Academy Teachers

JEFF COMMINGS — SWIMMING AND RACING SPECIALIST
MASTERS HEAD COACH

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  • U.S. Masters Swimming Certified Adult Learn-To-Swim Instructor
  • U.S. Masters Swimming Certified Level 3 Coach
  • U.S. Olympic Trials Competitor: 1992, 1996, 2012 (100 breaststroke)
  • United States Masters Swimming (USMS) National & Masters World Record Holder
  • USMS All-Star, International All-Time Top Ten Masters World Rankings & World Champion
  • Pan-American Games Bronze Medalist
  • Former USA National Team Member
  • High School, USA-Swimming, NCAA & USMS All-American
  • Specializes in Sprinting, Breaststroke, Backstroke & I.M.

Jeff Commings began his swimming career in St. Louis when he was 4 years old, where he was literally thrown into the water at a local Boys’ Club. After his initial floundering, Jeff took to the water with ease and joined the Boys’ Club team. A year after his introduction to swimming, he signed up for his first meet.

Jeff improved, winning his first trophy at 6 for the 25 fly. Later, as he grew, Jeff found a natural talent for the breaststroke. After rising in the local ranks, he made a name for himself on the national scene with a Top 16 ranking among 11- and 12-year-olds in the 50-meter breast. 1991 came as a breakout year. He was 3rd in the 100-meter breast at the national championships, earning a berth on the Pan-American team traveling to Cuba, where he won the bronze medal in the 100-meter breaststroke. Jeff is the first African-American to earn an individual medal in swimming at a major international competition.

Jeff attended the University of Texas – Austin on a full scholarship under the tutelage of Olympic Coach Eddie Reese. His highest placing at the NCAA championships was third in the 100 breast his sophomore year. He would end his college career an eight-time All-American, USA Swimming National Team member and four-time conference champion in the Southwest Conference.

Jeff competed in three U.S. Olympic Trials, in 1992, 1996 and 2012. After the 1996 Trials, Jeff moved to Colorado Springs to train under renowned coach and former world record holder Jonty Skinner and then retired in 1998.

In 1999, Jeff discovered Masters Swimming and initially used the workouts as a way to stay in shape, vowing to never compete in another high-stress meet. That vow didn’t last long. At the 2003 Masters National Championships, Jeff won five events and set his first national record in the 100 breast. The following summer, Jeff set a Masters World Record in the 100-meter Individual Medley. More national records and world records followed.

Jeff continues to train in preparation for Masters swimming competitions. He is Co-Founder of Dolphins of the Desert Swimming Academy and has served as the head coach for Dolphins of the Desert Masters since 2016.

Geoff Glaser — OPEN WATER / LONG-DISTANCE SWIMMING SPECIALIST

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  • United States Masters Swimming (USMS): Former national record holder; Relay & Individual All-American; and National Champion
  • Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA): Former relay world record holder; Top Ten World Rankings in Freestyle, multiple years
  • English Channel Swimmer: Garnet-Martin Trophy, The Channel Swimming Association (1987) — First Coloradoan to successfully swim across English Channel
  • Specializes in Marathon, Open Water, and Long Distance Freestyle as well as Butterfly
  • More than 40 years teaching and coaching experience, including working with the disabled

Geoff Glaser learned how to swim at the YWCA in Bloomington, Ill when he was just five. He did not immediately take to the water, and it took a couple of tries to pass Beginners. His stumbling block was the course requirement that the swimmer make one length of freestyle, all the way to the other side, without stopping.

After Beginners, he continued to work his way through the Y’s learn-to-swim program. He liked swimming and continued to learn as much as he could. When he was eight, a friend invited him to try out for the local swim team, the Bloomington Normal Swim Club, an AAU-Swimming club in central Illinois. He barely made the 25 yard freestyle cut; multiple lengths felt colossal. Nevertheless the coach, a former Pan-American backstroke champion and Brazilian swim star, let him onto the team.

Geoff devoted himself to swimming, and he loved it. By the time he was ten, he won high-point. Still, the swimming practices seemed long. Over time as he became stronger workouts became more tolerable. He competed on a regular basis in AAU Swimming and summer league swimming. By the time Geoff graduated from high school, he was All-Conference, and All-State. He excelled in the 50 and 100 freestyle events and managed to swim a good 50, 100 and 200 fly as well.

While in college, Geoff swam for recreation. But after graduation, he took up swimming again, this time as an open water / marathon swimmer. In 1987, he swam the English Channel by relay and won the Garnet-Martin Relay Trophy from the Channel Swimming Association. He continued other ocean swimming events through his mid-twenties. Then in his mid-thirties, he took up Masters Swimming, this time with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and vigor. Competing in world masters swimming events, he earned several FINA Top Ten World rankings in sprint, mid-distance and long-distance freestyle events.

Geoff began teaching and coaching more than three decades ago and continues to coach and teach individuals, groups, and teams. He is a Co-Founder of Dolphins of the Desert Swimming Academy. He is passionate about community service and launched the Learn To Swim program for inner-city youth at Imago Dei Middle School in 2008.

Marcus Titus — MASTERS SWIM COACH

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  • NCAA All-American in breaststroke and medley relay
  • 2012 Olympic Trials finalist, 100 breaststroke
  • Pan-American Games medalist (100 breast and 400 medley relay)
  • Member USA Swimming national team, 2009-2012
  • Deaf World Championships gold medalist
  • Arizona high school state champion

Marcus Titus is a native Tucsonan, specializing in the breaststroke with extensive national and international competitive swimming experience. Unlike most swimmers who start swimming at an early age, he didn’t begin his swimming career until high school. During this time, his coaches noticed that he had talent and encouraged him to specialize in the breaststroke.

After swimming in high school for two years, he joined the Tucson Ford Aquatics Swimming Club. In his high school senior year, he was State Champion in the 100 breaststroke and nearly broke the state record. In 2005, he was recruited by Arizona
State University by head coach Mike Chasson. During that year he broke the ASU 100yd breaststroke record, swimming
54.28. In 2006 he transferred to the University of Arizona where he continued to excel under the guidance of Coach Frank Busch. While swimming at the U of A he was part of the 2008 NCAA Championship Team, and broke the U of A 100 breaststroke record, swimming 52.21.

Marcus was very successful while on the USA National team. From 2009 to 2011 he was ranked in the nation’s Top 5, in the 100m breaststroke. In 2011, he swam in the Pan American Games and earned two medals, finishing 2nd for medley relay and 3rd in the 100m breaststroke. In 2011, he also swam in Portugal at the Deaf World Championships where he earned a total of eight medals for the Deaf USA Swim Team. Marcus inspired a lot of Deaf swimmers after the Deaf world championships, and also continues to inspire hearing swimmers as well. Marcus has an amazing talent showing that with dedication you can overcome hardships and compete at an elite level.

Julien Mathias – HEAD AGE GROUP COACH

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Julien Mathias was born in France and started swimming at 8 years old. He started as a breaststroker, but at 11 a shoulder injury forced him out of the water for nine months. He really wanted to go to the Franck Esposito (national age group championship), with just two months to qualify. With conviction and motivation, he qualified, starting his long-term swimming journey.

After that, he perfected his freestyle and became a long-distance swimmer. He qualified for the age group
championship in the 400 freestyle. In 2015, at the age of 20, he swam 4:02 in the 400-meter freestyle, and qualified for the French championship. He also completed a five-kilometer swim in one hour and 1 minute.

Julien is inspired by a great coach from Vichy Val d’Allier Natation, Renaud Laurent. He decided to follow his
passion and try to do the same work to inspire people to swim. He started training swimmers at the same
club where he swam. Then, he moved to Chamaliere Mont-Ferrand to study, coach, and swim for
the club team for 2 years. He came back to Vichy working for the club team, while also competing.

In September 2020 he obtained his green card, and moved to the United States in Florida, where he coached
20 swimmers. The best athlete was Nick Fabian, who qualified for the USA Swimming Futures Championship.

From April to July 2023, he coached the Tucson summer team Highland Vista, which finished second in the SAAA championship.

Alyssa Schwengel — ASSISTANT AGE GROUP COACH

Alyssa

  • Captain of the University of Arizona’s swim team beginning sophomore year
  • NCAA All American(honorable mention) in the 200 medley relay(2022)
  • NCAA qualifier in 200 free relay, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay(2022)
  • Specializes is sprint freestyle

Alyssa Schwengel began her swimming career at the early age of 3 on her local summer league team at the South Barrington Club in Illinois. Instead of training with kids her age, she quickly progressed to training with kids much older than her. By the time she was 5, she joined her local swim club, Barrington Swim Club but quickly transferred teams to Palatine Park District. There, she earned multiple Age Group Regional and State Championship titles. She also got to compete at three Zones meets throughout her age group career. At some point, Alyssa veered from the traditional swimming path and began being coached by her mom.

Alyssa swam for her high school varsity team for her sophomore through senior years. There she competed at the state level each year earning multiple all-state awards in both individual and relay events.

Alyssa has always had a passion and drive to swim and continued to pursue her dreams when she committed and signed to swim at the University of Arizona. She had a breakout freshman year, quickly earning best times in her events, making the championship final at the PAC-12 Championships, and qualifying to swim at the NCAA Championships in three relay events. During her sophomore year, she became team captain and continued to work hard and drop time. Alyssa will enter her Junior year at the University of Arizona in the fall of 2023.

Along with her passion for swimming, Alyssa has always had a love for coaching and has coached summer league since 2019. She enjoys watching kids learn to swim and learn to love the sport and want to continue to grow and improve.