Piedmont Tsunamis

The Early Days

The Piedmont Tsunamis swim team was started in the spring of 2002 by Teresa Hanson, Jennifer Fowler, Gigi Raine, and Jeannie Foster. Jeannie's input was invaluable due to her 25 years of experience as a U.S. Swim Coach. Jeannie helped organize the team and became its first coach. Megan Hollingsworth was the first assistant coach. The team was formed too late in the year to join the Prince William Swim League (PWSL), so we ordered team suits and ribbons and held two meets competing against our own team. The Tsunamis had 40 - 45 swimmers on the team during that first season, and also offered fall and winter programs.

Piedmont Joins the Prince William Swim League

The team became "official" in the summer of 2003, joining the Prince William Swim League. The Tsunamis took fourth place out of five teams at Divisionals that year and several of our swimmers placed in the Cybermeet. The Tsunamis continued to grow in scope and ability, and began hosting home meets with the opening of the Simpson Pool. During Summer 2006, the team had 119 swimmers, with 70 swimmers enrolled in the Fall 2006 program and 93 swimmers in the Winter 2007 program.

Four Time Division Winners: 2008 - 2012

• Summer 2008 - During a highly successful 2008 summer season under Coach Joey Bruno, the Piedmont Tsunamis won all but one meet and were Divisional champions (Orange Division) for the first time in the team's history.
• Summer 2009 - Once again, Coach Joey led us through a winning 2009 season when the Piedmont Tsunamis went undefeated and took the Black Divisional championship. This marked the first time the Piedmont Tsunamis hosted Divisionals.
• Summer 2010 - The Tsunamis moved up to the PWSL Green Division for the 2010 summer season during which we continued to grow and were led by Coach EJ Tremols (former Tsunamis' Assistant Coach). Under Coach EJ and Assistant Coach Nick Tremols, the Piedmont Tsunamis capped the 2010 season by hosting Divisionals and winning the Green Division.
• Summer 2011 - The team grew to 300 swimmers in the summer of 2011. The Tsunamis added a developmental team (now called The White Caps) and expanded the coaching staff. Led by Coach Anthony Pedersen and Associate Coach Nick Tremols, Piedmont were winners of the White Division.
• Summer 2012 - The Tsunamis were moved up to the Blue Division where they competed with Sudley and Braemar teams, both in dual meets and in Divisionals. Coach Marc Rios and Associate Coach EJ Tremols led the team through some very close and highly competitive meets. The number of White Caps increased to 50 new swimmers!

The Jay Thorpe Era: 2013 - 2023

• Summer 2013 - Coach Jay Thorpe joined the Piedmont Tsunamis as head coach. The team had another successful summer season, winning five of six dual meets. The Tsunamis finished the season by hosting the Red Division championship meet, where they captured the title for 2013.
• Summer 2014 - The Tsunamis returned to the Blue Division in Summer 2014. Piedmont posted a winning record and hosted the Blue Divisional championship meet. Three PWSL records were broken by Tsunamis during this summer. (15-18 Girls - 50 Back, 50 Fly, 100 IM)
• Summer 2015 - As the number of team members grew to record numbers, team development continued to soar. Over the course of the season, 21 team records were set, several of those records being repeatedly broken over the course of the summer.
• Summer 2016 - The Tsunamis remained in the Blue Division and continued to remain competitive with the top two teams in the league (Sudley and Braemar).
• Summer 2017 - The Piedmont Tsunamis came in second in the Blue Division behind the Sudley Seahorses. We beat past Blue Division champions the Braemar Blaster for the first time in both the regular season and at Divisionals.
• Summer 2018 - Led by Head Coach Jay Thorpe and Asst. Head Coach Nina Tremols, the Piedmont Tsunamis won the Blue Division, making us the Prince William Swim League Champions! Impressively, our team went undefeated and became only the second PWSL team to defeat the Sudley Seahorses (both in the regular season and at Divisionals) since 1990.
• Summer 2019 - Under the leadership of Head Coach Jay Thorpe and Asst. Head Coach Evan Brandt, the Tsunamis once again competed in the Blue Division. Our team went undefeated in the regular season, broke five PWSL records (15-18 Boys - 200 Freestyle Relay & 200 Medley Relay, 13-14 Girls - 50 Freestyle, 50 Backstroke and 100 IM), and placed 2nd overall at Divisionals.
• Summer 2020 - For the first time, the PWSL season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic that halted the whole world; however, the Tsunami Nation made the best of it and had a #TsunamisQuaranTEAM summer filled with online activities, challenges, and fun for everyone! It was a different type of season but the Tsunamis were able to come together as a community and support one another during a difficult time.
• Summer 2021 - For the second time in team history, the Tsunamis won the Blue Division and were proclaimed the Prince William Swim League Champions! Spearheaded by Head Coach Jay Thorpe and Asst. Head Coach Evan Brandt, the team dominated the league in a way like we never had before, going undefeated and breaking 2 league records (15-18 Girls 50 Free & 11-12 Girls 50 Back). Additionally, our team grew to the biggest it's ever been (320+ competitive team swimmers and 60+ White Cap swimmers)!
• Summer 2022 - Once again, the Tsunamis went undefeated and won the Blue Division, making us the PWSL Champions as well. It marked the first time the team went back-to-back as league champions! Coach Jay and Coach Evan led our team to dominate the league throughout the season once again. Throughout the season, the Tsunamis broke 3 league records (15-18 Girls 100 IM, 13-14 Girls 200 Medley Relay, and 13-14 Girls 200 Freestyle Relay). Additionally, despite a drop in participation around the league, the Tsunamis grew to over 400 swimmers, making us the largest team in the entire league.
• Summer 2023 - In Coach Jay's final summer with the Tsunamis, the team went undefeated and won the Blue Division. The win contributed to our first three-peat as PWSL champions. Throughout the summer, the team broke 6 league records (13-14 Girls 50 Back, 15-18 Girls 50 Free, 15-18 Girls 100 IM, 15-18 Girls 50 Back, 15-18 Girls 200 Medley Relay, and 15-18 Girls Free Relay) making us the team with the most league records in all of the PWSL (15 in total!). The team dominated throughout the summer and capped off Coach Jay's summer league coaching career with a historic season!

Evan Brandt Takes the Helm: 2024 - Present

• Summer 2024 - In Coach Evan's first summer as head coach of the Tsunamis, the team went undefeated and won the Blue Division for a fourth consecutive year. Additionally, we won the 2024 Cyber Meet, making us PWSL champions 4 years running. Throughout the summer, the team broke 4 records (15-18 Boys 50 Free, 8&U Girls 25 Free, 8&U Girls 25 Breast, and 8&U Girls 100 Free Relay). Overall, the team continued to be the most dominant team in the league, contributing to the second longest undefeated streak in league history.

The Tsunamis are looking forward to defending our PWSL Champions title in the summer of 2025.

Our Thanks to the HOA

The Piedmont Homeowners Association (HOA) has been instrumental in the growth and success of the Piedmont Tsunamis swim team by providing financial support and overseeing the upkeep of on-site pools. We appreciate the continued support of the Piedmont HOA in the development of our team.