RSA Coaching Staff
The coaching staff at RSA boasts a wide breadth of experience, a strong commitment to helping young student-athletes grow and a genuine passion for the sport of swimming.
Brent St. Pierre, Head Coach [email protected]
Coach Brent became the Head Coach of RSA in April of 2013. Coach Brent grew up in Cary, is a former RSA swimmer, a graduate of Cardinal Gibbons High School and a graduate of East Carolina University. He began his coaching career at his almamater, East Carolina, serving as assistant coach from 1994-1997. Coach Brent left East Carolina to coach for ten years at CCA of Roanoke, Virginia where he was named the Senior Coach of the Year in 2005. After leaving CCA, Coach Brent coached at NOVA of Virginia Aquatics from 2007 to 2013 where he was a four-time recipient of the Virginia Senior Coach of the Year award. In 2016, Coach Brent was a finalist for the 2016 Fitter and Faster Coach of the Year Award. During his career, Coach Brent has coached 2 Rhodes scholars, as well as multiple National Age Group record holders and Olympic Trials qualifiers, including participating in the early development of Olympic Gold Medalist Townley Haas and Olympic Medalist Claire Curzan.
Coach Brent and his wife, Babette, an Athens Drive High School graduate, live in Fuquay-Varina with their three children: Christopher, a college student; Andrew, a college student; and Maddie, a rising high schooler. When away from the pool, Brent enjoys spending time with his family in the Virginia mountains or hitting the links.
Megan Onstott,
Head Age Group Coach
Coach Megan joined RSA in the fall of 2015. Megan grew up in Austin, Texas. She was a National Merit Scholar and 2008 Olympic Trials qualifier, where she finished 25th in the 200M Breaststroke. She earned a BS in Sociology while swimming for Texas A&M University from 2009 through 2012. Coach Megan was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team, was a member of two Big 12 Championship teams, was named Team Captain as a Senior and attended the 2012 Olympic Trials for the 200M Breaststroke and the 400IM.
Coach Megan was the Head Age Group Coach at Carolina Aquatic Team (formerly Duke Aquatics) before joining RSA. While at RSA, she has coached North Carolina State Champions in the 10 and Under, 11-12 and 13-14 age groups. In addition, Coach Megan has coached Age Group Sectionals Champions, North Carolina Age Group Champions, North Carolina Age Group High Point Winners, Age Group Secional High Point Winners, Futures qualifiers and Junior Nationals qualifiers. Swimmers under Coach Megan's guidance have achieved over 180 times on RSA's All-Time Top 10 Times List and 16 RSA Team Records.
Off the pool deck, Coach Megan is passionate about giving back to the community. She is actively involved with several local organizations including Duke Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House. When she is not at the pool, Coach Megan enjoys spending time with her friends and family, gardening, raising chickens, and playing with her dog, Champ.
Elliot Hunt, Operations Manager and Lead Coach
Coach Elliot was born in Raleigh. He graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in Political Science.
Coach Elliot has been swimming for as long as he can remember. He was a member of his neighborhood summer swim team, a captain on his high school swim team and a member of the MOR swim team. After high school graduation, Coach Elliot joined the UNC club swim team, and has, most recently, been a member of RSA’s Masters group.
Coach Elliot joined RSA in 2014. He has been teaching swimming lessons and coaching RSA's youngest swim team members since Sonner opened its doors. He leads the SeaStar and Seahorse practice groups and evaluates athletes for RSA’s introductory groups, as well as managing RSA’s lesson program, Wahoo Swim Academy. Coach Elliot is passionate about growing Wahoo Swim Academy, and providing outreach lessons to our community.
Coach Elliot likes to spend his free time biking, reading, and playing video games.
Amy Hess,
Head Developmental Coach
Originally from Dallas, Texas where she swam for the Dallas Mustangs, Coach Amy joined RSA in 2022. She earned her B.A. in psychology and minors in health management and anthropology while swimming at Southern Methodist University from 2015-2019. While at SMU, Coach Amy was a member of the 2016 AAC Championship team and was named to the American Athletic All Conference Academic Team from 2017-2019.
Following graduation, Coach Amy spent a year in France as an au pair before returning to the States to coach for the Mustangs at the Bronze level (developmental level). In addition, Coach Amy was the Assistant Coach for Bishop Lynch High School, whose girl's program won the first girl’s swimming state championship in school history this year.
Coach Amy leads the Blackfin, Mackerel and Nova practice groups and assists with the PreSenior and Wahoo practice groups. Coach Amy coordinates evaluations for potential Sonner athletes who are over six years old.
Coach Amy has never strayed too far from the pool deck, having been a swim lesson instructor, a summer league coach, a swim camp counselor at SMU, a USAS swim coach and a swimmer. Off the pool deck, Coach Amy enjoys Masters swimming, reading, knitting, traveling, and spending time with her family.
John Hinton, Site Lead for the Bluffs and Lead Coach
Coach John joined RSA in 2018. He attended Raleigh Charter High School. Coach John is a NC State University graduate with a major in Communication.
Coach John started swimming when he was seven years old with the TCC Seahawks in Raleigh, NC. He continued swimming through high school. While at State, Coach John participated in club swimming and club water polo. His favorite events are the 100 Backstroke and the 100 Butterfly.
Coach John began coaching at Lifetime Fitness in Cary. He coached summer league and developmental year-round swimming prior to joining RSA as the lead coach for the Mackerel and Mako practice groups. Now the Site Lead for Bluffs programming, Coach John develops Bluffs programming and leads the Bluffs practice groups. In addition, Coach John coordinates evaluations for potential Bluffs athletes.
Away from the pool deck, Coach John spends his time weightlifting, hiking, paying too much for coffee and watching basketball. He enjoys anything sports-related and loves anything involving water.
David Cairns, Lead Coach and Lesson Instructor
Coach David joined RSA in 2020. He grew up in Durham and swam for Carolina Aquatic Club, formerly Duke Aquatics, from the time he was eleven years old until he graduated from high school. He also swam for his high school, Cardinal Gibbons.
Coach David attended Salisbury University in Maryland, graduating with a Communications degree. While at Salisbury University, he swam distance freestyle (1000 and the mile) and the 100 and 200 Butterfly. His favorite stroke is freestyle.
Coach David coaches the younger swim team athletes, working primarily with the Dolphin, Jack, and SeaStar practice groups. He also teaches swim lessons in Wahoo Swim Academy.
In his free time, he enjoys watching sports with friends, playing video games and reading.
Kristy Lai-Harris, Lead/Assistant Coach
Coach Kristy joined RSA in 2022. She has been coaching for the last eleven years, most recently for the past five years as an Assistant Coach for Snow Swimming in Virginia where she coached several developmental groups and ran dryland and sports conditioning workouts. Prior to coaching at Snow, Kristy was an Assistant Coach for the Reston YMCA where she led multiple age groups, including the Senior group and the Senior Prep group.
In addition, Coach Kristy coached the Potomac Falls High School swim team for the past four years. Several of her swimmers broke individual and school records with her leadership. Coach Kristy also coached the Armfield Farm summer swim team for the past seven years, leading them to multiple division wins.
Coach Kristy has an undergraduate degree in Organizational Communication/ Public Relations and a Masters degree in Graphic Design. Passionate about fitness, Kristy is a certified fitness instructor and a certified personal trainer. Throughout her career as a swim coach, she has been a certified trainer and integrated her knowledge of fitness and training into the development of athletes.
Coach Kristy’s primary responsibilities are leading the Senior Silver and Mako practice groups. She also assists with the Senior Gold and Nova practice groups and leads Cobia one day a week.
In her free time, Coach Kristy enjoys spending time with her husband and her three children.
Susan Pearson, Lead Coach and Lesson Instructor
Coach Susan joined RSA in the fall of 2021 as a lesson instructor and in-water coach. Prior to joining RSA, Coach Susan taught lessons for the City of Raleigh for ten years and coached the Millbrook Marlins Squirt Squad for seven years.
Coach Susan moved to Raleigh as a child and attended Broughton High School and East Carolina University. In addition to her time teaching for the City of Raleigh, Coach Susan spent over ten years in Europe ministering to children and their families walking in trauma as refugees. Swimming was the medium through which she was able to reach the children.
Coach Susan coaches the introductory swim team practice groups, leading the Tarpon and Seahorse groups. She also teaches lessons in Wahoo Swim Academy. Coach Susan is a trainer and entertainer at heart, helping children do what they do better and have fun doing it.
In her free time, Coach Susan loves to travel, read, eat good food and spend time with friends.
Jacob Cole, Lead/Assistant Coach
Coach Jacob was born and raised in Cary. He graduated from Luther College in Decorah, IA in 2017 with a major in mathematics and minors in writing and secondary education. In June of 2022, he graduated from NC State University with a Masters of Education in STEM Education with a mathematics concentration.
Coach Jacob has been swimming since before elementary school, starting on the Silverton Sharks in 2002, then swimming for WAVE and the TAC Titans in high school. He also swam for Luther College as a member of the men’s swim and dive team from 2014-2016. Coach Jacob coached for Silverton for six years and was the Assistant Head Coach for Lifetime Fitness for a year and a half.
Currently, Coach Jacob co-leads the Jack practice group and assists with the younger swim team practice groups as needed. He is also the Head Coach of the Raleigh Charter High School swim team.
After five years in the classroom, Coach Jacob has transitioned out of education and is working in the Client Services Department at Fidelity Investments. He spends what little free time he has listening to music, traveling, going to concerts, or taking advantage of being a Disney World Annual Passholder and visiting the parks.
