Coaching Staff

Head Coach Jeff Mace has been with the Edina Girls' Swimming & Diving program since 1999. He also spent 7 years as the Head Coach for both the boys and girls teams at Mankato West High School.  He has been an assistant with the boys team since 2015. He was also the Northfield Swim Club’s Head Coach for 10 years. Coach Mace retired from teaching at Edina High School in 2018 and continues to coach. He lives in Northfield with his wife Joyce and has 3 adult children and 3 grandchildren.

Assistant Coach Mellanie Pusateri has been teaching and coaching at Edina Public Schools since 1993. Mellanie is currently teaching physical education at Edina High School and assistant coaching with the girls and boys swimming and diving programs. One of her professional goals is to help students and athletes set and achieve their goals.  

When Mellanie is not teaching or coaching she enjoys spending time with her husband Ryan and three kids. We enjoy camping, hiking, and biking. We also love cheering on our Minnesota sports teams and in particular the Twins!

Assistant Coach Greg Pokorski has been teaching in Edina Public Schools since 2011, and coaching since 2014. He currently is a science teacher at Edina High School, where he also is an advisor for several student led clubs. He was a swimmer in Rochester, MN, in high school, as well as at Gustavus Adolphus College in S. Peter, MN.

When not teaching, Greg spends his time with his wife and cat. We enjoy biking, camping, cross country skiing, and traveling, as well as 

Assistant Coach Katelyn Strauss has been teaching in Edina Public Schools since 2019, and coaching since 2020. She currently teaches Math at Edina High School. She swam at Osseo High School as well as at the University of St. Thomas.

Diving Coach John Dailey has been coaching and officiating diving for more than 40 years, after completing his competitive diving career at the University of Minnesota.

John has coached age group and high school diving for more than 30 years, including positions at Breck School, The Blake School, Richfield High School and St. Louis Park High School, and as the current girls’ and boys’ diving coach at Edina High School. He is also the Head Coach of Minnesota Diving Academy at the University of Minnesota. Administratively, John is a member of the MN State High School League’s Swimming and Diving Advisory Committee, and is a MSHSL registered official.

 Over the years, John has coached six Minnesota State High School diving champions, numerous MSHSL medalists, 28 High School All-Americans and 2 Athena Award winners. He has been voted High School Section Coach of the Year 18 times, and has been honored by the Minnesota Swim and Dive Coaches Association as the Minnesota Class AA Girls Swim & Dive Coach of the Year in 2010-2011 and again in 2012-2013, honors he shares with Coach Jeff Mace, head coach of EHS girls' team. More than a dozen of his divers have attended colleges and universities on diving scholarships, including one who competed in the 2000 Olympics and two who are now NCAA coaches.

 John lives in Eden Prairie with his best friend, a rescue named Birkley. He has two grown children.