The Team

Mark McGrann

Mark is a senior coach at Melbourne Swimming Club, where he holds a leadership role within the coaching team. Originally from Ireland, Mark has coached at several well-regarded programs in Ireland and across Canada, including serving as Head Coach of a top-performing junior club. With a strong technical foundation and a supportive, performance-focused approach, Mark helps swimmers of all levels build racing skills, develop confidence, and progress confidently toward state, national, and international benchmarks.

Julie-Anne Roberts

Julie-Anne Roberts has become is a highly regarded national level coach after a decorated career as a swimmer. Roberts joined MSC from Surrey Park, where she had coached several medallists at National, National Age and State Championships. During her earlier tenure at Tigersharks, Roberts was selected as the Australian Youth Trans-Tasman Team.

Liam Pope

Liam has over 5 years coaching experience having coached at Surrey Park and Trinity Grammar School.He is passionate about supporting others both in the water and out, and has a great rapport with his swimmers. He has a great eye for the technical aspects of swimming and makes this his primary goal with the swimmers in fine tuning their technique.

Lucky Weerakkody

Lucky is an accredited Silver Licenced Coach (currently termed as Advanced) and has over 30 years experience coaching swimmers from introductory to elite levels including serving as an Australian National Paralympic Team coach at the World Championships held at Durbin, South Africa in 2006 and Manchester UK in 2005. Lucky joins MSC Geelong after being the Head coach with Kwinana Swimming club in Western Australia since July 2021 where he was awarded the Swimming WA Development coach of the year 2022 in his first year. Prior to arriving in WA, he worked as Performance Manager and Assistant Head Coach at Geelong Swimming Club and is well know for his ability to develop stroke technique as well as giving back to the swimming community.

Kerri Morley

We’re thrilled to welcome Kerri Morley to the MSC coaching team, leading the performance pathway at Mentone Girls' Grammar School. Kerri brings more than 25 years of experience across swimming, surf lifesaving, and kayaking coaching. A decorated athlete herself, Kerri competed at state and national levels in swimming before representing Australia as an Olympic kayaker at the 1992 Barcelona and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Her passion lies in helping young athletes develop a lifelong connection to sport, with swimming as a foundation for success, confidence, and wellbeing across all areas of life. Kerri is particularly enthusiastic about guiding swimmers on the journey toward State and National Age Championships. At MGGS, Kerri leads a structured development pathway designed to support growth at every level, from pre-competitive swimmers through to national-level performance. With her experience, energy, and athlete-centred approach, Kerri is a fantastic addition to MSC and a driving force behind the exciting future of the MGGS performance program. If you're interested in learning more about Kerri's squad or exploring the MGGS pathway, we’d love to hear from you - please get in touch!

Andy Warren

Having previously been the Head coach at Yarra Plenty Swimming Club and La Trobe University Swimming Club, Andy has a strong background with over 15 years experience coaching swimmers from introductory to elite including medallist at Australian Multi Class and Australian Age Championships.

Yash Patki

Yash is a former MSC national swimmer with a strong passion for stroke technique correction and development. He holds a Distinction in Sport and Exercise Science and is currently completing his Honours in Sports Biomechanics at Deakin University. Originally from India, Yash is a national silver medallist who specialised in Butterfly. He believes swimming is a sport of grace and rhythm, and enjoys combining enthusiasm with scientific principles to help young swimmers become technically refined. Yash aims to help athletes understand their “what’s”, “how’s”, and “why’s” - empowering them to become a “student of their own sport

Charlotte Anderson

Charlotte Anderson is a talented and enthusiastic young coach who brings a unique blend of energy, experience, and empathy to her role. A current member of Melbourne Swimming Club’s National Open Squad, Charlotte has over eight years of competitive swimming experience and has made finals at both age and open state championships. At just 17, Charlotte is already proving herself as a thoughtful and capable coach. She is passionate about creating a positive, inclusive environment that supports both skill development and enjoyment. Charlotte has a natural ability to connect with younger swimmers and is committed to helping each athlete feel confident, supported, and motivated as they progress toward their goals. Her fresh perspective and strong foundation in high-performance swimming make her a valuable part of the MSC coaching team.

Sydney Lofquist

Sydney Lofquist brings over 15 years of experience in competitive swimming and three years of coaching to the MSC team. A former student-athlete at both the University of Southern California and the University of Wisconsin, Sydney specialised in distance freestyle and the 400 IM. Her coaching career includes working with junior athletes at Badger Aquatic Club and high school swimmers, where she contributed to multiple conference and state championship titles. Sydney also served as the Graduate Assistant Coach at the University of Hawaii, playing a key role in the team’s conference title win during her time there. Sydney is passionate about helping swimmers develop strong technique, confidence, and a positive mindset. She fosters an environment that encourages growth, discipline, and teamwork, both in and out of the pool. Now pursuing her PhD at the University of Melbourne, she’s excited to return to coaching and share her experience with the next generation of athletes. Her combination of elite competitive background, coaching success, and enthusiasm for the sport makes her a valuable addition to the MSC coaching team.

Byron Ward

Byron brings a wealth of competitive swimming experience to his coaching, having proudly represented Melbourne Swimming Club at state finals. His journey also includes competing on the national stage at the Australian National Championships, reflecting his commitment to excellence and high performance. Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Primary Education at Deakin University, Byron combines his academic knowledge with practical experience working in a primary school setting. He is passionate about mentoring young athletes, helping them develop focus, confidence, and resilience. Byron thrives in environments that encourage growth and believes in building strong foundations that support lasting success both in and out of the pool.

Trent Pirihi

Trent has 10 years of experience developing youth athletes to become stronger, faster, and more powerful across dozens of sports. Over the last 3 years, he has worked closely with age swimmers, earning a reputation for helping youth athletes achieve their goals of being selected for state, representative, and national programs in their chosen sports. As the Head Coach of Inner Athlete Performance in Cheltenham, Trent assists individuals in returning to their sport post-injury and enhancing their sporting performance. He is passionate about working with youth, creating a facility and service he wished he had growing up. His coaching philosophy focuses on “filling in the gaps” and addressing the needs of athletes to ensure they can compete at their best.

Billy Zebra

Billy is a highly experienced strength and conditioning coach with an extensive background in elite youth pathways across football, swimming, surfing, and more. Over the past 6 years, Billy has guided many athletes in achieving their personal goals, focusing on athletic development and injury rehabilitation. Billy strives to create a fun, inclusive, and hardworking gym environment, bringing out the best in each athlete. He also works at Inner Athlete Performance in Cheltenham, supporting athletes across all sports to advance in their training and pursue excellence in their sport.

Laura Marks

Laura is an enthusiastic coach whose passion and dedication to strength and conditioning stems from her experience in various sporting communities and experiences. She is dedicated to helping all athletes achieve their goals and to be the best version of themselves. Laura’s personal sporting experiences alongside her professional experiences with AFL/VFL and AFLW/VFLW athletes has driven her promotion on the importance of strength and conditioning and how it assists individuals to excel in their sport.