Coach Emily Graham was born and raised in Rose Park (RP Represent!) and trained and competed on behalf of Race Swami for 6 years. Her love for this program has never been stronger. Emily graduated from West High in 2019 and completed her BS in Exercise Science from Utah Tech University in 2024. As a certified Health and Wellness Coach, Emily has a deep appreciation for health and athletics and wants to share her knowledge to all her swimmers.

Emily coached for Race Swami for one season in 2022, heading the Kairos group. She left to finish her education in St. George, UT, but is ecstatic to be back on the pool deck in Rose Park and to have the opportunity to live out her dream job of leading something as special as the Race Swami program.

Emily’s goal as Head Coach is to bring an experience similar to her own when she was part of the Swami lore: one of fun, hard work, friendships, and a love for the sport of swimming. As she put it, “Race Swami is more than a swim team, it’s a family that helped teach me how to persevere during challenging times, to make the most out of every situation… And to have fun while doing it.”

Emily still loves all things swimming (and athletics) as she continues to train for various activities including triathlons and road bike races. She is also a coach for the Rowland Hall Boys and Girls swim teams, and is excited for the opportunity to bring her love for the sport to more people!

When Emily is not at the pool or the gym, she enjoys spending time with her family, her husband Thomas, and her two kitties.

Coach Jenny has been with the Race Swami staff since 2022, working primarily with the “Kaizen Group,” formerly known as our Rising Swami I developmental group. Jenny takes a methodical approach to assisting each SWAMI with their stroke technique as well as making sure her kiddos are having fun. During her 3 years with the program, Jenny has done an amazing job in ensuring her swimmers are progressing enough that they get moved up to the Kairos Group and that they have a firm foundation for beautiful swimming and having a proficiency for the details.

Co-Founder and long-time swim coach Matt Finnigan grew up in the swimming hotbed of Northern California's Bay Area, swimming for over 12 years at the Los Altos Aquatic Club. Matt's most notable tutelage in the sport came under the direction of the late Kevin Perry, whom he trained under for seven years at LAAC. Before coaching Race Swami's Salt Lake City site for ten years (2011-2021), Matt coached the Judge Memorial Catholic High School Boys and Girls swim teams to six Utah state titles in 8 years. Matt retired from the pool deck in 2021 to focus his efforts on serving as Executive Director for the Race Swami programs in Salt Lake City and Menlo Park (CA).

Coach Kleo Kobe was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. Growing up, she swam for Eagle Aquatic Team and the Skyline High School girls’ team. Kleo attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, and studied International Relations. As a member of the Oxy Swim and Dive team, her favorite event was the 500 Freestyle. Kleo has over 10 years of coaching experience and enjoys helping swimmers reach their goals and believing in themselves in all their life pursuits. When Kleo isn’t at the pool, you can always find her reading a good book, crocheting on the couch, or hiking with her dog.

Coach Wendy is a SWAMI graduate from 2020 and while attending classes at a local university, she leads a squadron of “Pre-Swamis” as they continue to progress and grow in the pool after their transition from the Swami Swimming School lessons program. This will be Wendy’s second season working with the Pre-Swami group and we are thrilled to have her on board, showing these Swami Comp hopefuls what is means to be part of a team and included in a program with a renowned culture of inclusiveness.

A native of Mexico, Minerva has been with Race Swami for eight years — first as a Swami Parent to two swimmers (one of whom still competes on the team), and later, hired to help manage Race Swami’s ever growing day-to-day tasks to keep the program moving forward. Minerva has become “the face of Swami” as she generally is the first person that new families will meet. Minerva is fluent in both Spanish and English, and serves as Race Swami’s recorder at all the Board meetings, among a thousand other tasks.