Our coaches are each highly qualified and experienced in the sport of diving as both athletes and coaches. Rubbing shoulders with accomplished teammates and coaches with experience at national and international championships and even the Olympics is a unique experience that brings out the best in each diver.
John joined the Mission Viejo Nadadores in January of 2022. Since his arrival, the Nadadores have had major success both Nationally and Internationally. The team won three Junior National Team Titles and three Women’s Team Titles and a US Open Team Title. Nadadores athletes have earned individual and synchro honors of 1 Senior National Title, 30 Junior National Titles, 2 Junior World Gold Medals, 1 Junior World Bronze Medal, 4 Junior Pan Am Gold Medals, 4 Junior Pan Am Silver Medals, 2 Junior Pan Am Bronze Medals, 3 Gold Medals in the TYR Junior Americas Cup and 2 Bronze medals at the Canada Cup. Coach John has been the Team USA Head Coach at every Junior International event since he has arrived at the Nadadores. In addition, he served as a Team USA coach at the 2025 World Championships as well as having a Nadador athlete participating in the 2024 World Championships.
John came to the Nadadores with 16 years of experience as a Head Diving Coach at various programs. Prior to the Nadadores, he was the National Team coach for The Woodlands Diving Academy. While there, he coached multiple Junior and Senior National Team athletes including 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist Laura Wilkinson, 2016 Olympian and 2024 Silver Medalist Kassidy Cook and Junior World Champion Maria Coburn. Prior to The Woodlands Diving Academy, John spent a year as the International Coach for the National Team divers at Purdue University. There he worked with 2012 Gold Medalist Davis Boudia, 2016 Silver Medalist Steele Johnson and 2021 and 2024 Olympian Brandon Loschiavo. John spent the prior 5 years as the Head Diving Coach of the Ohio State Diving Club. While there, the program won multiple National Team Titles and coached a multitude of Junior and Senior National Champions and International Medalists. The first part of his career John spent 8 years as the Owner and Head Coach of Dominion Dive Club in Northern Virginia. John built that team into a top 3 program in the country with multiple Junior National Champions and International Medalists.
In total, John has coached athletes to 64 Junior and 6 Senior National Championships as well as medalists at a multitude of Junior and Senior International competitions. John has coached athletes at every major international competition other than the Olympic Games.
John is a graduate of George Mason University with a B.A. in Government and International Politics with a minor in Islamic Studies. He is married to his wife Kelli and they have a son Finn (4) and a daughter Grace (Under 1).
Coach Lo (Lauren Thiel-Lopez) has been with the Nadadores since the fall of 2022. Prior to her move to Mission Viejo, she was the owner and head coach of East Valley Dive Club in Arizona. During her time in Arizona, she coached dozens of divers to compete at USA and AAU National championships and go on to compete Division 1 at the NCAA level. She has served on different boards and committees for USA Diving over her career, including junior rules representative and an association treasurer and secretary in Arizona. She has completed multiple coaching courses and trainings at the USOPC, including the Coach Accelerator Program, as a representative of USA Diving and has also served as a Team Leader for the 2017 Canada Cup.
In her time with the Nadadores, Coach Lo has helped coach our junior elite team divers to back-to-back National Championships in 2023 and 2024. She is in charge of the strength training programs and oversees our team warmups to aid our team in injury prevention and recovery. In addition to coaching the junior team, she is also the team’s event director and runs the competitions hosted at the MAC.
Away from the pool, Lo enjoys competing in the sport of Weightlifting that she began training in 2021. She also enjoys spending evenings and weekends with her husband, Jorge, and their dog Gannicus (Ganni). She enjoys trying new hobbies and will fill her time away from the pool reading, creating digital art, and dabbling in professional makeup artistry for events/photoshoots.
Grayson Campbell joined the Mission Viejo Nadadores in 2023, an already decorated 5 time USA Diving National Champion. Grayson joins our ranks as both a coach and a professional diver. Since joining the Nadadores, Grayson has represented Team USA at the 2024 World Championships on the Men’s 3m event after a 2nd place finish at the 2023 USA Diving Senior Nationals.
Grayson grew up diving in Vienna, Virgina with Dominion Dive Club under Nadadores Elite/High Performance Director, John Appleman, where he won 13 Junior National titles, and 6 Junior Pan American medals. Grayson then attended The University of Texas at Austin where he was a part of 2 NCAA National Championship winning teams, earning 7 First-Team All American honors. In his time at Texas, Grayson was a member of the USA Diving National team competing at the World Aquatics Championships, FINA Diving World Cup, FINA Grand Prix’s, and World University Games earning 2 Bronze Medals for Team USA. A finalist in the 2016 and 2021, and 2024 US Olympic Trials, Grayson will be training with the Nadadores as he looks to secure a spot on the US Olympic Team in LA 2028.
Grayson has always loved sharing his passion for diving, and experiences in the sport through coaching. He brings over 10 years of experience coaching athletes of all ages and skill levels, most recently working with the Texas Longhorn Aquatics club team in Austin, Texas.
Scott has joined the Nadadores as the Developmental Program Manager, bringing extensive experience from his previous role at the Woodlands Diving Academy in Houston, Texas, where he served since 2015. He earned his B.S. in Exercise Science from Indiana University in 1999. During his tenure at the Woodlands, Scott contributed to the development of multiple Junior National Champions and Senior National finalists and acted as Head Coach for various international teams.
Known for his organizational skills, thorough curriculum planning, effective communication, and strong rapport with young athletes, Scott demonstrates patience and dedication to the discipline of developmental diving. He is deeply committed to teaching essential skills and techniques that support an athlete’s long-term growth and success.
Scott and his wife Sara have two children: Private First Class Riley (18) and Kayla (16). Kayla, a Junior National Champion, Junior World Champion, and Senior National finalist, will be joining the Nadadores’ Elite group.
Maxwell Flory joins the Mission Viejo Nadadores as both a coach and a professional diver. Maxwell Flory grew up in Fairfax, Virginia diving at Dominion Dive Club. While at Dominion Dive Club, he won 12 Junior National titles, was a finalist in 3 Junior Pan-American Championships and Junior World Championships, and won 2 bronze medals in FINA Grand Prix. Maxwell then attended The University of Miami where he was a 5-time ACC Champion, 3-time ACC Most Valuable Diver, and 3-time NCAA All-American. During his time at Miami, Maxwell was a member of the USA Diving National team, competing in 3 World Championships, 4 World Cup Series, a Pan-American Games, winning a gold medal for Team USA at the Canada Cup. A 2-time USA Diving National champion and 3-time Olympic Trials finalist, Maxwell will be training with the Nadadores as he looks to secure a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team in LA 2028.
Maxwell’s passion for diving extends into helping others become their best, through both coaching and mentoring. Starting helping out at Dominion Dive Club, and going on to coach Tuckahoe Dive Team, and Miami Diving Club, Maxwell has 10 years of experience coaching. Recently, Maxwell created Diving Mentoring, a program where he works with athletes one-on-one to help them overcome setbacks and achieve their goals.
Derek Starks was born in La Jolla, CA in 1985 and started diving in Poway, CA in 1992. He dove for the Mission Viejo Nadadores from 1998-2003 winning a combined 4 individual JO West National and 2 USA Diving JO National events, as well as a bronze medal at JO World Championships and a three-event sweep at the Canada-USA Junior Challenge. After diving for the Nadadores, he attended the University of Miami from 2003-2007, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. During his time, he was a 3x NCAA All-American, BIG EAST Most Outstanding Diver, ACC Diver of the Year and qualified to the 2004 USA Olympic Team Trials.
After graduating from Miami, Starks returned to Mission Viejo to coach and became the team’s National and International Team Director from 2007-2013. He also continued diving for MVND until 2010. In 2013, Starks began his collegiate coaching journey at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where his divers broke nearly all team records and set a Western Athletic Conference record. In 2016, Starks was named the Head Diving Coach at the University of California, Berkeley. He spent 5 years at Cal, qualifying divers to NCAA Championships each season.
In 2021, Coach Derek took a break from the sport to explore the field of home remodeling construction as a licensed salesperson and project manager. His journey brought him back to Poway, where it all began and where his passion for Diving was re-inspired. In 2024, he began coaching the MVND-San Diego Satellite Program with Mike Hilde. Starks is now running that program, continuing to build and develop divers in the area with two local athletes qualifying for the USA Diving Junior Nationals in its inaugural season.
Dive mom to Kinley May, Shannon began her athletic career as a competitive Level 9 gymnast and was also a member of her high school’s diving team before transitioning into competitive cheerleading. She went on to become a multiple-time collegiate national champion with CSU Long Beach and the University of Louisville, an international champion with Team USA, and a world champion with Gymtyme Allstars. Shannon holds a Master of Education in Health Education from the University of Louisville.
Her diverse athletic background, combined with her education and more than 25 years of coaching experience gives her a unique understanding of the strength, flexibility, body awareness, and technical foundations shared across gymnastics, diving, and cheerleading. Today, she brings that experience full circle as the Head Dive and STUNT Coach at Orange Lutheran High School and Tumbling Program Lead at Mission Viejo Nadadores.
Fun Facts: You can find her on the cover of the Bring It On: All or Nothing movie, and she was 2 seconds away from winning $50k on ABC’s Wipeout TV show!
Teri Chamoures has been part of the Mission Viejo Nadadores family for over 17 years! Her role has been as a parent, coaching assistant for the Lessons program, and office administrator. Currently she serves as office manager, maintaining payroll, booking travel, and dealing with correspondence and billing. She attended Cypress College where she utilized her education to work in her family publishing business for 30 years.
It wasn’t until her own children; Michael & Makena competed in swimming & diving with MVND that she realized she had to be part of such a great organization! She loves seeing children achieve growing relationships with friends, academic success, and strong moral character through this organization. In her spare time she enjoys hanging out with friends & family, skiing, pickleball, and volunteering at the local animal shelter.
David’s diving career started at 5 years old, and continues to this day as he joined the Nadadores in 2019 as both an Assistant Coach and a Professional High Diver & Cliff Diver. David spent the majority of his JO years with Ed Goodman and Buck Smith at Legacy Diving, and then went on to dive under Adam Soldati at Purdue University. As a Boilermaker, David earned 7 NCAA All American Awards, 2 NCAA Academic All American Awards, a Big Ten Champion Title, 2 US National Champion Titles, and 2 World University Games Bronze Medals. He graduated from Purdue with a B.S. in Health and Human Sciences and his sights set on Medical School; however, after a summer performing in a water stunt show at an amusement park where he took his first dives from 20m, he shifted his plans to pursue the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
David qualified for the World Series in 2012 and was awarded ‘Rookie of the Year’ that season with 2 podium finishes. His first event win came in 2013 in Malcesine, Italy. David has now competed in over 50 countries, he has 15 podiums, and has represented Team USA in all 6 World Aquatics High Diving World Championships. David is an ambassador for the sport of High Diving advocating for an Olympic berth at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Coaching is as much a part of David’s diving career as competing. He took his first coaching job at 15 years old in his hometown of Sylvania, Ohio, and has continued coaching ever since. He’s coached alongside incredible coaches and programs like Purdue University, Legacy Diving, Eastern Michigan University, The University of Michigan, Northwestern University, and USC. David specializes in strength training and conditioning, high performance, overcoming fear, and cognitive skills development. He loves sharing his knowledge and experience, and giving back to the community that has provided him so many opportunities.
Collier began diving for Arapahoe High School in Littleton, Colorado his freshman year and joined Mile High Dive Club in Denver his sophomore year under Jenn Hess and Jack Perkins. His senior year of high school, he qualified for his first junior national championships in 2022. Collier joined the Mission Viejo Nadadores family in May 2026 after graduating from the University of Missouri. During his collegiate career under head coach Kyle Bogner and three different assistant coaches including Brandon Loschiavo (former Nadadore), he won an SEC championship silver medal on the 10m platform, bronze medal on the 1m springboard, and finished as the 3m NCAA Champion in March 2026. He was also voted Male Athlete of the Year at the University of Missouri for the 2025-2026 athletic season. Nationally, Collier came 2nd (3m) and 3rd (1m) individually and a 3rd in 3m synchro with Max Flory in 2025. He also finished 3rd in the 3m synchro event at the 2026 spring nationals. Internationally, Collier finished 13th in the 2025 World Championships in Singapore on the 3m springboard. The same year, he placed 2nd at the Canada Cup in Gatineau and 3rd at the Junior Pan American Games in Asuncion, Paraguay. In 2026, Collier won gold in the 3m synchro event with Max Flory at the Canada Cup in Windsor and silver at the Madrid Diving Invitational individually on the 3m springboard.
Off the pool deck as a diver, Collier enjoys coaching, spending time with his family, any type of game involving competition, trying different restaurants, reading, solving rubik’s cubes, watching movies, listening to music, and learning more about a potential career in banking or wealth management once his professional diving career comes to an end. He is thrilled to be a part of the Nadador family!
Lisa is an original home-grown Nadador, having started in dive lessons in 1981 (no, that’s not a typo!) under coaching legends Ron O’Brien and Jeff Schaffer. She’s a current Masters World and National Champion on 1 m, 3 m, and Platform and holds a FINA World Record for Women’s Masters Diving. She absolutely loves diving, coaching, and sharing the joy of this sport with others. She was an NCAA Division I (UCLA) and Sr National Championships semi-finalist and would tell you that the diving board has been her favorite toy growing up – as it is today.
She developed and managed, with Coaches David Burgering & Janet Ely, the Nadadores Dive Team’s first youth diving lessons program and launched the team’s first Masters program. As a coach and mentor, Lisa enjoys inspiring others in their personal pursuits to challenge themselves, enjoy vitality, and to achieve personal bests.
Lisa is an independent business owner for professional events and is a Certified Holistic Nutrition specialist. When she’s not on the boards herself, she loves to share her passion for vitality as a corporate speaker and writer on topics of performance nutrition, recovery, and healthy life habits. She also enjoys water & snow skiing, bike riding, international travel, painting, and time with her grandchildren.
Doe was the program director, manager and co-head coach of Pitt Aquatic Club Divers from 1979 to 2017. She and Julian Krug were instrumental in laying the training foundation for Olympians Karen LaFace (1992), David Pichler (1996, 2000), and Cassidy Krug (2012), plus an Olympic diving coach Nunzio Esposto (2016). They have produced 48 gold medals at the PIAA State Championships earned by 25 different divers. Doe also coached diving teams at Mt. Lebanon, Montour, Chartiers Valley, Quaker Valley and Oakland Catholic High Schools over the years.
Doe’s passion and service to the sport of diving go beyond coaching. She served on the broadcast crews of 9 Olympics: Los Angeles, Seoul, Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London, and Rio. She is an international certified AQUA diving judge and enjoys officiating NCAA, USA Diving and AQUA competitions. She has served as USA Team Leader to the Pan American Games, as well as Team Chaperone to the AQUA Junior World Championships and Junior Pan American Games. She has been chairman of Pennsylvania Association of USA Diving for decades.
Doe grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, earned her B.A. from Lawrence University, and M.S. from Indiana University. She is an avid hiker here in Southern California, and also enjoys yoga, pickleball, traveling, and lapidary arts.
Hi! My name is Adriana Dovidio, and currently I am a senior at Mission Viejo High School. I have been diving for about 7 years and love it! While I did a few sports before, nothing compared to diving. Ever since, I have been fortunate enough to be a member of the Nadadores Junior National Team! After my senior year, I will be attending the University of Iowa to continue my d1 diving career and as well as my academics. Outside of competing, I love coaching because it allows me to share the love and passion for this sport, as well as creating a fun and rewarding environment for everyone as they not only learn how to dive, but learn how to be a team!
Hi! My name is Charlotte Lantrip, and I’m currently a sophomore at Mission Viejo High School. Before discovering my love for diving, I spent nine years doing gymnastics before making the switch to Nadadores in 2022. Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to be a member of the Junior National Team. Looking ahead, one of my biggest goals is to attend the United States Naval Academy and continue diving at the collegiate level. Outside of competing, I love coaching because it gives me the opportunity to encourage young athletes, celebrate their progress, and help them develop both their skills and confidence. Being able to share my experience and inspire others to enjoy diving as much as I do is one of the most rewarding parts of coaching!
Emma Winslow-Smith doubles as an Administrative Assistant and Assistant Coach at the Nadadores. Emma grew up locally in Mission Viejo and trained first as a swimmer for 4 years, and later a diver for 8 years — 4 of those under Executive Director Michele Mitchell. She lettered in her freshman year of high school and went on to compete in the CIF Championships consistently throughout her career as a diver.
Emma began coaching 6 years ago when she stepped into the role of Swim School Instructor, then later moved back over to the Dive Program on her summer breaks from college. Having recently graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a BA in Film and Television, Emma is happy to have chosen the coaching side of the sport rather than continuing to compete at the collegiate level. Emma practices an encouraging and confidence-based coaching style to ensure athletes move forward with the skills to tackle their fears. When she’s not on the pool deck, you can most likely find Emma in the Dive Office helping with basic program operations for Teri Chamoures.
Hi! I’m Natalia San Jose, a senior at Mission Viejo High School, and I’ve been diving with the Elite Dive Team for five years. I’m a two-time All-American and have been on the National Team since 2022. I’m committed to TCU for the Class of 2027 and can’t wait to continue my diving career there! I’ve been coaching since 2023, and one of my favorite parts is working with kids and helping them learn new skills, build confidence, and have fun. I love sharing my passion for diving and can’t wait to help the next generation of divers grow and fall in love with the sport!
Ahmed Elsayed brings over 14 years of experience to MVN, having previously served as the head diving coach at Claremont Pomona Dive Club, where he led 4 different divers to the finals of the USADiving National Championships. His coaching career includes three years as an assistant diving coach at Crown Valley Divers in Laguna Niguel and two years at Rose Bowl Aquatics in Pasadena. He also serves as the head diving coach at Los-Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga.
Currently, Elsayed is the head diving coach for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, where he contributed significantly to the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams’ sweep of the SCIAC Championships in his first year. His coaching was particularly impactful for the Athenas, achieving a 1-2-3 finish on one-meter and three-meter diving events. He led 4 different Athenas CMS divers to qualify for NCAA DIII National Championships.
In addition to coaching, Elsayed competes in Masters diving and recently won a gold medal in the three-meter men’s springboard event, 2 Silver medals in the One-meter and Platform events for the 30-34 age group, and 2 golds medals in the three-meter and platform Synchronized Men’s events at the World Aquatics Masters Championships in Kyushu, Japan, on August 1, 2023. He is also a three-time USA Masters national champion in springboard and platform diving for the same age group. Elsayed used to be a member of the Egyptian national diving team (2000-2015).
Elsayed holds a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering management from Cairo University and a master’s degree in business administration from Westcliff University. He is a certified World Aquatics judge and holds certifications from USA Diving and AAU Diving.
In 2021 the Board of Directors of the Mission Viejo Nadadores Foundation hired Michele Mitchell to be their first Executive Director.
Her new role came after completing 4 years as the Head Diving Coach at the newly renovated Marguerite Aquatic Complex. A former Olympian for the Nadadores, Mitchell arrived back in Mission Viejo as her legacy job having retired from the University of Arizona after 22 years: 17 as Head Diving Coach and 5 years working in Athletic Administration.
During her tenure as the Nadadores head coach, she expanded the diving program from less than 60 divers to 200+, doubled the budget, significantly increased fundraising, and recruited numerous events, including the first FINA Grand Prix event held in the US in 30 years. Her divers won both individual national titles, and the national championship team title, the first one in 18 years.
Her personal diving accomplishments speak for themselves. Mitchell is a two-time Olympic Silver medalist on the 10-meter platform (1984 & 1988), World FINA Cup and Pan Am gold medalist and a 9x national champion among many other accolades.
She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and an M.A. in Sports Administration. She has served as Chair of the Board of Directors of USA Diving along with many other positions in the organization and Chair of the NCAA Swim and Dive Rules committee. She was a member of the University of Arizona Hall of Fame committee as well as the Gender Equity committee. She has served as a speaker for numerous corporations and has an extensive background in television and radio broadcasting – including the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games.
As Executive Director, Mitchell has been tasked with expanding the Nadadores aquatics programs, rebranding the team, enhancing fundraising, and positioning both the Nadadores and City of Mission Viejo for success leading up to the LA 2028 Games.
Michele has two children: Ariana, a Captain in the Army, and Dakota, a nuclear technician in the Navy. In her spare time, she enjoys jet skiing, riding bikes and keeping in touch with friends from around the world.
The Mission Viejo Nadadores foundation is a 501c3 charitable organization. The foundation is financially responsible for the sports of swimming and diving and operate under one EIN number diving has for representatives on the Board of Directors compromise of 16 members. The Board of Directors meet monthly in person on zoom to discuss matters of interest to both sports. The head dive/swim coach are considered leaders of the respective sports an answer to the Executive Director, who then reports to the foundation board. Board members are elected by the membership and have staggered terms of two years. Any member may run for election to open seats each September. All paying members in good standing are eligible to vote in the MVN foundation elections
