COACHES – SUMMER 2021
Alexandra Kouzas
Head Coach & Coach Practice Time 1: SR1 and SR 2
Coach Alex grew up in South Africa and swam competitively for 13 years. In 2013, she moved to Canada to continue swimming, while attending the University of British Columbia. Alex’s best stroke has always been Freestyle (sprints), with the 50m Free being her favourite event. She competed at the National and International level for South Africa and, in 2012, qualified for the South African Olympic Trials.
Her proudest swimming moment, however, was after she took a year off swimming in 2015 and then returned and qualified for the 2016 Canadian Olympic Trials. Shortly after the Trials, Alex partially tore her bicep tendon and supraspinatus which meant, unfortunately, that she had to take some time off training. She attempted to make a return to the pool, but soon after decided that it was time to hang up her goggles.
Alex has coached for the Vancouver Vikings Swim Club for six years. Having worked her way up from the MV2 group, all the way through to the P1 group this Summer. Currently, she is the Head Coach for the Vancouver Vikings and also the UBC Masters Swim Club for adults.
Alex graduated from UBC in 2019, with a major in Psychology and a minor in Special Education. She is now finishing up her second degree at UBC in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB PYP) to teach elementary school education.
Alex prides herself on being a technical coach, who is able to create a fun and supportive environment for all her swimmers. She is extremely excited to be coming back as both the head coach and group coach this Summer and cannot wait to get to know each of the swimmers in her group!
Alexandra’s email address is coachalex@vancouvervikings.com.
Hugh Dauvergne
Assistant Head Coach - floating between groups as needed
Hugh is very excited to be the assistant head coach this summer! Hugh will be floating between groups assisting Alex and the other coaches where needed.
Hugh spent the last 10 years both swimming and coaching for the Vancouver Pacific Swim Club where he was a provincial medalist and an age group national qualifier. Although Hugh never swam or coached with Vikings before this summer, he is no stranger to the coaching team. In fact, Hugh swam competitively with Coach Alex and Coach Mackenzie, and has won high school provincial medals swimming with Coach Sam.
Currently, Hugh is completing a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto with a major in History.
Hugh’s coaching style emphasizes fun and technique and he can’t wait to contribute positively to the already amazing Vikings community.
Go Vikings!!
Mackenzie Gunther
Practice Time 2: Coach Senior 2 and Intermediate 1
Mackenzie joined the Vikings in 2011 as a swimmer in the Junior group, and over the next four summers became a provincial medalist and record holder. She then joined VPSC where she swam for the next three years. Mackenzie swam at UBC where she was a member of the UBC Thunderbird Swim team. She just graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and will be attending a Master’s program in the fall in Global Affairs.
Mackenzie has been a Vikings Winter Maintenance coach for the past five years and was the MV1 coach in the summer of 2019. She has also coached for the UBC Masters Swim team. Mackenzie is so excited to continue to be a part of the Vikings family this summer and pass on her knowledge and passion of the sport to her swimmers.
Mackenzie G’s email address is coachmgunther@vancouvervikings.com.
Hadley Gunther
Practice Time 3: Coach, INT2
Coach Hadley is thrilled to be returning to coach with the Vikings this summer! Having coached MV2 for the past two seasons she is very excited to be coaching INT2 this summer. Hadley has swam from the Vikings for 9 summer seasons. When she wasn’t swimming, Hadley played water polo competitively throughout high school and competed at the 2017 USA Junior Olympics along with earning a silver medal at the U19 Canadian National Championships in 2018.
Hadley is currently attending the University of Calgary majoring in History with a goal to graduate in 2023 and pursue an after degree in Nursing.
In her spare time Hadley enjoys playing volleyball, making awesome playlists on Spotify and watching Jeopardy!
She can’t wait to meet the INT2s and get the season underway!
Hadley’s email address is coachhadley@vancouvervikings.com.
Sam Watanabe
Practice Time 4: Coach JR1
Sam is looking forward to another great season with the Vikings this year! He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s of science degree studying pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Toronto and is thrilled to be returning to Vancouver for the summer.
Sam has spent many seasons as a swimmer with the Vikings, and was coach for the MV3 group in 2019. He has also spent many hours teaching at learn-to-swim programs as well as coaching his high school swim team.
Sam is quite the outdoorsman, so when he’s not on deck, he likes to spend his time at the beach or exploring the mountains! This year, he will be returning as coach for the JR1 group and can’t wait for the season to get underway.
Brett Caswell
Practice Time 5: Coach, JR2
As a long-time member of the Vancouver Vikings since 2011, Brett has always taken great pleasure returning to the summer season and is beyond excited for the 2021 season.
In his first season as a group coach, Brett hopes to make this summer enjoyable and memorable for the JR2 swim group.
When reflecting upon the quintessential experience of summer swimming, Brett is reminded of water gun fights, scores of potlucks, and swim meets that were as exhausting as they were fun. Although these activities may not be possible this year, Brett is confident that the Vikings spirit will persevere!
Brett’s previous coaching experience comes as a Vikings Junior Leader (volunteer coach), an assistant coach, and as a Vikings Winter Maintenance group coach. He is also completing his certification in Swimming Canada’s National Coaching Certification Program. Brett is currently completing his final year at Kitsilano Secondary School, and will be attending UBC in the fall, pursuing a degree in Science. Away from the pool deck, Brett enjoys reading, cooking, and jogging.
Eager for the summer season to start, Brett can’t wait to improve the technique, morale, and speed of the JR2 swimmers!
Maya Kennedy
Practice Time 6: Coach, MV
Maya is ecstatic to be joining the Vikings team for her first summer as a group coach and sixth season overall! Having been an assistant coach for two years and a group coach through two Winter Maintenance sessions, she is looking forward to working with the Mini Vikings this summer and developing young swimmers into athletes.
Having started as an anxious swimmer who was terrified of diving and developing into a two-time Provincial Championship finalist, Maya strives to foster resilience, leadership, and a lifelong passion for fitness in her swimmers.
A current grade 12 student at Kitsilano Secondary, Maya will be attending the University of Pennsylvania in the fall to study economics and life sciences. She enjoys picnics at the beach, road trips with good coffee, and (of course) being at the pool. GO VIKS!!!
COACHES – SUMMER 2026
Mira Jamal - Head Coach
Mira is thrilled to be stepping into the role of Head Coach for the 2026 summer season!
Her journey with the Vikings began in 2014, and she competed as a summer swimmer until 2018. She then transitioned to winter swimming and spent two years training with the Vancouver Pacific Swim Club. After hanging up her goggles, she stayed involved in the sport by moving into coaching, where she quickly found a real passion for working with swimmers and being on deck.
Outside of the pool, she’s currently completing her Psychology degree at the University of British Columbia. When she’s not coaching or studying, you’ll usually find her baking, spending time with friends, or trying out new cafés around the city.
She’s looking forward to a fun, high-energy season and can’t wait to be back on deck with everyone this summer!
Hadley Gunther - Group Coach
Hadley is so excited to be stepping into the role of Assistant Head Coach this summer! Hadley has been a coach with Vikings since 2018 and a part of the Vikings family for over a decade. Her swimming career began at a young age and grew into a love for all things water. She competed at BCSSA Provincials, captained her school swim team, and earned a silver medal at the U19 Canadian National Championships in water polo, along with a spot at the USA Junior Olympic tournament in 2017.
Since stepping away from the pool deck in 2023, Hadley has been busy! She completed her Masters of Management and, along the way, discovered that coaching and educating are her true passions. She is now back at the University of Calgary completing an After Degree Bachelor of Education, specializing in Elementary Social Studies. When she hasn't had her nose in a textbook, she's been backpacking through Europe and exploring all corners of the world, so expect some great travel stories on the pool deck this summer!
Hadley believes every swimmer deserves a season full of personal growth, hard work, and a whole lot of fun. When she's not on the pool deck, you can find her glued to an F1 race, scuba diving, or getting crafty with an arts and crafts project. She can't wait to see familiar faces and welcome some new Vikings to the team!
Zoey Johnson - Group Coach
Zoey is very excited to be returning to the Vikings for another amazing summer season! This will be Zoey’s seventh year coaching and third season with the Vancouver Vikings.
Previous to her time at the Vikings she worked for 5 years for the team she grew up swimming with the Salt Spring Stingrays where we swam competitively for 13 years. During her time as a swimmer Zoey made 13 provincial teams, making plenty of friends and memories along the way. In 2019 she made the transition on to the pool deck permanent by taking on coaching as a full time position.
Zoey just finished her undergraduate degree in environmental and sustainable geography. When she isn’t on the pool deck you can find Zoey lying at the beach or reading a good book. Zoey is looking forward to another amazing season with the Vancouver Vikings!
Nick Penz - Group Coach
Nick has been swimming with the Vikings since 2015, and his favorite events are the 200 IM and the 50/100 Butterfly. He has just completed his second year at the University of Victoria in Kinesiology.
This is going to be his second year as a group coach with the Vikings. In his free time, you can find Nick playing Pokémon, watching a basketball game or playing volleyball. In addition to the meets and the water gun fight, he is really looking forward to meeting each swimmer, setting goals, and working with them to achieve their goals. He looks forward to a great summer!
Derek Lim - Group Coach
Derek began his swimming career with the Vancouver Vikings in 2014 and has been with the club ever since. He spent one year as a junior leader, and after working as an assistant coach for the past two summers, he’s excited to be stepping into a new role as a group coach this season.
In addition to summer swimming, Derek also swam with the Vancouver Pacific Swim Club for three years. His favorite stroke is breaststroke, though he also enjoys racing backstroke.
Outside of swimming, he enjoys spending time with friends and trying new foods. Derek is looking forward to helping the Vikings swim fast and have fun!
Minou Ono - Group Coach
Minou is so excited to continue coaching for the Vikings! She has been swimming competitively since she was 7 and has been coaching for 5 years! This is her 3rd year with Vikings, and her 2nd year group coaching. Her favorite strokes are freestyle and butterfly, but her favorite races are relays.
Outside the pool, she is currently studying at UBC and enjoys going for walks and hanging out with her cats. She can't wait for the summer season to start and is so hyped to watch everyone race!
Noah Deschambault - Group Coach
Noah is excited to start as a group coach with the Vikings this summer! From 2015-2025, he swam competitively for Vancouver Pacific Swim Club - racing and medalling at provincial and national meets during that decade.
His favorite strokes are freestyle and IM. Noah is currently in his third year studying Kinesiology at UBC. Outside of the pool, he enjoys reading and spending time with friends. He’s eager to coach the Vikings to swim fast and have fun in the process!
Ella Hudon - Group Coach
Ella is super excited to be coaching with the Vikings this summer! She grew up swimming with the Nanaimo Riptides, where she developed her love for the sport and she still holds a couple club records to this day. She has coached with the Nanaimo Riptides and Vancouver Pacific Swim Club, and enjoys helping young swimmers build confidence, improve their skills, and have fun in the water.
Outside the pool, Ella plays rugby for UBC and is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Psychology. She loves being involved in sport and working with young athletes both in and out of the pool.
Dylan Lowe - Assistant Coach
Dylan is super excited to be returning as an assistant coach this summer!!!
Dylan started swimming back in 2017 and has swum every year since. In 2023, he briefly joined the Vancouver Pacific Swim Club before returning to the Vikings in 2024. Dylan’s favourite events are the 100 free and back, but he’s happy to be racing anything!
Outside of the pool, Dylan likes watching movies and hanging out with friends.
Maya Habans - Assistant Coach
Maya is excited to begin her first season as an assistant coach with the Vikings this summer!
Maya has been a dedicated member of the Vikings since 2019, and has been swimming for over seven years. She has spent four seasons as a Junior Lead, where she developed her passion of coaching younger swimmers. In addition to her role with the Vikings, she also coaches with the LFA swim team. Her favourite events are the 100 breast and 50 fly.
When she's not in the water, Maya enjoys spending time with friends, journaling, and trying new foods.
Lauren Chan - Assistant Coach
Lauren is excited to continue assistant coaching with the Vikings this Summer!
Lauren began swimming with the Vancouver Vikings in 2015 and has been with the club for over 10 years. She has been a junior leader for the Vikings for the past 3 years and has assisted with coaching during the most recent winter maintenance season. She is also the team captain of the YHS varsity swim team, and is now thrilled to work with younger swimmers. Lauren is also a volunteer coach for her elementary school swim team. Her favourite stroke is Backstroke, but she likes to race Butterfly!
When she’s not in the pool or on the pool deck, Lauren likes to hang out with friends, work out, and try new things! Lauren is looking forward to helping the Vikings swim super fast this summer!
Maelle Veldhuis - Assistant Coach
Maelle is so excited to be an Assistant Coach with the Vikings this summer!
She began swimming with the Vancouver Vikings when she was 6 years old and has been with the club for nearly 8 years. When trying out for the Vikings, she was so nervous she only swam about 2 meters and was initially waitlisted—but she quickly grew to love the sport and never looked back! Over the past year, she has been a dedicated Junior Leader with the club. Her favourite events are 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, and she especially enjoys swimming relays with her teammates.
Outside of the pool, Maelle enjoys spending time with friends, reading, practicing yoga, and skiing. She is looking forward to helping Vikings swimmers build their skills, swim fast, and have fun!
