Site Staff

Dan Jacobs, Owner and Head Site Coach

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, all along 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.

Jason Cochran

jason@machineaquatics.com

I am excited to start my 9th year with Machine Aquatics and 21st year as a competitive swim coach. I am the Head Site Coach at Oakmont Rec Center where I lead the National Prep Group and assist with the National Team. I am also the Assistant Director of Competitive Swimming for Machine Aquatics!

I believe in creating a safe, positive, and competitive environment for all of our athletes as they pursue their goals. I enjoy incorporating life lessons into our athletes training to help prepare them to succeed in and out of the pool. Throughout my career, I have coached swimmers ranging from beginners to national level athletes. I have also been very involved with USA Swimming Camps as a manager, Assistant Coach, and Head Coach. One of the highest honors was Head Coaching the Eastern Zone Select Camp in 2022. 

Outside of the pool, I am a huge sports fan and support my WVU Mountaineers at the collegiate level. My favorite pro teams are the NY Mets, NJ Devils, and NY Giants! I am a big fan of Buffalo Wings and also enjoy working out and traveling.  I look forward to seeing you all at the pool. 

Dylan Cudahy, Head Site Coach

dylan@machineaquatics.com

I started swimming at the age of 2 when I gave my parents a heart attack by ripping off my pool floatie 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 Oakmarr, going from a 13 year old learning the basics all the way to earning an Olympic Trials Cut in the 400 IM.

After high school 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 me becoming the person I am today. I hope to do that for all of the swimmers that come my way.

Helen Geddes

helen@machineaquatics.com

I’m so excited about my first year with Machine! I grew up in the area swimming in the NVSL at Lakeview in the summers, where I competed for 12 seasons. I swam competitively year-round with different PVS teams along the way, as well as with my high school’s (Robinson) swim team where I was a captain my senior year. I went to George Washington University where I swam and was part of the executive board for the club swim team. After undergrad, I attended Duke University for grad school and started swimming masters.

When I was 14, I started helping with developmental lessons as well as the mini-team(6 and unders), in the summer and absolutely fell in love with coaching. That winter, I started assistant coaching for my NVSL team with all ages, I continued coaching in the winter as an assistant before becoming a co-head coach at 16 for the winter program. During the summer seasons, I started coaching all ages at 15 as a junior assistant coach, which continued to age 18. At age 19, I was a Head Coach and helped my team win the division! Amongst the craziness of 2020, a silver lining was being able to be an assistant coach for another NVSL team, Lee Graham, where I have now been for three seasons. 

The coaches I’ve had in my life have shaped so much more than just my practices in the pool, and I’ve hoped to be able to bring that to others in a positive way! Coaching has remained something I always go back to, and I am so excited to do this year-round with such a talented group of swimmers and coaches.

Can’t wait to see everyone on deck!