District Of Columbia Aquatics Club

Swimmer Spotlight

Matthew Maffett

October 2021

Matthew grew up in Indianapolis, IN and swam competitively for five years under Doc Counsilman's son, Brian Counsilman. He left swimming to get serious about music and began attending Butler University to study viola while he was still in high school. He received his undergrad degree from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and his grad degree from the Colburn School in Los Angeles. While living in LA, Matthew began freelancing and worked with artists such as P. Diddy, Taylor Swift, Dionne Warwick, The Eagles and Styx. He also found orchestra gig work at awards shows including the Oscars, the Emmys and the American Music Awards. He moved to D.C. in 2011 looking for steady work and landed a job playing viola in the United States Air Force String Orchestra which required eight weeks of military boot camp. He also has side gigs with the National Symphony Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra, weddings and parties, as well as being a member of the music faculty at Episcopal High School. Matthew says he went stir crazy during the pandemic which led to him joining DCAC in August of 2021. He loves the challenge and the way it feels to be back in the water, and is hoping to compete again in the future. You can find him on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Kelsey Shields

October 2021

Kelsey's sister moved back to their family home in Annapolis during the pandemic and spotted the DCAC swimmers training in the South River. Both sisters joined the river group which led to Kelsey joining DCAC in July of 2021. Kelsey was born in Kenya and moved with her family to Waldorf, MD at age five. She started year-round swimming with the Chesapeake Bay Aquatic Club eventually switching over to the Naval Academy Aquatic Club. Not happy with the coaching, she left the sport and rowed competitively during her high school years. After receiving her undergrad degree from Cornell University, she moved to Boston for clinical research on a pre-med track where she swam with Boston University Masters Swimming. A career change landed her in Baltimore to earn her MPH at Johns Hopkins University before finally settling in D.C. She says joining DCAC was a no brainer and that it feels phenomenal to be getting back into swimming shape. Kelsey works as a research director in the healthcare department of a nonprofit.

Swimmer Spotlight

Matt Gunn

October 2021

Matt was born in Los Angeles and grew up in multiple places - California, Puerto Rico, Colorado, Virginia and Chile. He started swimming while in middle school for a club team in Colorado and spent his high school years in Chile where he specialized in the 50, 100 and 200 breaststroke. His club team there was Stadio Italiano and Matt was invited to compete at the Chilean Nationals and train with their national team. He returned to the States to earn his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University where he swam for one year before turning his focus to his studies. After graduating he spent several years in New York and earned his public health certificate while finding time to train with Team New York Aquatics Club. Matt returned to the D.C. area and was out of the water for a while before joining DCAC in July of 2021. He missed training, competing and the meditative value of swimming. Not wasting any time, Matt jumped right back in to compete for DCAC at USMS Long Course Nationals this month. He is currently working in clinical administration at a community health center and also serving as a translator for them. He is hoping to return to Georgetown University in the future on a pre-med track. You can find him on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Francesca Tinucci

October 2021

Francesca was swimming on her own at Wilson Aquatic Center when a DCAC swimmer noticed her college tee shirt and recruited her to join the team in May of 2021. Over the summer she coached Masters swimming at the Army Navy Club and is also currently coaching age group swimming at The Capitol Sea Devils. Growing up in Stillwater, MN, her swimming career started at age seven and she swam for the St.Croix Swim Club. Francesca also competed for her high school as a utility swimmer before her four-year stint with Siena College as a sprinter covering the 50, 100 and 200 frees. She moved to D.C. to work with a psychology and criminal justice nonprofit that studies the rule of law and is now working for the U.S. Department of State in their Foreign Service Institute School of Language Studies as a program assistant. Francesca calls swimming her favorite form of exercise, especially for the mental and physical benefits that it provides along with the connection that it gives her to the swimmers that she coaches. You can find her on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Patrick Rogers

October 2021

Howard University has a swimming requirement to graduate and Patrick signed up for a semester of coaching and technique while he was earning his undergrad degree. Encouraged by coaches Nic Askew and Darrell Fogan, he continued with their advanced beginner class and became hooked on swimming. Growing up in Cincinnati, OH, tennis was Patrick's sport of choice and he played for his middle school, high school and two years at Howard University. While working on his grad degree and PhD in organic chemistry at University of California, Davis, Patrick swam with Davis Aquatic Masters. His postdoctoral fellowship work took him to the Philadelphia area before he returned to D.C. to teach chemistry at Howard University. He now works as a toxicologist for the US Environmental Protection Agency in their Office of Pesticide programs. Patrick was swimming with Germantown Maryland Masters before the pandemic and joined DCAC in June of 2021 as we were the only team in the area with a practice schedule. Patrick sometimes leaves practice early on Saturdays to volunteer at St. Augustine and other D.C. metro area organizations.

Swimmer Spotlight

Mallory O'Connor

September 2021

After moving to D.C., Mallory reconnected with a swimming rival from high school and they swam laps together at local pools. Joining a team didn't fit into her schedule, but DCAC was on her radar as a future possibility. Growing up in Mesa, AZ she followed the path from summer league to club teams and swam for Desert Thunder Aquatics Club and Mesa Aquatics Club along with her high school where she specialized in the 100 back and 500 free. While attending Arizona State University for her undergraduate degree, she was a member of Sun Devil Masters Swimming. She moved to D.C. in 2009 to pursue her graduate degree in public health policy at George Washington University and Mallory now works for a biopharmaceutical company in government affairs. The pandemic made her think about the things she missed and some new flexibility in her work schedule led to her joining DCAC in June of 2021. Her current focus in the pool is exercise and mental health with an eye on competing again in the future. You can find her on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Ian Wandner

September 2021

Ian started swimming summer league in Bethesda, MD at age 4 because he wanted to copy anything his older sister was doing. The next year he segued into year round swimming at Curl Burke Swim Club and stayed with them through his age group career. He captained his high school swim team in his senior year and specialized in the 200 fly, continuing on to four years of swimming at Bowdoin College where he added on distance free and the 400 IM. Ian found a job right out of college back in D.C. at the Federal Election Commission and is currently working at Fannie Mae on their financial crimes team. He swam with Curl Burke Masters when he returned to the area and initially joined DCAC in 2016. Injuries and work travel forced him to leave the team until he rejoined in July of 2021. He says he missed swimming, the camaraderie and racing people in practice. You can find him on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Thea Martinez

September 2021

Thea grew up in Daytona Beach. FL and her earliest memories are of being in the water. She swam competitively with Daytona Beach Speed Swimming and eventually took a break to focus on academics and singing in the choir. As a teenager she picked up freediving, taking her longboard out to dive for sand dollars for tourists in the deeper waters off the coast. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire and spent her final semester on the WHOI tall ship, the SSV Corwith Cramer where she was able to freedive during their 2,000 nautical miles journey. Thea was on a pre-med track in Wisconsin and started swimming laps again because there was a pool attached to the medical college. A change in her career path led her to D.C. in December 2020 and she is finishing up her masters degree in counterterrorism from Penn State. She joined DCAC in June of 2021 to find a community and is enjoying the variety of coaching styles. Thea is working as a project manager for American Chemical Society in Diversity, Equity and Respect initiatives.

Swimmer Spotlight

Carr Phillips

September 2021

Carr grew up all over Florida - Satellite Beach, Orlando, Tampa - before spending his high school years in Gainesville. He started summer league at age 8 and immediately switched over to club swimming becoming a 500 free specialist by age 12. After his arrival at Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training, he dropped down to the 50, 100 and 200 free becoming a state champion in the 50 free. He swam for Harvard University for a few years before ending his collegiate career to pursue other interests. After moving to Silicon Valley to launch a career in high-tech, Carr began swimming and competing again with Stanford Masters Swimming winning a national title in the 100 free and USMS All-American status (#1) in the 100 back. A move to Portland, OR landed him on the Tualatin Hills Barracudas before he moved to D.C. in April of 2021. Carr joined DCAC a few months later for exercise, stress relief and community. He is already being quizzed at practice about competing again and we hope he will be shining up some DCAC relays in the future. Carr runs product marketing for a high-tech startup and can be found on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Molly Reilly

August 2021

Molly started swimming summer league at a young age in Houston, TX and stuck with her team through high school, coaching them in her last two years. She was the captain of her high school team and specialized in the 100 and 200 free, occasionally stepping up for the 500 free. During her undergraduate work at Vanderbilt University, Molly continued to swim on her own and added running to her fitness schedule. After graduating, she worked in Austin and New York City before arriving in D.C. in 2011 for her grad work in speech pathology at George Washington University. After a year of working from home, she joined DCAC in May of 2021. She says her fondest memories of her upbringing are related to swimming and that it feels good to be back on a team. Molly works in the KIPP DC charter school network as a speech-language pathologist.

Swimmer Spotlight

Oliver Cameron-Hayes

August 2021

Oliver grew up in Hamburg, Germany and started with a local swim club at age five. By age nine, he had switched over to International 420 Class Dinghy sailing and stuck with the sport through his teen years. He received his Bachelor's and Master's in Economics from Maastricht University in the Netherlands where kitesurfing became his sport of choice. Post-college he lived in Frankfurt, Germany working as an appraiser before moving to the United States in 2011 to start a real estate company in Florida. He was staying fit with his road bike when a triathlon friend recruited him for the Dolphins Cancer Challenge bike ride. Oliver signed up for his first triathlon and after adding running and swimming to his sports schedule he competed with the Palm Beach Masters swim team. By 2016 he was training for his first full Ironman along with competing in ITU short course draft legal racing. In 2018 he rented an apartment in D.C. and now splits time between here and Florida while still running his commercial real estate company. He joined DCAC in June of 2021 to ramp up his swim training as he recovers from a back injury. Next month Oliver will be competing in a half Ironman in Sardinia, Italy to honor his friend Colin who recently passed. Also coming up for him is a half marathon and a century ride. You can find him on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Becci Foster

August 2021

Becci started summer league at age six in Cincinnati, OH and continued the next year at a year-round team, Mariemont Aquatic Club, because she possessed a legal breaststroke kick. She spent the rest of her age group career at M.E. Lyons/Anderson Barracudas and specialized in the 200 back, 200 IM and 200 free for her high school team. A pickup football foot injury knocked her out of swimming in high school and she started her school's first rowing team. She rowed varsity crew while attending University of North Carolina and stayed in touch with swimming by coaching summers in Ohio and North Carolina. After moving to D.C., Becci worked as a high school English teacher before segueing into special education. She picked up triathlons in 2015 and founded the D.C. chapter of Team Red, White and Blue which connects America's veterans to their community through sports and social activities. She has also served on the board of District Triathlon. Becci received her master's at American University and her Ph.D from George Washington University. She now works as the Director of Secondary Transition for a nonprofit that represents charter schools. She joined DCAC in July of 2021 looking for a new adventure. You can find her on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Colin Fenster

August 2021

When Colin's collegiate career ended, he was pretty sure he never wanted to swim again. As it happens with so many of us, he started missing the sport and joined DCAC in June of 2021. Colin started summer league in Richmond, VA at age six. He moved over to a year-round team a few years later competing for NOVA of Virginia Aquatics along with his high school where he specialized in breaststroke and IM. He swam all four years for the United States Coast Guard Academy where he covered both the 200 and 400 IM. After graduating, he was deployed on an icebreaker ship for two years with the Coast Guard and was based in Seattle. Currently stationed in D.C., Colin works as a cyber security officer for the Guard. He is also an active triathlete and has completed Olympic, half and full triathlons. You can find him on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Isabella Salmi

July 2021

Isabella's mom is a swimmer and got her started in swim lessons at a young age in San Rafael, CA. She began competing for the Pacific Coast Marlins at age ten and went on to captain her high school team where she specialized in the 500 free. She swam all four years at Williams College covering everything from the 50 to the 500 free. After graduating, Isabella returned home and swam with her mom's Masters team before accepting a government position in D.C. as a data scientist. She was living in Arlington and swam with Club Tribe until moving to the District and joining DCAC in May of 2021. Just last month, Isabella competed with her college teammates in the Trans Tahoe Relay which covers 11.5 miles. You can find her on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Jack Smith

July 2021

Jack grew up in Charlotte, NC and started swimming in summer league at age four before eventually moving to a year-round team. He switched over to SwimMac at age 14 and also competed for his high school specializing as a flyer and 200 IMer. During his collegiate years at University of South Carolina he swam the 200 IM, 400 IM and 200 fly. After breaking his ankle following NCAAs in his sophomore year, he became a 200 breaststroke specialist, dropping his time by over ten seconds to 1:55. Post graduation, Jack was working at lululemon and took a transfer to the D.C. store on 14th Street. His roommate swam at Auburn and they formed a friend group of swimmers before joining DCAC in February of 2021. Jack is now working at a dental staffing company and oral healthcare nonprofit. He starts at GW next month to earn his Masters in Public Health. You can find him on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Erin Bullock

July 2021

Erin had been swimming on her own over the years and joined DCAC in May of 2021. She says she can't catch or throw a ball, so it was time to step back into a coached swimming environment. She started swimming in summer league at age six in Manassas, VA and swam as a distance freestyler in high school. She studied music at University of Mary Washington and expected her post-graduation career to be as a K-12 music teacher. That changed when Erin began singing at Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle which led to taking organ lessons. For the past three years, she has been the Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Charles Catholic Church where she sings and plays piano and organ. She also freelances as a singer for weddings and other events. You can find her on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Addison Winger

July 2021

Addison was the manager for the University of Wisconsin-Madison men's and women's swim teams for four years while he attended the school. To psyche themselves up before big meets, the teams would have Addison suit up and swim cold turkey in a time trial - they usually chose a 200 fly long course. Growing up in La Crosse, WI, he started swimming summer league at age five and went on to compete for the WAVE Swim Team and his high school team as a distance freestyler and flyer. Addison moved to D.C. in 2014 to work on Capitol Hill starting with the House Foreign Affairs Committee before switching to the Senate side to work with the Select Committee on Ethics. He left D.C. for a stint in the Peace Corps as a secondary education teacher in Indonesia. He is now working for the U.S. Department of Commerce in their Commercial Law Development Program. During the pandemic, Addison went west and began doing some open water swimming. He joined DCAC in June 2021 to make new friends and is looking forward to being a part of the swimming community here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Margaret Dickson

July 2021

Margaret was born in D.C. but grew up all over the world. Her father was in the U.S. Foreign Service and her family lived in Nigeria, South Africa, Peru and Mexico. Her mom taught her to swim at age two and she went on to captain her high school team in Mexico specializing in sprint freestyle and IM. After graduating from Wesleyan University, she moved to Canada before returning to the D.C. area to earn her Masters in International Education at George Washington University. Last year at the start of the pandemic, Margaret had a baby and spent her maternity leave in Massachusetts where she swam with the masters swim team that her mom is on to get back in shape. She joined DCAC this year to swim in a coached environment, meet new people and be a part of a community. Margaret works for the U.S. State Department in Public Diplomacy programs and can be found on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Michael Johnson

June 2021

Michael was a 100 backstroker and 100 freestyler growing up in Highland Park, IL where he competed for Coho Swim Club and Deerfield High School. After graduating from American University, he remained in the DC area though he admits to still being a big Chicago Cubs fan. DCAC has been on Michael's radar for several years and he joined the team in April of 2021. He swam on his own during the pandemic and is looking forward to team workouts, getting in shape and the social experience. Michael is also a member of DC Sail and he works as a programming director at a think tank that studies the Middle East. You can find him on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Hailey Barringer

June 2021

Hailey moved to D.C. six years ago because she knew she wanted to work on Capitol Hill. She lined up an internship and worked as a nanny until she found her place as a Deputy Chief of Staff for a North Carolina congresswoman. Growing up in North Carolina, Hailey joined a summer team at age five and transitioned to year-round swimming two years later with Mecklenburg in Charlotte. Her family moved to Greensboro and she competed with GCY Makos and her high school team as a mid-distance freestyler and backstroker. While attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she swam on their club team competing at nationals all four years. Hailey took a break from swimming after college, but during the pandemic she realized how much she missed her favorite hobby. She joined DCAC in April of 2021 and is working her way back into shape to possibly compete again. You can find her on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Joseph Kilfoyle

June 2021

Joe spent his childhood around pools growing up in Fort Myers, FL but never swam competitively. During his high school years he competed in cross country running and track & field. After graduating from the University of Florida, he spent two years in the Peace Corps in West Africa. He earned his graduate degree in Scotland at the University of St Andrews. Joe had been active running half marathons and 10Ks when a friend suggested triathlons. With no experience in swimming, he began practicing on his own and watching videos on stroke technique and training. He ended up liking his swim training and joined DCAC in May to discover more about the sport. Joe works in finance and pricing for a government contractor.

Swimmer Spotlight

Samantha Klig

June 2021

Sam served as a frontline worker throughout the pandemic in her role as a dietitian at Washington Hospital Center. One of her duties was to calculate the math of tube feeding regimens for patients on ventilators. Growing up in Baltimore, she started her swimming career in early middle school and competed for Merritt Athletic Swimming specializing in the 100 free and 100 breast. After graduating from the University of Maryland, she moved to Atlanta before returning to the D.C. area. Sam has remained active since high school as a runner and returned to the pool to join DCAC in March of 2021. She missed being in a team-oriented setting and says she likes the atmosphere of DCAC practices. You can find Sam and her Jack Russell Terrier mix on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Ross Thomas

May 2021

Ross moved to the D.C. area in mid-2020 from New Haven, CT where he was working as a public defender. He was staying in shape by running several times a week and playing tennis, and in November he added swimming to his fitness schedule. He joined DCAC in April of 2021 to ramp up his swim training and to be part of a community. Ross started his swimming career in summer league at age five in Linwood, NJ. He advanced to the Atlantic City Aquatic Club and also swam for his high school. He was recruited to Columbia University's swim team as a distance freestyler and 400 IMer. After his freshman year, he decided to focus on his studies and earned his undergraduate degree in History. He received his law degree from Cornell University and his current employment in D.C. is with a government agency working in criminal sentencing. Ross is unsure whether he will compete again but is open to the idea. After watching him at practice, DCAC is hoping to add him to the racing roster.

Swimmer Spotlight

Hayden Bentley

May 2021

Hayden is on active duty with the United States Navy and is currently assigned at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. She is a member of the Navy Ceremonial Guard which is a special duty command she will be serving for 18 months. She is part of the firing party and her assignments include duty watch, cannon shoots and firing volleys at Navy funerals. Hayden joined a USA Swimming team at age ten while growing up in Kansas City, MO. She competed with Kansas City Swim Academy and her high school as a backstroker and 200 free specialist. She enlisted in the Navy right out of high school and found time to join DCAC in April of 2021. She says she loves being in the water, and missed swim practices and being part of a team. Once her assignment with the Ceremonial Guard is completed, she will return to working in aviation for the Navy. Her vocation is working on hydraulics and welding the outside of planes and helicopters. You can find Hayden on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Chris Meadows

May 2021

Chris jumped right into USA Swimming at age seven as a member of the Athens Bulldog Swim Club in Athens, GA. He spent his high school years with the Blount Area Swim Team (BLAST) in Maryville, TN where he also swam for his high school. He was a breaststroke and IM specialist during his collegiate career at American University. After graduating, he returned to Tennessee where he coached for Excel Aquatics. One of his fellow coaches was a USMS swimmer which motivated Chris to get back in the pool and he says he is driven by his love for competing and racing. He returned to the D.C. area to become a police officer with MPD. Chris joined DCAC in early 2019 and competed at his first IGLA in NYC that year. He recently received his graduate degree in Disaster Management from Georgetown University and is working for a government consulting firm in continuity of operations. Chris was repping DCAC at a meet in Amsterdam when the pandemic hit and is excited for the return of competitive swimming. You can find him on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Aurelia Larrimore

May 2021

Aurelia joined DCAC in 2021 for health and fitness along with wanting to meet more people in D.C. Growing up in Annapolis, she started competing with her community pool team before beginning year-round swimming with Annapolis Swim Club. She stayed connected with her community pool by returning as a coach. Aurelia continued to teach swimming at an aquatics center in New York where she was attending college. She returned to the area to complete her undergraduate degree in social work at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She completed her graduate work at Salisbury University in social work and clinical psychotherapy. Her work at Anne Arundel County Public Libraries as a Library Associate includes outreach, community engagement and finding resources for people such as job fairs and vaccine clinics. Aurelia is looking forward to being engaged in the swim community and hasn't ruled out competing again. DCAC will definitely be nudging her in that direction. You can find Aurelia on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Jeff Atteberry

May 2021

Jeff was working as a petroleum geologist in Oklahoma City when a group of triathletes encouraged him to join them for open water training in Arcadia Lake. It had been over ten years since he wrapped up his collegiate career at Clemson University where he earned his undergraduate degree in Engineering Geology and his graduate degree in Hydrogeology. As a member of the Clemson team, he specialized in distance freestyle, 400 IM and 200 fly. Jeff grew up in Cincinnati, OH and started summer league at age six. He competed for Cincinnati Aquatic Club, Anderson Barracudas/ME Lyons YMCA Swim Team and Anderson High School. The lake training prompted him to start competing in open water events in Oklahoma and South Carolina which led to his first Gay Games in Paris where he swam the 2.5 mile open water race. His first IGLA Championships were the following year in NYC where he swam unattached in the 200, 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle events. Jeff moved with his partner to the D.C. area in December of 2020 and joined DCAC shortly after that time. He is currently working on his second Master's degree at Johns Hopkins in Energy Policy and Climate Science. Jeff says he is happy to have training goals again and DCAC is happy to welcome another distance specialist. You can find Jeff on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Lori Palmer

April 2021

Late last fall when D.C. opened pools for individual swimming, Lori began her swim training for IRONMAN Maryland 2021 which will be held this September. She joined DCAC in February 2021 when we opened back up for team practices. Lori began her swimming career at age 9 in St. Louis, MO and swam with the local Y and for her high school. While earning her undergraduate degree in Accounting at Florida A & M University, she swam all four years as a utility swimmer, switching events to meet the needs of her team. After receiving her graduate degree in Sport Management at University of Florida, Lori spent many years in Atlanta where she worked as a personal trainer and swam with the Atlanta Rainbow Trout. She moved to D.C. because it was time for a change and to discover new and different things. She is hoping to get back into competitive pool swimming with DCAC and we welcome her versatility in the pool. Lori works as Director of Finance and Operations at Washington School for Girls and you can find her on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Chase Lis

April 2021

Chase began his competitive swimming career in Boulder, Colorado where he swam for RallySport Aquatics Club. During his collegiate years with Bates College, he specialized in the 200 fly and 200 IM. After graduating, he accepted a job in Boston but was unable to swim due to the responsibilities that came with his job. Chase moved to D.C. in late 2020 for a new job and to move in with his partner. They bought a house together just a few months later. He joined DCAC in 2021 after we established our practices in Virginia, to keep in shape and stay active and healthy. He is looking forward to competing for DCAC and we look forward to adding another 200 specialist to our roster. Chase is working for a government think tank in Arlington and you can find him on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Renae DiBartolomeo

April 2021

Renae grew up in Pleasant Valley, CA and joined her first recreational swim team at age eight. The following year she became a synchronized swimmer and competed with the Walnut Creek Aquanuts. At age 14, she represented the United States in synchro at the COMEN Cup in Athens, Greece. She played water polo in high school and in her senior year, she also joined a club swim team. While attending USC to receive her degree in Kinesiology, Renae played club water polo. After graduating she picked up some classes at Diablo Valley College where she was recruited to their swim team which went on to win the CCCAA State Championships. She earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy at MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston and her clinical work brought her to the D.C. area. Renae joined DCAC in 2018 because she missed racing and being in the pool. She attended her first IGLA in Melbourne, Australia in 2020 where she broke three DCAC team records and was part of two record-breaking relays. Renae works as a Physical Therapist specializing in orthopedic injuries, concussion management and vestibular disorders. You can find her on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Charles Cockrell

April 2021

Charles joined his first swim team at age 8 growing up in Hampton, Virginia. He went on to compete for the Hampton Aquatics Club and Fort Eustis Swim Team. He earned his undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering from University of Virginia and his graduate degree in Aeronautics from George Washington University. Shortly after graduating, he found himself missing swimming - the challenge, the goal-setting and the connections. He joined the Virginia Masters Swim Team and in 2001, Charles began volunteering for United States Masters Swimming. He is currently the chair of the USMS Legislation Committee and has previously chaired the Officials, Rules and Virginia LMSC committees. He is employed at NASA Langley Research Center where he started as an engineer (yes, he is a rocket scientist) and now works as a strategy, communications, and business development senior executive. Frequent commutes to D.C. led him to join DCAC in 2020 right before the pandemic shut the team down. He is participating in our current Sunday practices and is looking forward to representing DCAC at nationals and at his first IGLA. You can find Charles on Facebook here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Hillary Hertler

March 2021

Hillary became a swimmer to follow in the footsteps of her older sister. Growing up in Red Bank, NJ, she competed all the way through her senior year of high school. She earned her degree in Historic Preservation at Roger Williams University and points to the topic as one of her passions. It was that same sister that put Hillary back in the water when she suggested that they swim a 5-miler together in Saint Croix. They returned the following year to complete it again which led to Hillary's first swim at DCAC's open water event, Maryland Swim for Life. She is now an annual participant of the DCAC event which helps to fuel her triathlon training. After several years of DCAC swimmers encouraging her to join the team, she became a member in August of 2019 and calls our current Sunday practices 'my lifeline'. Hillary initially moved to D.C. for her husband's work and together they have two kids, ages 8 and 18. She works for a construction company that specializes in large scale construction projects. You can find her on Instagram here.

Swimmer Spotlight

Scott Bloom

March 2021

Scott enjoyed swimming at camp while growing up in Fort Wayne, IN and chose swimming as an elective while attending Indiana University Bloomington to learn the four strokes. He joined his first Master's team while living in Frankfurt, Germany and then the Racing Club de France while living in Paris. He competed unattached in his first meet at the 1994 Gay Games and joined the Paris Aquatique team upon his return. Scott joined DCAC in 1998 primarily for fitness and social but has been competing regularly over the past few years. Inspired by DCAC swimmer, Dawson Nash, he completed his first 100 meter fly at the 2018 Gay Games. Scott owns Columbia Property Management and is one of DCAC's business sponsors. CPM specializes in mid-to-higher market single family rental properties in DC, including row houses that have been converted to 2-4 units. They also manage properties inside the Beltway in MD and VA and individual rental condo units. CPM builds relationships with their clients and tenants and love helping first time landlords as well as experienced investors grow the value of their properties. CPM sister company, Koti Property Services, offers handyman repair services. Special pricing for DCAC swimmers! Follow CPM on Instagram.

Swimmer Spotlight

Maddie Thomas

March 2021

Pointing to swimming and pottery as her stress relievers, Maddie Thomas was itching to get back in the pool when she joined DCAC in 2021. Born in Beverly, MA, she competed for her high school team and swam club with the YNS Sharks. While attending Boston University, she was president of their club water polo team and competed for four years in the New England division. Maddie moved to the D.C. area after accepting a position at the Capital One Arena working in event planning for the Wizards, Capitals and Mystics. After being furloughed due to the pandemic, she began volunteering her time as an event planner to increase diversity and give back to the community. Now working full-time as a nanny, she has also started her own business in HR consulting and small event planning. Along with attending DCAC practices, Maddie enjoys spending time at The District Clay Center. Connect with Maddie on Instagram.

Swimmer Spotlight

Rob McKernan

March 2021

Rob McKernan joined DCAC in 2021 because he was missing swimming and wanted to meet new people. Growing up in Phoenix he competed for Scottsdale Aquatic Club before his collegiate career at Brigham Young University-Idaho. He left the university for a two year Mormon mission in the Dominican Republic and returned to graduate from Brigham Young University - Utah. Rob has swum with two of our sister USMS teams, Queer Utah Aquatic Club (QUAC) and Team New York Aquatics (TNYA). Before arriving in D.C., Rob completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree at Touro College of Dental Medicine at New York Medical College. He is currently working at Mint Dental DC and is opening a fee-for-service practice with Saturday hours called Big Gay Smiles with 10% of every procedure donated to HIV cure research. Rob offers a full range of services including cosmetic whitening and laser fillings and is accepting new patients at both practices. Check out Rob and his new practice on Instagram.