Author: Brian Gill

Head Age Group Coach / Head Middle School Coach

Rudy Aguilar-Fernandez leads the Middle School / Junior Group and assists with the Varsity / Senior Group. He swam for Oakland University a Division I program where he was a part of the 2020 NIC Championship Team and a four-time conference championship team. Some of his individual accolades include becoming a four-time conference champion in the 200 Free, 400 Free Relay, and was named Conference Freshman of the Year. He was also a part of a 3-time school and conference record-setting relay in the 800 free. In 2016, he qualified for Short Course World Championships to represent Venezuela.  

Upon graduation, he joined the University of Alabama as a volunteer assistant coach. In the 2022-23 season, he supported the efforts that resulted in the Alabama Men’s and Women’s team’s Top-20 finishes at the NCAA Championships, and they finished 14th and 19th, respectively. They had 17 swimmers and divers earn CSCAA All-American accolades as well as 13 NCAA Qualifiers. His efforts also resulted in Kensey McMahon becoming a two-time NCAA champion in the 500 and 1650 free, and in SEC champions Charlie Hawke and Rhyan White winning the 200 free and 100 back, respectively.  

Rudy’s success in the water was also seen at the high school level, where he was a 5-time All-American, and part of a two-time Division 1 MHSAA State Championship team in 2014 and 2015 at Brother Rice High School. In 2015, Brother Rice was named NISCA national champions runner-up. Rudy graduated from Notre Dame Preparatory School in 2017.  

Rudy is a Michigan native and graduated from Oakland University in 2021 with an English Degree on the Dean’s List, and in 2022 earned a Graduate Certificate in Business Essentials.  

Assistant / Age Group Coach

Francine Chittum was born and raised in Michigan.  She began swimming at the age of five in her town’s local summer swim team and moved onto the year-round YMCA swim team.  Her love for swimming continued to grow and in middle school, her town developed a USA swim team which she swam for through high school.  Coach Francine was her high school team captain and helped lead the team to be division champs her senior year.  She went on to swim for the University of Toledo Men and Women’s Division I swimming program where she swam all four years while obtaining a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

 She has always enjoyed coaching and began teaching swimming lessons while in high school, then progressed to helping coach her town’s local club team.  She was an assistant coach for the Cleveland Aqua Tigers USA team and CASL summer league in 2018.

 She lives in Cleveland Tennessee where she resides with her husband (Kyle), two daughters (Monroe and Charlie), her son (Hudson), and her Boston terrier dog (Coco).  Her two daughters Monroe and Charlie swim for Baylor Swim Club while her son wrestles for Boom Ranch.  Her days are pleasantly filled with doing engineering consulting work, being her kids’ Uber driver, and coaching.

Assistant / Red Group Coach

Catie Carden was raised in Chattanooga, TN, and began swimming for the Colonial Shores Swim Team at age eight.  She continued to swim for Colonial Shores and Stuart Heights swim team before moving to year-round swimming.  She started swimming competitive year-round swimming for Baylor.  She attended Baylor School and graduated in 2011.  She went on to swim at Florida Southern College, a Division II school in Lakeland, Florida, for four years.  During her time at Florida Southern College, she was the Women’s Co-Team Captain in 2015.  While at Florida Southern College, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.  While pursuing her Master’s degree at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, she taught swim lessons at Baylor and Aquatots swim school.  She enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and pets.

Masters Coach

Stephanie Davis found her passion for exercise while maintaining a career as a teacher and raising a family. As a longtime swimmer and triathlete, Stephanie realized she could apply her success as a classroom teacher to the world of triathlon swimming and strength & conditioning coaching. She then left the teaching field to do just that. She finds passion in helping others recognize and achieve their individual goals and enhance their strengths to produce sustainable fitness and optimal performance.  She began her own coaching company in 2011 and has loved coaching and educating many athletes. She views performance holistically and it is anchored around the training plan that supports a strong mindset and decisions that promote health and sustainability in our sport.  She believes in the importance of community and prides herself on building relationships between her athletes, as well as with fellow coaches. What Stephanie enjoys most is developing strong relationships with her athletes and helping them understand the details of the sport; success is not just competing well, but growing in the knowledge of the sport and themselves.

Certifications: USA Triathlon Level 1 and Paratriathlon Certified Coach, US Masters Swimming Level 1 and 2 Certified Coach, USMS Adult-Learn-To-Swim Instructor, NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist, TRX Certified Instructor

Background:  Stephanie grew up a competitive swimmer She started swimming at the age of 6 and swam competitively until her Senior year when a water skiing accident will forever change her life with a back injury.  Years past before back surgery was need an she and started running, strength training and doing triathlons as an adult to rehab from it all.  She found she was able to apply her love of swimming from her past to this current sport and has been racing triathlons since 2004.