Lynnann Nickley, Head Site Coach
lynnann@machineaquatics.com
This will be my 20th year with Machine. I started out as an Age Group coach at George Mason working with Paris Jacobs, & then moved to Head Age Group Coach/Senior Coach at Audrey Moore Recreation Center in Annandale Va. In the fall of 2015 I became Site Manager and National Prep/National Coach.In the years since, we have helped our swimmers achieve US Open, Junior National, NCSA, & Sectional Qualifying times.
I enjoy our swimmers tremendously, and love helping them believe in themselves so that they can achieve their goals. I attended James Madison University where I majored in Marketing, played field hockey, and taught swimming. I have lived in Springfield for twenty-seven years and enjoy walking, hiking, & biking with my husband. In addition to coaching, I also love spending time with my family, & babysitting my granddaughters.
Aaron Durrance
aaron@machineaquatics.com
I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and started swimming for my local summer league team at the age of 4 and then started swimming for Dynamo Swim Club at the age of 10. I qualified for NCSA Junior Nationals my last two years at Dynamo, and then proceeded to continue my swimming career at the University at Buffalo up in New York where I was a multi-time finalist at the Mid-American Conference Championships. Unfortunately before my senior year the men’s swim team was disbanded by the athletics department, so to fill my time while finishing up school I became a volunteer assistant coach for the women’s team which helped me realize my passion for coaching and in turn led me to accept an offer to be an age group/senior coach and then eventually the co-interim head coach at Buffalo Area Aquatic Club. Although I graduated from college with a two degrees, one in math and one in computer science, I really enjoyed working with kids on a daily basis and giving back to the sport I group up with, so I decided to pursue a career in coaching and move to Virgina to be a full-time coach for Machine.
The 2023-24 season marks my 6th season here at Machine as the Head Age Group Coach for our Audrey Moore site in Annandale, VA. I’m excited to have the opportunity to continue working with the young swimmers at our site on a daily basis, and pushing them to be the best they can be, while ensuring they are setup to be even more successful down the line as progress up the ladder into our National Team Group.
Office Contact:
Billing and Registration, Virginia Locations:
Alison Galbraith, Team Administrator
Tel. 703-281-1500
Email: alison@machineaquatics.com
Meg Schappert
meghans@machineaquatics.com
My love for the water and the sport of swimming began as a very young child. My mom was so afraid of the water she wanted to make sure her children became comfortable with it as soon as possible. My sister and I spent every minute of our summers in Missouri in the pool, creeks and ponds. By age 7, I began swimming for my neighborhood summer team and that fall began swimming year-round with our local AAU/US Swim team, Rockwood Swim Club. I continued swimming competitively all the way through high school. In Missouri, high school level swimming was very competitive and the seasons lasted 5 months long ending in a State Championship meet. I traveled to three state championship meets during my high school experience competing in 200 IM, 100 BR and both Medley and Free Relays.
As an adult, I found myself continually returning to the water to both play and swim. I learned to water ski, paddle outrigger canoes in Hawaii and Guam, scuba dive and surf. I also competed in NOVA for NCAP as a master swimmer during 2006-2008. My coaching career began in 2009 in Guam when the Navy base was looking for a coach and swim instructor for our children and adults. I logged many hours in the base pools teaching and coaching and loved every minute of it. Two years later we moved to Hawaii and I became head coach for the Hickam Hurricanes on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. In 2014, we moved back to NOVA and I started my first year with Machine. I’m back this year to coach again and I’m looking forward to working with your swimmers. I strongly believe in developing all facets of a young swimmer; learning proper technique, building strength, learning to race and fostering a love for the sport. See you on deck!
Christian Locke
christian@machineaquatics.com
I am a software systems engineer at General Dynamics, and part time grad student working towards my Masters degree. For the 2023-2024 season, I am excited to be a coach of the high school prep squad at Audrey Moore pool. I am honored to work and learn from some of the best coaches this team has to offer. I began coaching with Machine Aquatics as a coaching assistant in fall 2022 at Audrey Moore pool. This will be my second season with the team, and second season at Audrey Moore.
I attended James Madison University and graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science and a minor in Sport Coaching Education. During this time, I also continued to coach over the summers in Northern Virginia Swim League (NVSL) at Daventry and was involved with Special Olympics swim coaching/volunteering. I started my coaching career through NVSL in middle school. I worked my way up from junior coach to running the winter development program, two years as assistant head coach, and eventually as head coach of the Daventry Dolphins swim team in 2019.
I swam for a USA Swimming club team until high school, when I transitioned to running during the school year and swimming over the summers. I turned down offers to run collegiately to go to James Madison, where I got involved with triathlon and open water swimming. Since my transition to triathlon and open water, I have been on various stages from winning local races to competing in national and world championships.
