Coach Talia has led the West Fargo Flyers since October 2020, bringing over two decades of coaching experience across club, high school, and collegiate swimming. Prior to joining the Flyers, she spent 10 years with the FM Gators (8 as Head Coach) and two seasons as Head Coach of the Concordia College Women’s Swimming & Diving team, where she guided the Cobbers to 10 team records and multiple top-10 MIAC Championship finishes.

A long-time presence in North Dakota high school athletics, Talia has served as Head Coach of the Fargo North Spartans Girls Swim Team for 21 years. Under her leadership, the Spartans have earned 4 EDC team titles, 30+ individual EDC champions, 18 individual state champions, 2 state relay titles, and 1 team state championship. Her coaching excellence has been recognized with a 2 time selection as the NDLSC Coach Of The Year,  6 EDC Coach of the Year awards, 4 ND State High School Coach of the Year honors, and Talia is also a 2 time National High School Coach Of The Year Finalist. 

Talia has served on the ND Zones Coaching Staff 9 times, including 6 as Head Coach, and has helped many athletes reach collegiate levels from JUCO to NCAA Division I.

Beyond swimming, Talia also coached high school track & field for 15 years, including time as Head Coach at Fargo North.

As an athlete, Talia started competitive swimming with the neighborhood team, the Harry Howland Frog Spit, when she was 11 years old.  Talia then swam for the FM Gators, where she earned multiple state titles over her 8 year career as a Gators. Talia also swam for 6 years for the Fargo North Spartans.  As a Spartan she held the school records (now broken by athletes she has had the pleasure of coaching!) in the 100 butterfly, 500 freestyle, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay and 400 free relay. Talia was a 6 time EDC all conference swimmer, 3 time All State Team member, EDC Senior Athlete Of The Year and ND State Senior Athlete Of The Year.

She went on to compete in track & field at the University of North Dakota, becoming an NCAA Division II All-American in discus and setting a now-retired NCC record.

She lives in Fargo with her husband Eric, their two children, Merritt and Micah, and their rescue dog Louie. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors, gardening, cheering on the Timberwolves, and spending time with family.

Coach Barb brings over 30 years of coaching experience to the pool deck, with the last eight years focused on coaching both club and high school varsity swimming. A Mandan, ND native, Barb began swimming in fifth grade with the Mandan Marlins and swam for Mandan High School, where she briefly held the school record in the 100 butterfly.

Barb’s coaching journey began in high school varsity tennis, where she led the Fargo North Spartans Girls Tennis team to a state championship in her final season as head coach. She later transitioned to swimming, where her passion for the sport and its athletes has flourished.

Barb loves coaching because, in her words, “Swimmers and divers are fun people and hard workers. Swimming is a great sport but not an easy sport, so I admire those young people who choose to swim. I enjoy coaching new skills and watching them improve every week.”

Outside of the pool, Barb is married to a fellow swim coach and retired teacher. Together they have two sons who both swam for Fargo North High School—coached by their dad—and competed in multiple sports. Their oldest son serves in the MN Air Guard, competes in CrossFit, is married, and has a dog named Lewis (with plans for a future dog named Clark). Their youngest is preparing to graduate college and begin his career. As a co-head coach for the West Fargo Packers Boys team, Barb has had the unique experience of coaching against her own sons—leading to plenty of memorable family moments.

I started swimming when I was around 10 or 11 years old. I swam club for the FMY Gators and swam high school for the Fargo North Spartans. I attended 4 YMCA National swim meets with the Gators under Coach Talia and helped the Spartans to a state title in 2012, again, under Coach Talia. I continued my swimming career at the University of North Dakota for three more years, until the unfortunate end of the university program in 2017. While swimming for UND, I was part of a conference championship winning medley relay, clocking in a new school record in the process. Representing North Dakota my entire swimming career was the highlight of all my swimming years. I coached with the Flyers on and off from 2019-2021 and returned May of 2025. 

I enjoy reading (I'm into mysteries right now), painting, and traveling to new places. 

I have my mom and dad, a younger sister, and an older sister who has 3, soon to be 4, kids. Both of my sisters have dogs, Peach is a 4 year old pit bull sweetheart and King is a crazy 9-year-old black lab. Both hold lots of space in my heart. 

I grew to love the 200-yard backstroke in college. I enjoyed the 200-yard IM and 100-yard backstroke, too. I spent most of my swimming career swimming in those three events. 

I decided to become a coach because I love the sport of swimming. I hope I'm able to guide young athletes to strive for the greatest version of themselves, create lasting friendships and memories, and appreciate hard work. Swimming was so fun for me as a young athlete because of the coaches I had (thank you, Coach Talia!). I want to be that coach for these swimmers. 

Coach Maggie is originally from a small town in Minnesota where she swam for the Hwy 12 Waves. Eventually she moved to Mandan, ND, where she swam for Mandan High School and the Marlins club team. She primarily swam the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke. Maggie looks up to the coaches who have taught her over the years, including Jackie Hicks and Ralph Manley.

Maggie began coaching with WFF in the fall of 2023 and has been so happy to be back on deck! She loves seeing athletes feel accomplished and excited to learn a new skill and begin mastering it!

When she is not at the pool, Maggie is a 7th Grade English teacher in Fargo. She also works at the International Music Camp in the summers as an equipment manager and was a camper there for 6 years! Maggie also enjoys spending time outside either biking or working in her garden. You can also find Maggie with her nose in a book, with a yearly goal of beating the number of books she read in the year before.

Brody started swimming with the West Fargo Flyers when he was 10 years old. He is now a Senior at West Fargo High School and will swim for the Packer this winter and still swims for the Flyers. Brody has verbally committed to swimming for Indiana University after he graduates. Go Hoosiers!

Outside of the pool, Brody enjoys spending time at the lake with my family, coding and gaming, reading, and doing triathlons – he competed in three triathlons last summer after the long course season was done!  

My mom (Kristi) is a paramedic, and my dad (Jeremy) is a firefighter. My brother Logan swims with me for the Flyers and the Packers. My cousin, Olivia Rasmussen, also swims for the Flyers!

My favorite pool is the HAC – I have competed in many pools across the US, and every time I come back home and swim in the HAC I am thankful for our incredible pool!

I wanted to become a coach because I really enjoy kids and thought that I could help share some of the things that I have learned with them to help them become better swimmers. I hope that they will eventually love swimming as much as I do!

Coach Holly brings a lifelong love of swimming and an impressive athletic background to the West Fargo Flyers coaching staff. Originally from Minot, ND, Holly began swimming with the Minot Swim Club at the age of 5 and joined the Minot High School varsity team in 7th grade. A versatile swimmer, she focused on butterfly and IM, becoming the ND State Champion in the 100 Butterfly three consecutive years. She also contributed to multiple state champion medley and freestyle relay teams and was named North Dakota Swimmer of the Year her senior season. In 2011, Holly was inducted into the Minot High Hall of Fame.

She went on to swim at the University of North Dakota (UND) on scholarship, earning All-American honors in butterfly, IM, and backstroke. She was a key member of UND’s National Champion 200 and 400 Medley Relay teams at the NCAA Division II Championships in 1999.

Holly’s coaching journey began as a swim lessons instructor in her youth, then assisting summer club coaching in Minot and later the Fargo North Girls team. After a few years of officiating high school meets, she returned to coaching in 2019 with the West Fargo Flyers.

Holly is passionate about sharing her love for the sport: “I love the smell of chlorine and the sound of water. Watching kids improve, get excited about great races, and form friendships—those are the best parts of coaching.”

Outside of coaching, Holly is a Pharmacist at The Prescription Shop in West Fargo. She and her husband Ryan have two children—Dax and Elin. Elin, now 8, swims for the Flyers, carrying on the family’s swim legacy. The family also enjoys sports, skiing, lake life, traveling, and spending time with their dog and horse.

Coming Soon!

Coach EJ is a proud West Fargo native who began her swimming journey with the Flyers at age 9. She continued with the team through high school while also competing for the West Fargo Packers, where her favorite events were the 100 Butterfly and 200 Breaststroke.

EJ joined the Flyers coaching staff in December 2022 and has quickly become a valued part of the team. She enjoys collaborating with her fellow coaches, learning new techniques, and—most of all—watching young swimmers fall in love with the sport. “I love seeing athletes be proud of themselves for all the hard work they’ve put in,” she says.

Outside the pool, EJ works as a classroom assistant at Go Beyond Childcare & Preschool, helping children ages 3–6 learn through play and hands-on experiences. She also volunteers weekly at Cats Cradle Shelter in Fargo, showing her compassion extends beyond the pool deck.

At home, EJ enjoys spending time with her family and her pets: Layla, an Irish Setter/Golden Retriever mix, two chinchillas named Cloud and Yuno, and a bearded dragon named Florence.

Coach Jordan started swimming a little later than most—beginning in 5th grade—and continued through her junior year of high school. Jordan swam for both the Flyers and the Packers, specializing in the 200 and 500 freestyle events.

Outside of swimming, Jordan work in the social work field. In her free time, she loves spending summer days at the lake, rewatching the same five favorite shows, and diving into a good book. During the summer months, Jordan and her boyfriend also stay busy running racehorses.

Jordan chose to become a coach because she genuinely loves the sport. Being able to help the next generation fall in love with swimming brings her so much joy, and she's excited to be part of their journey.

Lisa is a West Fargo Swim Team original.  In the summer of 1977 she joined the West Fargo Frogs as the swim team began.  She swam on the team through HS graduation in 1987, with 6 years on the West Fargo Packers team as well.  She stated that she has nothing but incredible memories of her days swimming; this is a sport she has always loved and is grateful for the opportunity to give back in some way.  That opportunity came when her own four kids became swimmers after a “tour of sports”.  Her competitive swimming had a revival a few years ago swimming the last meet in Berger and the first meet in Hulbert.  Now she is much more capable as an official, volunteer, or coach!  It doesn’t matter where, she just likes being around the sport.

Her coaching experience started later than most.  While in college she helped with some HS coaching but didn’t come back to it until about 10 years ago.  She has been a Flyers coach during that time and also the West Fargo Packers Boys Swim and Dive Co-Head Coach with fellow Flyer Coach, Barb Fisher.  She has also had the opportunity to be an assistant coach for Team ND Zone Team for five years and the All-Star team for three years.  

Lisa's favorite thing about coaching is "watching a novice swimmer improve month after month.  Seeing their excitement when they swim a best time, do something legally for the first time, learn a new skill, watching them have fun with their friends, and laughing, lots and lots of laughing with them every day."

Outside of the pool, Lisa and her husband Paul, have been married for nearly 30 years raising four incredible young adults, who have also been swimmers for the Flyers and Packers.  They have had 2 black labs and currently have 2 cats who adopted them.  Her professional life is as a Professor at NDSU in Biological Sciences where she studies discipline-based education research, or in lay terms, she studies how people learn and work to make the classroom a better place for everyone to learn.  She "loves helping developing minds and bodies learn new things."

Sarah is from West Fargo, ND and is a Flyer alum! She started swimming at 6 and continued with the team for 15 years, also swimming for the West Fargo Packers in high school. Sarah began coaching the Packers first, but love the club swimming community - and the nearly year round schedule, so I decided to start coaching for the Flyers with my mom! She has been coaching the Flyers and Packer Girls for 3 years now, starting in 2021

I grew up swimming for the Flyers and the Packers! I started swimming the summer season before first grade and continued through high school graduation. 

When she's not at the pool Sarah teaches 7th grade science at Liberty Middle School, works as an arborist for the City of West Fargo. In her free time she enjoys walking her dog, READING, cooking, playing board games, family time, anything Biology related, and the good 'ol outdoors! 

Sarah's Mom is Coach Lisa, and her youngest sister is Coach Ella! She also have an older brother and a middle sister - you can usually find her working the timing system at swim meets. Sarah has been married to her college sweetheart, Jacob for 2 years. Sarah & Jacob just recently adopted a black lab mix named Gordo, and they have a 7-year-old rabbit named Pot Roast. 

Sarah's favorite thing about coaching is watching the new swimmers get excited over new experiences: skills they learned, first swim meet nerves, and the sense of community the kids will feel on the team. Her best friend of over 15 years was made on the L.E. Berger pool deck during her career as a Flyers swimmer!

Coach Kaylee brings a strong background in both swimming and officiating to the West Fargo Flyers. Originally from Minot, ND, she began swimming in 2^nd Grade and competed for Minot High School, where breaststroke was her specialty. She joined the Flyers coaching staff in 2021 and quickly became a valued part of the team. One of her favorite coaching moments is seeing swimmers master new skills, especially milestones like a legal whip kick!

In addition to coaching, Kaylee has been a swimming & diving official for six years, often found on deck at high school meets around North Dakota. She also serves the sport in a leadership role as Secretary for the North Dakota LSC Board, helping shape the future of swimming in the state.

Outside of swimming, Kaylee works as a Clinical Perfusionist at Sanford Health. Her family includes her parents in Minot and her brother Josh, who recently moved to Fargo with his family—making Kaylee a very proud aunt to a new baby niece!

When she’s not at the pool or hospital, Kaylee enjoys spending time outdoors, biking, walking, or reading. She’s also passionate about woodworking (her handmade blanket ladders are a must-see!), cheering for UND Sports and the Green Bay Packers, and playing with her two beloved dogs- Little Bear and Honey Girl-. Just ask—she’s always happy to show off pictures of her pups!

Kaylee originally started coaching to get involved in her new community, but she continues because of her love for the sport, her teammates ("hanging out with Tal & Barb"), and the opportunity to make a lasting impact on athletes across West Fargo and North Dakota.

Coach Matt is a Fargo native whose lifelong connection to swimming began at age 10 when he joined club swimming—under the coaching of none other than Coach Talia. During high school, he swam for the Fargo South Bruins, specializing in butterfly and backstroke.

Matt continued his swimming career at St. John’s University, competing all four years as a collegiate athlete and also participating on the school’s Water Polo club team.

After returning to Fargo post-graduation, Matt began coaching with the Fargo Davies Boys Swim & Dive Team, where he has served as an assistant coach for eight seasons. In 2018, he joined the West Fargo High School Girls Swim & Dive team, becoming the Head Coach of the Packers program. He also began coaching with the West Fargo Flyers in 2021.

Matt loves the technical side of the sport and is passionate about helping swimmers refine their strokes and celebrate the hard-earned results. His favorite moment on deck is watching athletes reach their goals—especially when they drop time. His favorite event? The 100 yard butterfly.

Off the pool deck, Matt enjoys movies, traveling with his wife Meghan, and taking walks with their dog, Macchiato.

Coach Leslie grew up in a small town nestled in the heart of the Black Hills of South Dakota, where her passion for aquatics first began. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Recreation Administration with a specialization in Aquatics from the University of Northern Colorado.  

Leslie’s professional journey took her to the YMCA of Snohomish County in Washington, where she served as a Senior Program Director. During her time there, she became Faculty for the YMCA of the USA, traveling up and down the West Coast to teach and train. With a career that spans teaching swimmers from 6months to 99 years old. Leslie brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep love for instruction to the pool deck. Teaching and training remain among her greatest joys.

In 2022, she returned to the Black Hills and began coaching for the GREAT swim team, where her talent for breaking down strokes and rebuilding technique stood out. She was mentored by the late Beth Eldridge, during the merger of the two Rapid City teams that became Rushmore Tsunami. Leslie played a key role during this transition, providing steady guidance and challenge to swimmers at all levels.

She joined the Flyers in October 2024 and enjoys working with athletes across a wide range of competitive experiences. Her love for aquatics runs deep, and she’s happiest when helping others discover the joy of swimming. As Leslie says, “There’s something for everyone when it comes to pools.”

Outside of coaching, Leslie is the proud mom of Teagan, a 2025 graduate of the University of Oregon, Eugene, with a B.S. in Neuroscience. She also shares her home with Princess, a 15-year-old cat who has successfully moved with the family multiple times over the past few years—though she’ll tell you Princess really belongs to Teagan.

When she’s not at the pool, Leslie can be found working at Shanley High School, spending time with her special guy, or enjoying her many hobbies: music, baking, outdoor adventures, cross stitch, puzzles and travel.