RFSC COACHES

MICHAEL BRUDZINSKI  

Head Coach

I have been with RFSC since September of 2008, I was an assistant coach until May of 2011 when I became the Head Coach. Before that I was an assistant coach with OMNI swim club from 2004-2008. I have been involved with swimming since 2002; I swam for Tartan High School in Oakdale MN from 2002-2005, during which time I also swam/coached for OMNI swim club. In 2005, I began my undergraduate work at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and graduated with a degree in Mathematics with a double minor in History and Military Science. During my time at UWRF I swam all four years. I have been a serving member of the Army since 2006, and accepted my Commission as an Officer in July of 2009. I have been with various Engineer units throughout the state, and have deployed to Afghanistan (2012-2013) and Iraq (2016) over my career. I have a beautiful wife, Caitlin, and two adorable daughters, Amelia and Bria, who I am sure you will see on the pool deck on several occasions throughout the season!

MARISSA METZLER

Assistant Head Coach

My swimming career began with swimming lessons at 4 years old, and I've been in and around the pool ever since! I began swimming with RFSC in 2008, transitioning to a coaching role in 2015. Since then, I have also coached at OMNI Swim Club (2019-2020) & the Tartan High School Boys & Girls teams (2019-2025). I have always been interested in the biomechanics of swimming and enjoy helping swimmers use technique adjustments to reach their goals. I graduated with degrees in Biomedical Science & Animal Science (minoring in Math & Chemistry) from UWRF in 2021 and now have returned to college to complete my Nursing degree, which is why you may not see me on deck too often anymore! When I'm not at the pool or studying, I enjoy riding my horses, hiking with my dog, spending time with friends, and curling up on the couch with a good book.

KAYE ANDERSON

Coach

My journey with RFSC started in the fall of 2011 when I started swimming competitively. As a swimmer, my favorite events were 100 IM, 100 Breast, and 200 Breast. While I am no longer swimming competitively, I have never strayed too far from the pool deck. In 2017, I got my lifeguard certification and spent a few years working at the Hudson Y. I joined RFSC as a coach in 2019 and enjoyed coaching Novice through Seniors while I was in college at UWRF. Now that I have graduated, my day job is teaching high school English in New Richmond. With this transition, I took a step back from coaching and am now working more with our developmental instructors and youngest swimmers. I find so much joy in this position as I get to work with both our high school and college instructors and our developmental swimmers. It has been fun using my knowledge of curriculum development to adjust our lessons and skill progressions to better prepare our swimmers for competitive swimming.

BRYANNA ZILLMER

Coach

I started to swim with Eau Claire Aquatics Club in 2013 and then swam for 4 years at Memorial High School. While I was swimming, my favorite events were the 500 free and the 200 free. I have been teaching swim lessons to all ages and lifeguarding since 2019. I started coaching for River Falls Swim Club in 2021. I'm currently a student at UWRF, majoring in Finance and Accounting, with a minor in Economics. When I'm not in the pool, I'm enjoying the outdoors, playing with my dog, or just hanging out.

LAURA GILMEISTER

Coach

Hi, I am Laura Gilmeister. I am a 3rd year college student at UWRF for an Agribusiness degree. I am from Eland, WI and live on a small hobby farm. I swam competitively for 10 years. I have taught swim lessons for 6 years and coached competitive swim for 4 years. Other than swim, I love to be outdoors. Some of my favorite activities include hunting, fishing, hiking, and horseback riding.

KJERSTEN RICHTER

Coach

I have been swimming for the River Falls Swim Club since I was 8 years old. I have loved swimming longer than I can remember, so swimming seemed like the obvious sport to try. I started as an age grouper and never quit, swimming through my senior year on the River Falls High School team. My favorite events to compete in were the 100 Back, 200 Back and 100 IM. Coaching our Developmental classes was my first job and I got to see the program grow significantly over the five years that I taught. I spent a summer working as a lifeguard at a bible camp in Minnesota and am now back to coach our competitive swimmers!

JORDAN SALZMAN

Coach

Hello! I started coaching in September 2026 and am excited to be part of the team! I am a student at UW-River Falls studying Business Administration and Exercise and Sports Science. I started my swim career on my school's rec team at the age of five and swam with them all throughout High School. I competed on club teams at age 9 and in high school. My favorite stroke to swim is butterfly! Outside of swimming, I enjoy spending time outdoors, staying active, and being with my horses. I’m excited to share my love for swimming with others and help swimmers learn, grow, and have fun in the water!

EMILY SAWALL

Coach

I grew up in and around the water and taught swim lessons and lifeguarded a good portion of my high school career. I grew enamored with triathlon and thus have been swimming open water and competing in dozens of races since 2012, including 2 full distance Ironman triathlons. As both of my boys are swimmers and my husband is a swim official, we spend a lot of time on and around the pool deck. I have been coaching since 2018, starting in New Richmond and now with River Falls. I love coaching all ages, and have really enjoyed seeing the "lightbulb" moments when things click for the kids. Working with the masters program starting this year has also been really rewarding- showing that swimming really is a lifelong sport and so good for our bodies! When I'm not on deck I am occupied with completing my masters degree and serving as the Director of Foster Homes for a local Great Dane Rescue.

SARAH BERNINI

Coach

TBD

Board of Directors