Jeff Conwell - Head Coach

Head coach Jeff Conwell enters his 6th year at the helm of the Canyons Aquatic Club, his 12th year with the club, and his 5th year as Head Coach of the College of The Canyons swim and dive program.

Prior to joining Canyons, Conwell spent two years as an assistant at Cal State Northridge, a NCAA Division I program. Conwell’s additional coaching stints have included assistant coach for CCAT/Class club swim team, head coach at Louisville High School, Crespi High School, and at Granada Hills High School, where he won a CIF championship. Conwell was also assistant coach at College of the Canyons for four years prior to becoming their Head Coach.

Here at Canyons Jeff’s accomplishments include more than 250 national age group rankings - over 30 of those being No. 1 in the nation - 16 Southern California records, and one national age group record. Since becoming the head coach of the Canyons Aquatic Club, Conwell’s senior group has produced over 25 junior national qualifiers, 12 national qualifiers and 4 Olympic trials qualifier.

In 2009 Jeff was named to the USA Swimming National Select Camp Staff in Colorado Springs at the Olympic Training Center.  Conwell has coached the Southern California western zone team for five years beginning in 2000, and was named the zone head coach during the last three years he coached the all star group of club swimmers, bringing home three straight team championships.

A member of the Coastal Section Board of Directors, Conwell has also been an active player in Southern California swimming politics for several years. Raised in Sacramento, Conwell competed for California Capitol Aquatics, home team of Olympian Summer Sanders, and coached by 1992 Olympic staff member, Mike Hastings. Conwell later attended Cal State Northridge as a scholarship athlete and served as team captain. He earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology.

Jeremy Anderson - Head Age Group Coach

Coach Jay has a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and Communications/Television from Southern Utah University.  Entering his 5th year as Head Age Group Coach at Canyons Aquatic Club, Jay is an American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) Level 4 Coach.  Currently serving Southern California Swimming (SCS) as its Age Group Chairperson, he has also served as Head Coach for SCS’s All Star Teams at the North American Challenge Cup in 2007, 2008, and 2009 as well as Head Coach of SCS’s Western Zone All Star Team in 2006.  He served as SCS’s 11-12 Boys coach at the Western Zone Championship in 2005 and at the Pacific Coast All Star Meet in 2006.  Jay served as a coach at the Southern California All Star Festival in 2004 and 2005 and as Head Coach and Meet Director in 2007, and 2009. Coach Jay was selected by his peers as Southern California Swimming Age Group coach of the year in 2007 and 2008

Mike Bechtholdt - Senior Coach

 Coach Mike has been a Canyons fixture since 2001 working with our senior swimmers coaching both the Senior Blue and Varsity teams.  A collegiate swimmer at the University of Wyoming, Coach Mike is  also the Head Coach of Valencia High School here in Santa Clarita.  Prior to joining Canyons Mike was the Head Coach at Riverton High School in Wyoming where he was selected as the North 4A Coach Of The Year.

At Canyons Mike has an unparalleled record in advancing swimmer to the Senior Gold group.  Outside of Canyons, Mike has been part of the North American Challenge Cup coaching staff for the 2008 and 2007 seasons as well as several years as a Southern California Swimming All Star Festival coach. 

Vicky Donnelly - Head Site Coach

Vicky enters her 7th year with Canyons Aquatic Club as the Head Site Coach for the Santa Clarita Pool and the Director of Canyons Swim School.  She coaches the Bronze, Silver and Senior Development Groups.  Vicky is an American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Level 2 certified coach and has a degree in Public Administration from San Diego State University, where she was a scholarship athlete.  Vicky is a product of Canyons Aquatic Club.  She grew up swimming for Canyons and Saugus High School.  Swimming and coaching combined, she has been with Canyons for 18 years!

Outside of Canyons, Vicky enters her second year as the Head Coach at her alma mater, Saugus High School here in Santa Clarita.  She served as 11-12 Boys coach for the Southern California All Star Team at the North American Challenge Cup in 2009, and as  11-12 Girls coach for the SCS Pacific Coast All-Star Team in 2009 (Seattle) and 2008 (Reno) and as an SCS Festival All Star Coach in 2007 and 2006.

Guido Gomez - Age Group Coach

Guido Gomez joined Canyons Aquatic Club in January of 2003 coaching the Dolphins, Bronze, and Silver Groups. Not long after, Canyons began it's Swim School Program where Guido took charge and not only created a structure for the program but also provided in-water instruction to our Otters, Seals, and Sea Lions groups. Meanwhile, he assisted former Head Coach Bruce Patmos with the Senior Group where he helped coach swimmers like John Criste (Olympics Trials Qualifier at the time) and many more star swimmers. His efforts have been producing countless "Red", "Blue", and  "Junior Olympic" qualifiers.

Guido is a former age group, high school, and collegiate swimmer and water polo player. He was Head Coach for the Roosevelt Orcas Swim Team in Los Angeles and then Assistant Coach at  Alhambra High School in the San Gabriel Valley before coming to Canyons. Guido attended California State University, at Long Beach where he earned a B. S. in Sports Psychology and Coaching and a Minor in Psychology.  

Grace S Wheeler - Assistant Coach

 Grace enters her 6th year with Canyons and has been working with our youngest swimmers in the Dolphin group. Originally our first Swim School teacher,  Grace will now be working with our Bronze, Silver and Gold swimmers perfecting their strokes and getting them ready for competition.  During the high school season Grace works double duty by not only coaching at Canyons, but as an Assistant Coach for Saugus High School.

Amanda Ellery - Assistant Coach

Amanda is happy to be entering her third year with Canyons Aquatics and excited to continue introducing new swimmers to the great sport of competitive swimming.  Amanda is a member of the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) as a Level 2 certified coach.  She has coaching experience at both the Club and summer team level, and has been teaching swim lessons for more than 10 years. Amanda received her Multiple Subject (Elementary) Teaching Credential from Cal State LA and a Bachelor of Music degree from Butler University in Music Theory and Composition.  Her two children, Johnny and Katie, swim in the Junior Olympic group and Gold group respectively.

Sarah Colvin returns to Canyons Aquatic as our Varsity Head Coach.  Spending her high school years as a competitive member of the club, Sarah was a member of Canyons National, a Southern California record holder in the 800 free relay and the 2005 Western Zone backstroke champion.   A graduate of Ventura College, Sarah was part of school’s 2008 State Championship team.  Locally she is the assistant coach at Saugus High School as well as coaching swimming and conditioning for the Titan Water Polo Club.  A frequent volunteer Sarah gives her spare time to programs like Sundays Children and Go Girl Go.