Carolyn grew up in Pittsburgh, PA (an avid Steeler fan long before the 'Big Ben' era!!
She swam for Montour High School and the Chartiers Valley Swim Club. After
graduating from The College of Wooster in 1990, she continued coaching there for
two years. She moved to Bowling Green to be the Assistant Swimming Coach for
the BGSU men's and women's teams in August 1992. In August 1995, she went back
to school at BGSU, earning a 2nd teaching certificate and began coaching with the
Gators. In August 1997, she was promoted to Head Coach. Carolyn is married and
has two children (CJ and Maggie).
Gary Layne - Senior Coach (High School)
Gary has been with BGSC since the year round program began in the fall of 1982. He grew
up in Findlay, Ohio where he began his swimming career. After being discharged from the
Navy, he attended George Williams College and then returned to Northwest Ohio where his
coaching career began. Gary is married and has two children (CJ and Maggie).
Parents/swimmers needing to contact Gary: The best way to reach him is via email any time of the day.
George Leatherman - Head Age Group Coach / Lead Coach, Age Group Blue
Coach George is an American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) certified Level 3 coach. He spent 6 years as Head Coach
of Findlay Area Swim Team where they won several Small Team Age Group State Championships, produced Age Group Zone
Qualifiers, USA Sectional and Junior National Qualifiers. In his 14 years of coaching, he has had the pleasure of coaching
many Age Group State Champion swimmers, National Top 16 Qualifiers, and some of his former swimmers have gone on to Olympic
Trials. Along with coaching, George is also the owner of A&M Aquatics, LLC, an American Red Cross Authorized Provider for
CPR, First Aid, and Lifeguard training. He also coaches his own Masters Team, Hancock Masters Swimming. George was a 3 time
High School State qualifier and swam for the University of Kentucky and the University of Findlay where he also played
waterpolo. His wife Sheri works for The University of Findlay. They have 2 daughters, Abby and Mia. If you have any questions,
please don't hesitate to contact him!
Meg Simon - Assistant Coach, Age Group Blue
Megan Simon was a competitive swimmer for 19 years. She swam as a member of F.A.S.T (Findlay Area Swim Team)
and SPY (Springfield YMCA). Megan was a four year State Qualifier in the 50 and 100 Freestyle at Shawnee High
School in Springfield, Ohio. She continued her swimming career at Bowling Green State University as a two-year
team captain and four-year Varsity Letter winner. During her time at BGSU Megan held eight school records.
Currently, she still holds records in the 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle, 200 Medley Relay, 400
Freestyle Relay, and 800 Freestyle Relay.
After her personal swimming career ended, Megan continued on as a coach. She spent a year as a Student-
Assistant with BGSU alongside current coach Petra Martin. She spent two summers as the Head Swim Coach and
Co-Pool Manager at the Sylvania Country club from 2010-2012. During her time with the Sylvania Country Club
she also taught swim lessons. Megan is currently in her second season as the Head Men’s and Women’s Swimming
Coach at Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio. Megan Has been a member of the BGSC coaching staff
since the Spring of 2012.
Cathy Moeller - Assistant Coach, Age Group
Keri Buff - Lead Coach, 8 & unders(Summer Only)
Nancy grew up in Yorktown, Virginia and swam for Tabb High School and the Coast Guard Blue Dolphins.
She attended Bowling Green State University, where she was the 1997 and 1999 BGSU Swimmer of the Year
for recording the highest point total at the MAC Championships. During her tenure at BGSU, she set
two school records in the 100 and 200 backstroke. Nancy graduated from BGSU in 2000 with a degree in
interpersonal communication. Nancy is married to Chad and has three children (Mia, Jake, and Katie).
Nora Dobias - 8 & unders, Sooner or Later Gaters
Nora is from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and moved to Ohio to attend BGSU, though she is currently
taking a break from being a psychology major. She was a competitive swimmer from age 5 and through high
school. She has many years experience working in a pool setting from lifeguarding to being a swim
instructor. Her favorite event is the 100 Backstroke!
Evan Vocke - Assistant Coach, 8 & unders
Evan grew up in Napoleon, Ohio. He swam for the Napoleon Aquatic Club and Napoleon High School. Evan is
currently a freshman at BGSU and is majoring in finance. He swam for NAC for 13 years and is the son of
current Napoleon High School head coach, Larry Vocke. Evan coached for one summer with NAC before joining
BGSC this season.
Petra Martin – Senior Coach(Summer Only)
Petra began her tenure as the BGSU Head Coach in the fall of 2010. third season at the helm of the Bowling
Green State University women's swimming program in 2012. Martin came to the Falcons with eight years of
experience with the Czech National Swim Team, three years of experience as a member of the University of
Maryland swim team, four years of experience as an assistant coach in the collegiate ranks, and several
years of experience through stints as coach of various age group swim teams. At the time of her hiring,
she had most recently spent three seasons as an assistant coach at George Mason University. While at George
Mason, she coached several World Championship trials qualifiers and worked directly with swimmers who
finished as high as second at the NCAA National Championships. She competed internationally for the Czech
National Swim Team from 1996-2004 and represented the team at various events, including the European
Championships. Martin was ranked in the top 25 worldwide in the 50 butterfly and the 50 freestyle during
the year 2000. In that same year, she broke a Czech national record. After earning three separate degrees
at Maryland, Martin secured a bachelors degree in physical education from Emory University’s Oxford College
in 2004. She is married to Andrew Martin, a former All-American swimmer at Kenyon College, and the couple
has a daughter, Caden.
Mike Shelby – Senior Coach(Summer Only)
Michael Shelby began had tenure as Bowling Green State University's assistant swimming coach in the spring
of 2011. Prior to BGSU, Shelby served as assistant coach to Paul Graham at Ashland University for three seasons.
While at Ashland, Shelby was involved in every aspect of the men's and women's teams -- teams that Shelby
helped coach to enormous success in the pool. Prior to coaching at Ashland, Shelby coached for two years as
a graduate assistant at Ohio University. While with the Bobcats, he was active in recruiting. He also designed
and implemented workout regimens for the sprint group. Shelby attended Ohio University as an undergraduate and
graduated in 2005. While an undergrad, he swam for the Bobcats. As a swimmer, Shelby qualified for and competed
at the World Championship trials in April 2005. He holds OU records in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays
and won MAC gold medals in the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle relay. Shelby also owned the 18-24 year-old Masters
national record in the 50 butterfly.
