Alyssa is originally from Pennsylvania and a proud graduate of Penn State University, where she earned both her Bachelor’s in Early Adolescent Education and Master’s in Educational Leadership. She currently teaches 8th grade English Language Arts and Social Studies at Pleasant Knoll Middle School.
Swimming has been a lifelong passion for Alyssa. She swam competitively for 13 years on club and varsity teams, and continued at the collegiate level with Penn State’s club swim team, competing at nationals in Atlanta. Now with over 14 years of coaching experience, she serves as the Head Coach of the Nation Ford swim team, where she leads a program built on growth, teamwork, and competitive excellence.
Throughout her coaching career, Alyssa has also led programs at Northwestern High School, Rock Hill Country Club, and the Electric Rays. Her coaching philosophy focuses on developing well-rounded athletes through strong technique, mental resilience, and a genuine love for the sport.
Outside of teaching and coaching, Alyssa enjoys going to the beach, scuba diving, and watching movies. She’s a big fan of Harry Potter and Stranger Things, and is enjoying married life with her husband, Brayan, whose support plays a big role in her journey.
Randy has been a lifelong swimmer and lover of all things water. He began swimming competitively at age 9 with his local YMCA team and continued through high school in Pennsylvania, where he grew up. After a long break from structured swimming, he jumped back in by joining U.S. Masters Swimming in 2018. Around the same time, he began coaching with the Upper Palmetto Rays and has been leading the Pre-Senior 2 group at FMAC since its opening.
Randy graduated from Penn State with a degree in Management Information Systems and currently works in the health industry supporting technology. His coaching philosophy centers on hard work, goal setting, and building mental resilience—while still making sure there's room for fun along the way.
He’s thrilled to be part of the NAFO coaching team and to help swimmers grow both in and out of the pool. Outside of swimming, Randy loves to travel, hike, and explore the great outdoors—especially out West.
Lydia is originally from Mullica Hill, NJ, and attended Liberty University, where she earned a degree in Elementary Education. She currently teaches 5th grade English Language Arts at Riverview Elementary School.
Lydia’s swimming journey began at the young age of 4. She swam competitively for 14 years on her summer swim team, a USA club team, and her high school varsity team, where she served as captain for two years. Her coaching career started at age 19 when she returned to coach the same summer team she grew up on. Since then, Lydia has accumulated four years of coaching experience, most recently with the Springfield Greenwaves! She is now thrilled to join the NAFO coaching staff and is especially excited to be part of the Nation Ford community as her sister is a math teacher at the school!
Lydia is passionate about encouraging swimmers to become the best version of themselves, both in and out of the pool. In her free time, she enjoys reading, going to the gym, taking long walks, watching all things reality TV, and spending time with friends and family!
2024 NAFO COACHES
