Our Team

Eric has developed a system over the last 12+ years that has created some of the top swim athletes in the country. He has been in the fitness industry for over 16 years, and his professional journey in fitness started in college where he majored in Exercise Science at Purdue University. Upon graduation, he worked as the head strength and conditioning coach of a club swim team near St. Louis. After spending three years on the pool deck as the dryland coach, he continued to work with high school swim athletes, while at the same time taking on new experiences that ranged from being the personal training manager in a multi-billion dollar fitness company, to working as the general manager and lead coach of a boutique group training gym. Through all of these experiences, his passion for working with and impacting competitive swimmers became more and more obvious to him. After three more years rounding out his knowledge of biomechanics and swim-specific performance training, he knew it was time to follow his heart and start focusing solely on dryland training. He felt the need for professionally designed swim-specific dryland training in the club swimming world, and wanted to create something that no other program could rival.

This is his passion and expertise, and with the sole focus being on SwimStrong Dryland, he continues to fine tune his skills and hunger to deliver the best world-class dryland program on the market. His 12 years of swim-specific experience uniquely positions him to help athletes reach goals they once thought impossible. Each dream achieved has made him dream bigger, reach higher, and desire to perfect his craft for the sake of the athletes and their families. He believes that dryland training should focus on more than just the body to get consistent results—the mind and heart must be strengthened as well. This belief led him to further his education and he received his Master’s Degree in Sports Psychology from Capella University. Inspiring young athletes to be not only phenomenal in the water, but phenomenal in their homes, schools, and communities is his passion. He wants to see the next generation positively impact the world and redefine the word “impossible”.

Eric lives in Miami, where he treasures spending time with his beautiful wife, Julia. In addition to SwimStrong Dryland, he enjoys traveling, hiking, sports, working out, reading, and watching great movies. He also enjoys visiting and spending time with his family members from the Midwest.

Credentials:

• Master of Science in Sport Psychology – Capella University
• Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science – Purdue University
• Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist – National Strength & Conditioning Association
• Functional Movement Systems (FMS)
• CrossFit Olympic Weightlifting
• National Academy of Sports Medicine (Resistance Training Blocks, Treadmill Interval Training, Indoor Rowing)

Brittany is a certified Sports Nutritionist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and Precision Nutrition. She also holds a Youth Nutrition Specialist certification through the International Youth Conditioning Association and is an Allied Health Professional through the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association. She strives to bring the most up-to-date, science-supported, and relevant nutrition education to all SwimStrong Dryland athletes, coaches, and parents via outstanding content, virtual webinars/seminars, and personal support. She also coaches a select few athletes in a small group setting.

Brittany has spent years creating nutrition education that will change the way swim athletes perform. Brittany was a competitive athlete herself from ages 5 to 18. In college, she began to realize she had been missing a key component of athletic performance her whole life – nutrition. She started making changes on her own and wanted to know everything she could about the field in order to help young athletes avoid the pitfalls she fell into.

Brittany is confident that nutrient-dense foods are crucial for peak athletic performance and that every swimmer has the ability to unlock hidden potential through proper fueling. She has experienced first-hand how a healthy relationship with food is a key starting point. She believes that habits hold great power, and that it is never too late to start implementing great habits that stick. These great habits will have a huge return on investment for the competitive swimmer’s performance, health, and well-being. She couldn’t be more excited to help meet the nutrition needs of the SwimStrong Dryland athletes!

Brittany lives on the Northside of Indianapolis with her husband, son, daughter and puppy. In addition to health and wellness, she enjoys bargain hunting, DIY projects, and spending time with close friends and family.

Credentials:

• Bachelor of Science – Purdue University
• Precision Nutrition Level 1 – Certified Exercise Nutrition Coach
• National Academy of Sports Medicine – Certified Sports Nutrition Coach
• Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association – Allied Health Professional
• International Youth Conditioning Association – Certified Youth Nutrition Specialist
• Nutrition Consulting Business Owner (2016 – 2019)

Bryan’s experience working with high school and collegiate swimmers is unparalleled, and he uses his wealth of knowledge and experience to continually transform SwimStrong Dryland into the premier swim-specific dryland program in the country. Bryan has been involved with the sport of swimming either as an athlete or a coach since he was 12 years old. He was a member of the club swim team in the St. Louis area where Eric Hudson began his swim-specific dryland coaching career. Bryan graduated high school in 2014 and earned a scholarship to swim at the Division 1 level. Graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, Bryan began his strength coaching career with internships at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, University of Illinois, and DePaul University.

After graduating, Bryan went on to earn his Master’s degree at the University of Louisville, where he graduated in 2020. While attending Louisville, Bryan interned with their Sports Performance Department, where he worked as a strength coach with the Louisville Swim Team for two years. He had the privilege of working with multiple Olympic athletes while at Louisville. He then went on to become the strength coach for the swim team at Lindenwood University in the St. Louis Area. In his two years with Lindenwood, he coached numerous Division 2 NCAA All-Americans, including an NCAA Champion, and he helped lead the women’s team to a conference title. With all his hands-on experience, Bryan was able to combine his knowledge as a former swimmer with the scientific training principles that are required to make swimmers faster in the water and more resilient to injury. Bryan now works full time with SwimStrong Dryland, making it his sole focus and passion to deliver the best possible dryland programming for our swim athletes. Bryan believes that we should never stop learning and researching so that we can always be growing and improving. He also believes dryland training should challenge athletes to develop both physically and mentally so they can be the best swimmer and person possible.

Bryan lives in Oregon with his wife Renae. In addition to SwimStrong Dryland, he loves spending time with his wife, their dogs (Duncan, Echo, and Atlas) and their cat (Moo). He also enjoys training, bass guitar, and the great outdoors.

Credentials:

• Master of Science in Exercise Physiology – University of Louisville
• Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science – Eastern Illinois University
• Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist – National Strength & Conditioning Association
• IYCA Youth Fitness Specialist – Level 1

Constantly involved with sports growing up, Sean developed a love for competition at a young age. It was not until high school, however, that Sean started to focus his competitive nature solely on swimming. As freshman, Sean had only tasted decent success in the sport of swimming, progressing at an average rate. Soon after teaming up with Eric Hudson, however, Sean began to see exponential improvement in the pool. These improvements were not only the result of a workout routine change, but also a mindset change that they had instilled. Sean’s mantra soon became “if you want something as bad as you want to breathe, you will be successful”. By the end of his high school career, Sean was an Olympic Trials Qualifier, YMCA National Champion, multiple time National Runner-Up, and a Virginia Tech Swimming and Diving commit. Sean went on to train with some of the fastest swimmers and brightest coaches in the world of swimming at VT, competing at meets like the NCAA Championship, ACC Championship, US Open, and US Nationals during his 4 year swimming career in Blacksburg, VA. During his time at Virginia Tech, Sean obtained a BS in Mining Engineering, with a minor in Environmental Engineering.

Through his 16-year swim career, Sean realized, though, that the sport of swimming is much larger than how fast you can move up and down a pool. Swimming taught him lessons of true hard work, self-determination, cooperation, respect, and leadership on a daily basis. Those are the most valuable achievements that he has taken away from the sport of swimming. Records can be broken, medals can be lost, but the virtues and leadership skills gained from swimming will last a lifetime. Sean was able to find these values in the leadership roles he held, as well as the many leaders that guided him during his career. It is one of his dreams to help the next generation of swimmers find the lifelong lessons that lie in the world of swimming by inspiring them to be the best leaders they can be, both in and out of the pool. He now works full time with SwimStrong Dryland to fulfill that dream, and hopes to inspire our swim athletes on a daily basis while making a positive lifelong impact.

Sean lives in St. Louis, and in addition to SwimStrong Dryland, he enjoys spending time outside, hiking, open water swimming, working out, and spending time with his dogs, family, and friends.

Credentials:

• Olympic Trials Qualifier
• NCAA Qualifier
• YMCA National Champion
• Illinois High School State Champion
• Multiple Time ACC Championship Finalist
• 4-year Athlete and Leader with Virginia Tech Swimming & Diving
• 5th Year Graduate Assistant Coach with Virginia Tech Swimming & Diving
• O’Fallon High School Swim Team Captain
• Fastest Reaction Time in the World in 2016 (.48), as far as he knows
• Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering, Minor in Environmental Engineering – Virginia Tech University

Credentials:

• Doctorate in Physical Therapy – Saint Louis University
• Master’s in Physical Therapy – Saint Louis University
• Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science – Saint Louis University
• Over 25 years of experience in Physical Therapy
• Over 15 years of experience working with swim athletes

Christine graduated from Purdue University in 2014 and has over a decade of business and administrative experience. She was a competitive athlete from childhood through high school and has a love of all sports. She has a passion for fitness and personal well-being, and enjoys learning about new ways to improve physically and mentally. Christine’s high character and care for people led her to want to make an impact with SwimStrong Dryland. She is continually creating new systems and procedures to make the delivery of the SwimStrong Dryland Program extremely efficient and practical.

As the Executive Assistant for SwimStrong Dryland, Christine works closely with team coaches, helps plan and execute major events, and handles a large number of administrative tasks in order to free up the rest of the team to focus on each of their specialities. This allows the SwimStrong Dryland Program to continually grow, evolve and thrive in powerful ways that positively impact every team and athlete we work with.

Christine lives Northwest of Indianapolis with her husband, two sons, and golden retriever. In addition to SwimStrong Dryland, she enjoys cooking, visiting new places and hiking with her family.

Greg brings a career’s worth of knowledge and experience as a strength and conditioning coach to the SwimStrong Dryland team. As the Director of Club Team Operations, Greg is in charge of the onboarding of new club teams and to ensure that coaches have everything they need to implement all facets of the SwimStrong Dryland program. Greg knows how difficult it is to develop a sound and effective dryland program and taking that burden off of the coaches’ shoulders is something he and the entire SwimStrong Dryland team take great pride in.

Early in Greg’s career, he served as a dryland coach for several high school and club teams. Back when the idea of strength training for swimming was questioned by many, Greg was giving seminars to high school coaches on the importance of adding dryland training to their program. He developed training programs and provided swim instruction to both swim athletes and triathletes of all ages and abilities. Greg’s time coaching dryland training as early as 1995 and his vast experience at all levels continues to fuel his passion and enthusiasm to be part of the continued growth and success of SwimStrong Dryland.

Greg began his journey as a strength coach by receiving a BS in biology and a Masters in Exercise Science. After competing as a collegiate decathlete on the Track and Field team, he became a graduate assistant coach and then a part time coach and strength coach for the university’s Track team. He also served several years as a rehabilitation specialist, and then he followed his passion to be a strength coach full time and became a successful and passionate business owner. For 25 years, Greg owned several businesses applying his knowledge and experience to athletes of all levels.

Greg lives just north of Philadelphia with his wife and two kids. He enjoys all outdoor activity, especially mountain biking, dirt biking, and backpacking. The other member of his family is Ansel, the family’s Rhodesian Ridgeback, which joins Greg on his mountain bike rides.

Credentials:

• Masters of Education in Movement Studies and Exercise Science
• Bachelor of Science in Biology/Pre Med
• USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coach
• USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach
• Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist – National Strength & Conditioning Association
• CrossFit Coach
• 30 years experience

Steve has over 11 years of experience in the fitness industry and improving human performance. His expertise helps continue to take the SwimStrong Dryland programming to new heights. He played football at Widener University where his desire to become more educated in athletic development began. Spring semester of his senior year he interned as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for Widener. That summer he then interned at Villanova and then became Widener’s Strength and Conditioning Coach that following fall.

Soon after, Steve went back to school to further his education in Exercise Science and Health Promotion, with a concentration in performance enhancement. During that time he worked with athletes of all ages and athletic backgrounds to help them achieve their highest goals. Steve is extremely passionate about giving the SwimStrong Dryland athletes the best programming possible. He is dedicated to constant research and development when it comes to the SwimStrong Dryland Programming, in order to continually learn the optimal ways to get results. His specific expertise with speed, power, and explosiveness uniquely positions him to give the SwimStrong Dryland athletes an edge over their competition. His passion and desire for the athletic development and success of SwimStrong Dryland athletes continues to grow everyday.

Steve enjoys spending time with his amazing wife, Maddie & his daughter, Camille. He is a big sports fan, and especially loves the Steelers.

Credentials:

• National Association of Speed/Explosion Level 2
• USA Weightlifting Level 1 – Olympic Weightlifting Coach
• National Academy of Sports Medicine – Performance Enhancement Specialist
• National Academy of Sports Medicine – Corrective Exercise Specialist
• National Academy of Sports Medicine – Certified Nutrition Coach
• National Academy of Sports Medicine – Certified Personal Trainer

Heather graduated from Purdue University in 2011 with a Bachelor’s in Business Management & from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2014 with a Master’s in Business Administration.  Heather not only has over a decade of administrative & business growth experience, but a passion for health & fitness as well.  Heather was a high school athlete who competed in both softball & cheerleading. She also went on to take part in two NPC bodybuilding competitions post-college.

As SwimStrong Dryland’s Director of Business Growth and Development, Heather assists the team with many administrative tasks, improving processes & functions, event planning and helping to grow the SwimStrong Dryland family.  Heather’s work will allow the team to focus more on the foundation of SwimStrong Dryland — the success and enjoyment of our athletes.

Heather lives North of Indianapolis with her husband (Aaron), her two huskies (Kiba & Kaia) & her two cats (Yoshi & Binx).  She enjoys playing competitive darts, traveling & spending time with loved ones.

Erika Pelaez, who has been part of the SwimStrong Dryland family since 2019, has been a swimmer since the age of 5. She has a strong passion for what Swimstrong Dryland is doing for its athletes, and hopes to educate athletes worldwide about the program.

Erika is a three-time USA National Junior team member, a four-time World Junior medalist, a two-time National High School record holder (SCM), a 57-time FGC record holder, a 13-time SSDL Record Holder, a five-time Florida High School State Record holder, and a 12-time Florida High-School State Champion. She was the youngest Olympic Trial Qualifier back in 2020 after qualifying for two events at the age of 13 (100 free, 100 back). She has also won two SSDL Athlete of the year awards.

Kaii Winkler, who has been part of the SwimStrong Dryland Family since 2019 has been competing since the age of 6. He has many years of experience with content creation, video editing, and has a passion for high quality content that will leave an impact on athletes around the globe and benefit their swim/life journey.

Kaii is a two-time USA National Junior Team member, a former World Junior Record holder, a three-time National Age Group Record holder, a three-time medalist at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships, a four-time National High School Record Holder (Two SCY, Two SCM), a 33-time FGC Record Holder, an 11-time SSDL Record Holder, a two-time Florida High School State Record Holder, and a four-time state champion. Kaii has also won the SSDL Athlete of the Year award three times in a row.