Coaching Staff

Head Coach

Email: kingfish.coachsam@gmail.com

Sam Peck brings more than two decades of experience in collegiate, club, and age-group swimming to his leadership of Kingfish Swimming Rhode Island. Throughout his career, he has helped athletes develop the technical skills, training habits, competitive confidence, and personal discipline necessary to succeed at every level of the sport.

Peck began his collegiate coaching career with the University of Rhode Island’s men’s and women’s swimming programs, serving as an assistant coach and head distance coach from 2001 to 2004. He subsequently coached the Greensboro College women’s swimming team from 2004 to 2006, supporting NCAA Division III student-athletes as they balanced the demands of collegiate competition and academic achievement.

During this period, Peck also established a strong foundation in club swimming. From 2001 to 2004, he coached with Rams Swim Club, where he worked with talented young athletes, including future Olympian Elizabeth Beisel and future U.S. National Team swimmer Laura Sogar. He continued his club-coaching career with the nationally respected Greensboro Swimming Association from 2005 to 2010. At GSA, Peck contributed to the development of athletes who advanced to collegiate and national-level competition, including NCAA champion and U.S. National Team member Eugene Godsoe and accomplished collegiate swimmer Robert Padgett.

From 2010 to 2015, Peck coached with the Greensboro YMCA, expanding his experience across developmental, age-group, and senior swimming. These varied roles strengthened his ability to guide athletes through the complete progression of the sport—from learning foundational skills to preparing for advanced competition.

Peck joined Kingfish Swimming in 2022 and was appointed Head Coach in early 2025. He now oversees Kingfish’s competitive and developmental programming across Rhode Island, working with the club’s coaching staff to establish consistent expectations for athlete development, technical instruction, training progression, and team culture. His leadership emphasizes long-term development, clear and measurable training standards, and appropriate competitive opportunities for swimmers at every stage.

Peck’s coaching philosophy is grounded in technical precision, purposeful training, personal accountability, and the belief that racing is the central expression of the work completed in practice. He asks athletes to pursue improvement with consistency and courage while recognizing that meaningful progress is built over time. Beyond competitive results, he is committed to helping swimmers become resilient teammates, responsible young people, and confident competitors.

Through more than 20 years of coaching, Peck has remained dedicated to a central purpose: helping every swimmer better understand their potential and develop the habits required to pursue excellence.

Age Group 1 & 2 Coach - RWU

Email: mmcintyre837@g.rwu.edu

Mattia McIntyre is originally from Norton, Massachusetts, and currently attends Roger Williams University, where she is studying Elementary Education with minors in Psychology and STEM Education. At RWU, Mattia is a member of the Women’s Swimming team, serves as a Resident Assistant, and participates in the Honors Program.

Mattia has been coaching with Kingfish Rhode Island since January 2025, working primarily with the Age Group 1 and Age Group 2 swimmers at the Bristol location. As both a collegiate swimmer and coach, she brings her own experience in the sport to the pool deck while creating a positive and supportive environment for younger swimmers.

Mattia believes swim practice should be a place where swimmers build friendships, set goals, and discover what they are capable of achieving. Her coaching focuses on helping swimmers make the most of every practice, race, and opportunity while learning how to challenge themselves in a healthy and productive way. She also emphasizes celebrating both individual accomplishments and the successes of the team.

Mattia looks forward to continuing to work with her current swimmers, welcoming new athletes to the program, and helping each swimmer grow both in and out of the pool.

Developmental & Senior Coach - RWU

Email: natalieherl@icloud.com

Natalie Herl is currently in her final year at Roger Williams University, where she competes as a member of the Women’s Swimming team, specializing in butterfly and distance freestyle. Prior to college, Natalie spent four years swimming with Wolverine Aquatics in Rocklin, California, where she developed a strong foundation in competitive swimming and race preparation.

Natalie has been coaching with Kingfish Rhode Island for over two years and currently works with both the Developmental and Senior groups. With the Senior group, her coaching focuses on endurance, pacing, race strategy, and developing the skills swimmers need to compete at a higher level. She works closely with athletes to help them better understand how to approach their races, build confidence, and work toward their individual competitive goals.

With the Developmental group, Natalie emphasizes strong technical foundations, stroke efficiency, and the skills necessary to progress in competitive swimming. She believes that creating a positive and enjoyable environment is an important part of helping younger swimmers build confidence and develop a genuine love for the sport.



As both a collegiate swimmer and coach, Natalie brings firsthand experience with the dedication, discipline, and consistency required to improve in the sport. Her goal is to challenge swimmers to reach their potential while helping them become more confident, technically sound, and well-rounded athletes.

Senior Coach - Bryant

Email: bbeauchemin1@gmail.com

Brandon Beauchemin brings a strong combination of competitive swimming experience, technical knowledge, and athlete-centered coaching to Kingfish Swimming Rhode Island. Based at the Smithfield site, Brandon works primarily with the Senior 1 and Senior 2 groups, helping swimmers develop efficient technique, competitive confidence, and the training habits necessary for long-term success in the sport.

Brandon joined Kingfish Swimming in August 2024 after coaching with several Rhode Island swimming programs. From 2021 to 2024, he served as Associate Head Coach of the MacColl YMCA Black Marlins, working extensively with both age-group and senior swimmers. He also served as Lead Coach for the 11-and-over group with the Fuller Stingrays of the Narragansett Swim League from 2021 to 2023. Across seven years of coaching, Brandon has developed experience guiding athletes through progressive stroke development, race preparation, and the transition into higher levels of competitive swimming.

Before becoming a coach, Brandon developed a strong competitive background of his own. He began swimming with the Cumberland-Lincoln Boys and Girls Club Penguins and the Fuller Stingrays, where he trained under three Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame coaches. At Lincoln High School, he earned All-State honors and served as team captain before continuing his swimming career at the NCAA Division II level with Saint Michael’s College.

As a collegiate swimmer, Brandon initially specialized in breaststroke and individual medley before transitioning into the role of his team’s primary butterflyer. He also served as a team captain at Saint Michael’s. His experience across multiple strokes and events continues to shape his coaching approach, particularly his emphasis on Individual Medley versatility, stroke mechanics, starts, turns, and high-speed transitions.

Brandon is a USA Swimming Certified Coach and Senior Coach and holds ASCA Level 2 certification. His involvement in the swimming community extends beyond the pool deck. He currently serves as Chairperson of the New England Swimming Inclusion Committee, a member of the ASCA Governance Committee, and a board member of the Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame.

Brandon’s coaching philosophy is grounded in the belief that speed begins with efficient, technically sound swimming. He emphasizes deliberate practice and consistent attention to stroke mechanics while helping athletes understand how small improvements in technique, starts, turns, and race strategy can translate into meaningful competitive gains. Just as importantly, he strives to create a high-performance environment in which athletes develop confidence, resilience, accountability, and ownership of their swimming.

For Brandon, success extends beyond times and results. His goal is to help swimmers become well-rounded athletes and individuals who approach challenges with confidence, integrity, and persistence. He believes the habits developed through purposeful training can serve athletes both in competition and throughout their lives.



Outside of swimming, Brandon enjoys spending time with his family and hiking with friends.

AG1, AG2, & Senior Coach - St. Georges
Email: dmgauntt65@gmail.com

Dmitry Gauntt brings a lifelong background in competitive swimming and experience coaching athletes across all levels of the sport to Kingfish Swimming Rhode Island. Based at the St. George’s School location in Newport, Dmitry works with Kingfish swimmers from the age-group through senior levels, emphasizing technical development, a strong competitive mindset, and long-term enjoyment of the sport.

Dmitry began swimming competitively at the age of six and progressed through YMCA, club, high school, and collegiate swimming. Throughout his career, he competed for the YMCA Wahoos, RAMS Swimming Club, Boys & Girls Club Barracudas, Bishop Stang High School, and Kingfish Swimming before continuing his career at the NCAA Division II level with Le Moyne College. During his time with RAMS and Kingfish, Dmitry trained under longtime Rhode Island coach Matt Emmert, whose coaching and approach to the sport helped shape Dmitry’s own development as both a swimmer and coach.

A distance freestyler throughout his competitive career, Dmitry specialized in the 500- and 1,000-yard freestyle. His experience in distance swimming helped develop the patience, discipline, consistency, and mental resilience that now play an important role in his coaching philosophy. As a collegiate student-athlete at Le Moyne, he balanced the demands of Division II swimming with a full academic course load while developing an appreciation for the role that team culture, communication, and perseverance play in athletic success.

Dmitry has coaching experience spanning the full progression of competitive swimming, from introducing beginners to the fundamentals of the sport to working with age-group, senior, and collegiate athletes. This range of experience has given him an understanding of how swimmers’ needs evolve as they progress through the sport and the importance of establishing strong fundamentals early in their development.

His coaching philosophy emphasizes technique, work ethic, mindset, and resilience under pressure. Dmitry believes that athletes perform at their best when they learn to embrace challenges, remain composed through adversity, and take pride in the work required to improve. Above all, he believes swimmers should enjoy the sport and that long-term development is most successful when athletes find purpose and satisfaction in the process rather than focusing solely on results.

Outside of coaching, Dmitry has a professional and academic background in cybersecurity. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Cybersecurity from Le Moyne College in 2023 and his Master of Science in Cybersecurity from Roger Williams University in 2026. He has also maintained his lifeguarding certification since 2015.



Having experienced competitive swimming as an age-group swimmer, Kingfish athlete, and NCAA student-athlete, Dmitry strives to provide his swimmers with the same opportunities for growth that the sport provided him. His goal is to develop technically proficient and competitive swimmers while helping them build the confidence, discipline, resilience, and love for swimming that can remain with them long after they leave the pool.

Assistant Coach - Bryant
Email: bguilmette688@g.rwu.edu

Brenna Guilmette brings a strong background in competitive swimming, swim instruction, and education to Kingfish Swimming Rhode Island. Based at the Northern Rhode Island branch at Bryant University, Brenna works primarily with developmental and age-group swimmers, helping athletes build strong technical foundations, confidence, and a lasting enjoyment of the sport.

Brenna joined Kingfish Swimming in March 2023, bringing several years of experience working with young swimmers. She began as a swim instructor and lifeguard at the Smithfield YMCA in 2016, teaching children from preschool through middle school. Her instruction ranged from introducing fundamental skills such as kicking, floating, and basic stroke movements to preparing more advanced swimmers for the transition to competitive swimming. She later gained additional coaching experience with the Smithfield YMCA before joining Kingfish.

A lifelong competitive swimmer, Brenna began swimming with the Smithfield Dolphins in first grade and continued competing through college. She attended Roger Williams University, where she competed collegiately until graduating in 2023. Her primary events were the 100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard breaststroke, and 200-yard individual medley. Her years as a competitive swimmer exposed her to a variety of coaching styles and technical approaches that continue to influence the way she teaches the sport today.

At Kingfish, Brenna coaches and develops workouts for developmental and age-group swimmers. She particularly enjoys teaching butterfly and breaststroke as well as introducing younger athletes to Individual Medley training. Her approach emphasizes progressive stroke development and technical fundamentals, helping swimmers learn efficient movement patterns while building the skills necessary to advance through the program.

Brenna is a USA Swimming-certified coach and has maintained her lifeguard certification since 2016. Outside of swimming, her professional background in education further strengthens her ability to work with young athletes. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Roger Williams University in 2023 and has since worked as a substitute teacher.



Brenna’s coaching philosophy centers on creating a positive, safe, and productive environment in which swimmers can enjoy the sport while continuing to challenge themselves. She places a strong emphasis on drills and proper technique to improve performance, build confidence, and help reduce the risk of injury. Through a balance of purposeful training and an encouraging atmosphere, Brenna strives to help each swimmer become stronger, more technically proficient, and more confident in their abilities.

Age Group 1, Age Group 2, & Senior Group Coach - Bryant

Email: amandawitkus@gmail.com

A Division I swimmer at Bryant University, Coach brings extensive competitive experience and a strong understanding of high-level training to Kingfish Swimming Rhode Island. Based at the Smithfield site, Coach works with swimmers across the Age Group 1, Age Group 2, and Senior groups, helping athletes develop strong technique, confidence, and consistent training habits.

Having competed in swimming since the age of five, Coach has progressed through both club and collegiate swimming. Before attending Bryant University, Coach spent a year training with the University of Miami’s Division I swimming program, gaining experience in a highly competitive collegiate environment.

At Bryant, Coach has continued to excel as a Division I athlete, specializing in butterfly and individual medley. Among Coach’s collegiate accomplishments is breaking Bryant’s school record in the 200-yard butterfly by five seconds and earning America East Swimmer of the Week honors.

As a USA Swimming-certified coach, Coach brings firsthand knowledge of competitive swimming into daily practices. With particular expertise in butterfly and individual medley, Coach emphasizes technical development, purposeful training, and helping swimmers understand the connection between consistent work in practice and performance in competition.



Coach’s philosophy centers on hard work, confidence, and consistency. By creating an environment that challenges and supports athletes, Coach strives to help each swimmer pursue their individual goals while developing the discipline and self-belief necessary for long-term success both in and out of the pool.