Coaches and Directors
Jeff Rodriguez is in his 28th year with the Edina Swim Club. As Head Coach, Jeff is responsible for the senior program and the overall vision and success of the club, meanwhile, training each senior swimmer to their highest level.
His coaching experience includes developing athletes at all levels. Jeff started within the Edina program in 1997 as an assistant coach and became lead age group coach in 1998. As age group coach in 1998, 1999, 2000, Jeff led Edina’s Age Group program to three consecutive state Championships. Jeff became Head Coach in 2000 and currently coaches the Silver, Gold and National groups. Under his leadership, ESC has consistently placed in the top 3 at the Minnesota Championships and has won over 70 plus Top 2 age group awards at the state level.
In the past 10 years, Jeff has coached more than 60 athletes who have competed at the USA and NCSA Junior National Championships and coached swimmers at the Olympic Trials and US Open in 2012 and 2016. Athletes on the Edina Senior and National Teams regularly place on USA Swimming's top 10 lists and have set over 60 numerous MN state records and 200 plus ESC club records. Jeff was named Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2011, selected as Staff for USA National Select Camp in 2010 and attended in 2014. He was also selected as staff for the USA Central Zone Select Camp in 2015. In 2016, coach Jeff was nominated for Fitter and Faster Age Group Coach of the year for his age group successes.
Jeff's coaching philosophy focuses on being a well-rounded athlete and he enjoys seeing athletes continue swimming into the next phase of their careers. He has a strong belief there is a place for everyone on a team and swimming is a lifetime sport.
As an athlete himself, Jeff competed at the Division 1 level for University of Minnesota in 1994-1998. He was a member of the Big Ten Championship Team in 1996 that won the first championship in over 70 years to start a new tradition for the Gophers. Jeff came away from his college career being a two time Big Ten Champion (team), received Jerry McCual Award, two time Iron Fish Award, Four time Letter “M” Winner, Hardest Worker and Most Improved and a Member of the Dean’s List and 3.0 club. His events were 200 Breast, 200IM and 400IM during the Big Ten and at the National level. Coach Jeff earned a Bachelor of Education in Kinesiology with minors in Psychology, Spanish and Coaching from the University of Minnesota.
Away from the pool, Jeff enjoys traveling all over the world and stays active with exercise.
HEAD AGE GROUP COACH: LEAD COACH: GATOR 3 / AGE GROUP SILVER / AGE GROUP GOLD
Nicole Helmen-Hendricks is the Head Age Group Coach at Edina Swim Club, overseeing the club’s age group program and leading Age Group Gold, Age Group Silver, and Gator 3 since 2020. In her role as Head of the Age Group Program, she has led the development and competitive direction of the age group pathway, guiding the Gators to 1st place finishes at the 14 & Under State Championships (Summer 2022, Winter 2023, Summer 2023), the 2023 Single-Age State Championships, and the 2025 10 & Under State Championships. The Edina age group program was recognized as an ASCA Top 100 Age Group Program in 2023 and 2024 as well as a ASCA Top 50 Age Group Program in 2025.
With more than 27 years of coaching experience, Nicole has coached across club and high school programs in Minnesota, California, and Florida. She has developed athletes ranging from state and zone champions to Olympic Trials qualifiers, producing Top-10 National rankings, All-American performances, and numerous team, meet, LSC, and state records. Her leadership includes building and growing successful programs, most notably quadrupling the age group program at College Area Swim Team in San Diego and founding North Tampa Aquatics in Florida.
Nicole has been recognized by her peers as a two-time Section Coach of the Year, Conference Coach of the Year, and ASCA Age Group Coach of the Year, and has been selected to coach Zone and All-Star teams in both Minnesota and the San Diego-Imperial LSCs. She is ASCA Level 3 (Performance) certified, holds an MBA, and retired from active duty in the United States Navy in 2014. A former collegiate and high school swimmer, Nicole is known for creating athlete-centered, high-performing programs that emphasize long-term development, accountability, and strong team culture.
HEAD DEVELOPMENTAL COACH: LEAD COACH FOR GATOR 1B / GATOR 2 / AGE GROUP PREP B / AGE GROUP BRONZE / MASTERS
LEAD
COACH FOR SR. BRONZE & SR. SILVER
I was born and raised in Hutchinson, MN where I started
competitively swimming around the age of 8. During my novice, age
group, and high school years I swam for the Hutchinson High Tides,
the Minnetonka Swim Club, and the Hutchinson Tigersharks high
school swim team. Throughout those years I held many state, team,
& pool records.
After high school, I moved out to Ypsilanti, Michigan, where I
competed at the division one level at Eastern Michigan University
from 2013-2017. While at EMU, I was a part of 3 Mid-American
Conference championship teams. My best events throughout my
swimming career were the 100 & 200 Backstroke and the 200 IM.
In those events, I placed top 8 at the Mid-American Conference
Championship meet every year. During my junior year, I was the
Mid-American Conference champion in the 100 and 200 Back. Between
my junior and senior year at Eastern Michigan University, I had the
opportunity to participate in the 2016 Olympic trials. At the 2016
Olympic trials, I qualified in the 100 and 200 Backstroke where I
took 33rd place in the 100 back and 16th place in the 200 back.
After my swimming career ended, I spent 3 years living and working
as an assistant construction project manager at Michigan Paving
& Materials, and coaching at the East Grand Rapids Aquatic
Club. In 2019, I decided to move back home to Minnesota where I
accepted a job at the St. Cloud Area Family YMCA as the swim team
head coach.
During my time at the St. Cloud Area Family YMCA, I increased the
team size from 43 to around 100 swimmers, helped over 10 athletes
qualify for YMCA nationals or similar USA swimming meets, helped 3
swimmers qualify for their first Junior nationals swim meets, and
had 2 swimmers qualify for their first US Open meet.
TEAM
ADMINISTRATOR
Julie grew up in Wayzata and graduated from Breck School in 1987.
She spent her college years out in Oneonta, NY at Hartwick College
with a major in Psychology. After college, she moved to Seattle, WA
and worked in the stock brokerage industry. 1994 brought her back
to Wayzata and she began working in her families business of
manufacturing and selling electric cattle prods. While sales of
cattle prods took her all around the country, she meet her husband,
Pete, in Fargo, ND at a trade show. They have 4 kids who all swim.
Julie began working at the Edina Swim Club in January of
2012.
ASSISTANT: SENIOR GROUPS
Stacy grew up in Elk River; started swimming at the age five and
swam competitively for 18 years. She
was an 11-time All-State HS swimmer. She continued to swim at the
University of North Dakota (UND)
for four years and was a 10-time All American swimmer. She
graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice
and minors in Psychology and Sociology.
She continued her passion of swimming by coaching with Mach III
Flyers during her summers home from
college. She then became a Police Officer with the City of Crystal
for 5 years and went back to her
passion of coaching at Jet Stream Aquatics (Elk River) until she
became the Girls Head Swimming Coach at Big Lake
High School (7 years) and the Boys Assistant Coach at Maple Grove
High School (6 years). She took time
off to raise her family and found herself back on the pool deck at
the club level in 2016 and high school
level in 2021.
Stacy lives in Big Lake with her husband, Luke and their three
children, McKenna, Adalynn and Ty. Both
girls swim on the Edina swim club. They enjoy family time ice
fishing on Lake of the Woods and Red Lake in their Ice
Castle fish house.
ASSISTANT: AGE
GROUP
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.
ASSISTANT: SR. GROUPS
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