Coaches
The Bernardsville Pool is happy to announce that Mallika Negi, in her fourth year with the program, will be serving as head coach supported by outstanding assistant coaches - Colin Lee-Au, Bryce Lukacsko, Ryan Schuller, and Matt Voight
Mallika graduated from Bernards High School in 2019 and is a member of the school record 200 medley relay team. Mallika has also been named to the Skyland Raritan Division All-Conference team four consecutive seasons and was an NJSIAA All-State swimmer at the 2018 Meet of Champions. Mallika was a member of the Somerset Valley YMCA swim team for several years and currently competes with the club swim team at Rutgers University, where she is a rising senior.
Also returning will be Loyola (MD) senior Matt Voight and Purdue junior Colin Lee-Au. Matt is a 2019 graduate of Bernards High School and MVP of the BHS swim team his junior and senior year. Matt currently holds the BHS team records in the 200 free (1:44.46), 200 IM (1:53.51), 500 free (4:39.92) and the 100 back (52.98 - which he shares with new Coach Ryan Schuller!). Matt also swam the anchor leg on the record setting 400 free relay team (3:17.45).
Colin graduated from Ridge High School in 2020 and was previously on the Somerset Valley YMCA swim team for several years. He swims on the club team at Purdue University, who have just won their first Men’s College Club National Championship. He swims the IM and breaststroke and placed 19th in the 400 IM at College Club Nationals this past semester.
New to the coaching staff will be class of 2022 Bernards High School swimmers Bryce Lukacsko and Ryan Schuller.
Ryan Schuller was the Bernards High School 2022 Swim Team Captain and MVP. Ryan currently holds the team record in the 200 medley relay (1:37.89) and 100 back (52.98 which he shares with Coach Matt!). Ryan is also a member of the GSCY National Team and this fall will be part of the Men’s Swimming & Diving team at Fairfield University.
Bryce Lukacsko also captained the Bernards High School 2022 Swim Team along with Ryan and anchored the Bernards record breaking medley relay. Bryce is a member of the GSCY National Team due to his fast times in breaststroke, butterfly, and sprint free.
Ed Tsuzuki coached the Bernards High School swim team since its inception in 1988 through the 2022 season. Ed has coached age group and high school swim teams for over 43 years. He has been the head coach of the Somerset Valley YMCA team (1981-1986) and has assisted at the Somerset Hills YMCA where he now coaches the Somerset County YMCA U.S. Masters Swimming club (Ed is a Level 3 USMS certified coach). He grew up in Bridgewater and swam for Bridgewater-Raritan (East) High School, graduating in 1975. Ed also competed on the Cornell University swim team where he graduated from the School of Operations Research and Industrial Engineering. He has retired from Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, New Jersey where he was employed for 35 years. Ed continues to compete in U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) and serves on the volunteer board of the New Jersey Local Masters Swimming Committee and has been named to the Technical Committee of the Union Americana de Natacion (UANA). Ed has served on the Board of Directors for USMS for 8 years and on the Board of Directors for USA Swimming for 3 years. Ed was named the 2009 Somerset County Boys Coach of the Year by the Star Ledger, was selected by his peers as the 2015 Skyland Conference Raritan Division boys coach of the year and in 2020 as the Skyland Conference Valley Division girls coach of the year. He is a 2010 inductee to the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Our final member of the coaching staff is Daisy DeSimone. Daisy DeSimone is a second year volunteer coach for the Bernardsville Swim team and an alumna of the Bernards High School swim team. She is an 19 year member of the Somerset Hills YMCA Special Olympics swim team and holds the team records for the 400 Free, 200 IM, and 100 Breast. Daisy represented Special Olympics New Jersey in the 2010 National Games for swimming, and in the 2014 National games for triathlon. Since graduating high school Daisy has taught swimming lessons for the YMCA and she is a regular scorekeeper for the BHS swim team's home meets.