant in 1983 at the age of 15. At 17, I was hired for my first head coaching position. Since then I've worked for teams large and small, coaching all ages and ability levels. I have also specialized in open-water swimming, drawing on my own experience in surf rescue and open-water racing.
I've coached USAS programs in the Middle Atlantic, Potomac Valley, and Virginia Swimming LSC’s, including a couple I started, Sussex Family YMCA in Rehoboth Beach, DE, and Flying Gull Aquatic Club in Potomac Valley Swimming. I have also developed and operated swim schools, including Montgomery County MD’s SwiMontgomery program and, most recently H2okie Aquatics Stroke School in Blacksburg, VA. For a period of 4 years, I worked in both competitive swimming and commercial architecture as an intern for Bignell Watkins Hasser Architects P.C. in Annapolis MD.
My coaching philosophy can best be described as holistic and I am the beneficiary of collaboration with some of the best coaches to ever walk the pool deck. My intention is to provide a path for swimmers of all ability levels to enjoy the sport, while at the same time managing a program capable of producing athletes at the highest levels. I strive for an imaginative and fun learning environment, emphasize smart training and focus on the realization of individual potential. To me, the most important objective of coaching youth sports is to promote the health and wellness of children with the passion, humility, and equanimity required to impart both extrinsic and intrinsic values of sport.
My hobbies include mountain biking, hiking, skiing, graphic design, disc golfing and music. In 1991 I bicycled from Seattle to Los Angeles to Dover, DE, spanning 4500 miles. In 1995 I reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. I live with my wife, Katie, who is a health coach, and son Ben. We also have a dog and 2 cats who graciously let us live with them.
Currently, I am the head site coach of our UMD site in College Park, MD, where I work as a primary coach with the senior elite levels and secondary coach to the age group levels.
