Coaches Bios

Your Edina Gator Coaches!!

Jeff Rodriguez, Head Coach and Senior Team Coach

Coach Rodriguez enters his thirteenth year as a coach of the Edina Swim Club and his eleventh  year as the Head Coach of the novice to national ESC program. As Head Age Group Coach 1999-2000, he led the Age Group program to their third consecutive state title, qualifying swimmers in the top 16% in the country. The following year, Coach Rodriguez was promoted to Head Coach.

Coach Jeff led the senior level Edina Gators in breaking state records, earning top 16 honors, qualifying swimmers for junior nationals, US Open and Senior Nationals in the past six years as Head Coach. Coach Jeff earned a Bachelor of Education in Kinesiology with minors in Psychology, Spanish and Coaching from the University of Minnesota. He was a four year letterman at the University of Minnesota Men’s Swimming Team and a member of two time Big Ten Championship titles. Coach Jeff swam 200 Breast, 200 IM and 400 IM at the national level.

For fun, Coach Rodriguez enjoys exercising and traveling.
 
Denise Carlson – Head Age Group Coach and Coach of Junior Prep and Junior

Coach Denise grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, where she swam and played water polo with the Nashville Aquatic Club. Denise graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1987 with a degree in psychology. Since moving to Minnesota, she has competed in triathlons and she has either taught or coached swimming for the past 23 years, ranging from infants to adults. Before coming to the Edina Swim Club, Coach Denise coached at SEMS Swim Team and served as the age group coach for the Twin Cities Swim team. Since coming to Edina Swim Club, Denise has coached multiple state and zone level swimmers, including State Champions, Zone Champions, State Record holders, and #1 Nationally ranked Age Group Swimmers.

Denise lives in Woodbury with her husband and four children. She loves kids, swimming, decorating and movies. Her mission as a coach is to encourage and empower swimmers to believe in themselves, develop fully as athletes, and take away the values from the sport that will help them reach their full potential in all of life's endeavors.

Paige Gilgan – Gator II and Gator II+ Coach plus summer Interlachen

Coach Paige started swimming when she was eight years old for the Valley Dolphins Swim Team, and, at the age of eleven, Paige moved to the Twin Cities Swim Team.  When Paige was 13, she achieved her Junior National cuts in the 100 and 200 Freestyle and Backstroke. The next year at the Seattle Junior National's meet, she placed 2nd in the 200 backstroke, and eventually set the 15-16 girls Minnesota State record in the 200 backstroke.

Coach Paige swam for Eagan High School, and placed top eight at the State Meet and lettered all four years. During her senior year at Eagan, she was named co-captain. That same year, Coach Paige was the High School State Meet Champion in the 200 and 500 freestyle, setting a new State Meet record in the 200 freestyle. That fall, Coach Paige was named Female Fall Athlete of the year by the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Coach Paige attended the University of Minnesota on a swimming scholarship and graduated in 2006.

Erich Welton - Gator I and Gator III Coach

Coach Erich grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and started swimming at five years old. Erich's mom was his coach for the first eight years as he swam at various swim clubs around the city. Erich swam at Middleton High School where he was named co-captains his junior and senior year. During Erich's senior year, he was the High School State Champion in the 500 Free and placed third in the 200 Free. Coach Erich attended the University of Minnesota where he swam for four years, lettering his senior year.  Erich graduated in December of 2008 with a BA in Art.

Since February of 2008, Erich has been coaching for the Edina Swim Club. For the past three summers, he has coached the 11-12 group at Interlachen Country Club. Erich was a camp counselor the summer of 2006 at the Minnesota Swim Camps. In high school, Erich taught swimming lessons at the Walter R. Bauman Aquatic Center in Middleton, Wisconsin for three summers. He also helped out with the summer league swim team when they needed the extra help.

In Coach Erich's free time he enjoys wakeboarding and disc golfing. Erich loves being out in the sun and being in water. Erich likes to meet new people and enjoys hanging out with his friends.

Fun Fact: Coach Erich is a USA Swimming State Champion in two states ~ Wisconsin AND Minnesota!!

Ryan Plummer – sadly Ryan has moved to Oklahoma!

Two new coaches have been added to the Gator staff!! Lauren Bergstrom is a former Gator swimmer and record holder for Edina Swim Club. Lauren recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania where she was a member of the University of Pennsylvania swim team for four years. Welcome Lauren!!

We also want to welcome Erik Witzel to the Gator staff! Erik is also a former Gator swimmer! Erik graduated from St. Olaf College where he swam with the St. Olaf Lions for four years! Welcome Erik!!

E-mail addresses for our coaches can be found under "Contact" Coaches on the public
home page of the website.

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