Cary, NC (August 29, 2015) – Jamie Saffer and Kevin Maksinchuk are joining the TAC Titans as coaches for the year-round age-group swimming team. They join the team under the direction of Head Coach Raz Cuparencu, a Top Ten finalist in the American Swimming Coaches Association’s Age Group Coach of the Year award for 2015. The Titans have multiple Olympic Trials qualifiers and consistently place in the top three in the state championships.
Jamie Saffer comes to the Titans from a 2-year stint coaching at Division II University of California San Diego, where the team won two Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference Championship titles. At UCSD she worked with multiple NCAA breaststroke Champion, Nick Korth, a 2016 Olympic Trial qualifier. Not one to sit still, Coach Jamie also worked as a seasonal beach lifeguard and Junior Lifeguard Instructor at Coronado Beach for the past three summers.
Her first foray into coaching was at San Diego State University, where she helped the team win the Mountain West Conference Championship in 2013. She has also coached for a club team, Coronado Navy Swim Association since October 2012 and has worked with many successful athletes in the senior development group, with one already qualified for the Zone team.
Before becoming a coach, Saffer began her successful swimming career as an 8 year old swimming summer league. As an age group swimmer, she competed for Swim Atlanta for 10 years before being recruited by The University of Tennessee. At Tennessee she had a successful college career, setting a NCAA dual meet record in the 100 breast vs. UGA with a time of 59.42. She was named National Swimmer of the Week, SEC Swimmer of the Week, and Lady Vol Athlete of the week. At the 2009 SEC Championship she won the 100 breast and set a new SEC record, breaking the 10 year standing record set by breaststroke great, Kristy Kowall.
Kevin Maksinchuk joins the Titans family while continuing his stint as the Apex HS swim team head coach. Prior to working for Wake County schools, he helped Triangle Aquatics by establishing rigorous training expectations and processes for the Lifeguard program. He also enjoys his seasonal work as Head Coach of the Scotts Mill summer league team. Kevin’s 12 years coaching summer, year-round and high school swimming in both PA and NC gives him perspective on how to grow a champion swimmer. “We want our young kids to swim fast and have great times, but the most important thing is how we help them grow as an athlete, giving the best technique instruction for long term success,” he says. While coaching in PA he developed several Regional, State, and Zone qualifiers and expects to continue that success with the Titans.
Originally from Pittsburgh, Maksinchuk began his own successful swimming career at Plum Aqua Swim Club. He swam and lettered all four years at Plum High School and was a WPIAL and State qualifier. He then attended Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania and graduated with his Bachelor’s of Education in Health and Physical Education in 2008. Primarily a sprinter in college, he focused on short distances for the Men’s Swim Team and was recognized for his outstanding contribution in the 50 fly at Slippery Rock as a freshman swimmer, his first of three years placing in the PSAC championships.
He came full circle by becoming head coach of his first swim club, Plum Aqua, for several years. Highlands Aqua club welcomed him for two summers while his primary position as Penn Hills HS varsity swim coach took up the school year.
TAC Titans Head Coach Raz Cuparencu, who helped found the Titans in 2013 and has grown it to more than 600 swimmers, is very excited to have both of these high quality coaches join the TAC Titans’ staff. “Titans coaches are professionals. They’ve all attended college and were once fierce competitive swimmers in their own right. They understand the commitment that it takes to be successful and are focused on helping the kids be great in and out of the water.”
Swimming news courtesy of TAC Titans.