Killer Whales Swimming

COACH SPOTLIGHT: Assistant Head Coach Wynne Kirchner

Wynne is a Pittsburgh transplant by way of Baltimore and DC and started coaching with the Killer Whales in December 2025. Before coaching with KW, Wynne was the lead age group at North Hills Aquatics, the lead 10 & under coach at Greater Baltimore Swim Association, and the head coach of Waverly Woods Swim Team for 3 years.

Wynne works across all the groups and programs within Killer Whales swimming and is also an assistant with the Fox Chapel HS swim team! In addition, Wynne handles club communications and other administrative work for Killer Whales. He is easy to spot on deck with his affinity for red pants and a bad dad joke!

As a swimmer, Wynne still trains and compete as a masters swimmer, racing multiple times at Masters Nationals! He also swam one year collegiately at York College of Pennsylvania and started competitive swim when he was 7, finishing as a state championship qualifier.

Outside of the pool, Wynne is often cooking a new recipe, hiking, or spending time with his beloved cat, Zulu! Swipe right to see pictures of his cat and Wynne when he backpacked 600 miles on the west coast in 2022!

He is super excited to build upon the foundation that was laid last season, and cannot wait to work with everyone towards a fun and fast season!

COACH SPOTLIGHT: Assistant Head Coach Katie Stack

Katie is our lead coach for Bronze and Silver, and our longest-tenured coach on staff, having coached with the Killer Whales since 2012!

Previously, she coached the Sylvan swim team, and was an assistant coach for the Allegheny Valley YMCA swim team for 4 years. During that time, she was also the assistant and head coach for the Highlands High School swim team! Above all, she loves seeing the sense of accomplishment when a swimmer completes a task he/she has never done before.

As a swimmer, Katie started when she was 4 and swam competitively through high school! Now, she gets to see her two sons, Lou and Staś, enjoy the sport she loves as Killer Whales swimmers!

Outside the pool deck, Katie is a science teacher at Highlands High School and enjoys spending with her family and dog (see last picture!)

We are so glad to have Katie for another great season ahead!

Check out all the smiles and highlights from our annual Summer Picnic on Sunday!

Thank you Community Swim Club for having us, all our families for coming and bringing tasty snacks, and to all our volunteers for coordinating everything, including a lot of pizza!

Extra big thanks and photo credit goes to our team photographers, Heidi Freund Stanczak and Tricia Phillips!

Today’s the day for our Suit Fitting and Gear Shop! Come to the Fox Chapel HS cafeteria anytime between 5:00-7:30 this evening!

Come meet our representative with B & R Pools and order all the gear you need to have a great season! We will have practice and tech suits, goggles, fins, snorkels, kickboards, and more.

From kindergarten to now, we are excited to highlight our Killer Whale Seniors for this year! These 7 are not only extremely talented swimmers, but amazing people who have left their mark on this program in so many ways!

We cannot wait to see all you will accomplish this last year and to share your plans after high school!

COACH SPOTLIGHT: HEAD COACH BAILEY BONNETT

As we head into another exciting season, we’re highlighting the coaches who help make the Killer Whales what they are — starting with Head Coach Bailey Bonnett!

Bailey is a Pittsburgh-area native and actually spent her final two years of high school swimming with the Killer Whales before continuing her career at the University of Kentucky.

As an athlete, Bailey competed at the highest levels of the sport. She was a three-year captain at Kentucky, a 14-time All-American and a two-time Olympic Trials qualifier in multiple events. She later transitioned into coaching at both the University of Kentucky and Marshall University, working with athletes competing at the conference, NCAA and Olympic Trials levels.

Now in her second year leading the Killer Whales, Bailey brings that experience back to the program where part of her own swimming journey began.

Her biggest passion is helping athletes find their love for the sport, believe in what they are capable of and learn how to push themselves toward big goals. She is passionate about creating an environment that is positive, energetic, competitive and fun while giving athletes the opportunity to train and develop at a high level.

Over the past year, the Killer Whales have experienced tremendous growth, success and increased depth throughout the program. But what we are most excited about is where we are headed.

We’re building something special here, and we’re just getting started!

Swipe to meet Coach Bailey’s Frenchies, Lilly and Rogi!

Gold group working hard on their backstroke tonight!

Last call to sign up for tryouts with the Killer Whales! Our tryouts will be held from 5:00-7:00 PM tomorrow (8/26) and Wednesday (8/27) at the Fox Chapel Racquet Club.

Sign up today and learn more about our program at the link in our bio!

We are back!!! So nice to see Senior and Gold back in the water working hard during our technique week!