by Marcus Baker
Michael Pepa is the head coach of the boys’ and girls’ swimming and diving team, his second stint at JHS as a swim coach. For the second stint here, this is his tenth year as well.
He coached for two or three years in the early ‘90s. He has also been a swim coach for 34 years altogether, including college and high school teams on both sides of the Ohio River, as well as club, masters, and age- group teams.
His favorite aspect of coaching is that the interaction with the student-athletes is fun, and the biggest joy for him is helping other athletes reach their greatest potential, whether that’s at any level or their first year swimming, or whether they’re trying to win a state championship.
Having that student-athlete reach their potential is very rewarding, Pepa said. “Swimming is inherently motivating because you get to see your personal time drop. You see that empirical objective improvement that comes from self-motivation.”
He also said that he thinks it’s one of the joys of swimming. Regardless of what level an athlete is at, everyone’s goals are the same — trying to get a faster time.
He hopes by the end of the season that his Red Devil team is going to certainly improve. He said that his girls’ team is in a bit of a rebuild this season, while his boys’ side has a little more depth than he had in the past.
He expects his group of swimmers to train really hard and expects each one of them to get much much better position in February than they are in December.
Head dive and assistant swim coach Holden Henderson has been coaching for 10 years and has known Pepa since 2015.
Henderson said that coach Pepa always encourages the swimmers to practice like they want to compete. He tries to motivate his team so they can give it their all at practice, so it can be easier at the meets.
Henderson also helps his team out by helping them and supporting them, and wants to help out as much as he can.
Athletic director A.J. Moye met Pepa in the early summer of 2025, going to the Aquatic Center for swimming practice, and from then on, they have had a great relationship.
Moye attends swim practice three times a week to observe and help out. He said he would help the swimming team in any way he could throughout the season.
They have also been building a new place just for the swimming team, which will be an Olympic-level pool just for them.
Senior Litzy Rubio has been swimming since sixth grade and is now in her last year of swimming for JHS.
Rubio describes how she really likes his motivation, and she loves how he’s always supportive and makes her feel good. She said that his coaching style has a great blend of both strict and fun.
After she completes her final season she will miss her family on her team. Her teammates and her coach always supported her along and cheered whether she swam good or bad.
“Always cherish your team; they’re the ones who have seen you at your worst and your best, so don’t take your moments with them for granted,” said Rubio.
Freshman Christian Miller has been swimming since he was 11 years old. He made it to clubs, national states, and other more.
Miller said he likes how Pepa takes care of his swimmers and how much effort he puts into their training.
He said he helps him by breaking down his sets, which is what’s best for the swimmers. He also says his coaching style is unique and that he has a good way of coaching himself and his teammates.
Pepa encourages his student-athletes to become better swimmers and have fun during their season.
“Our goal is the same, to improve, get faster, and have fun.”
One week she’s auditioning for the school play, the next week she’s diving headfirst off the diving board. Sophomore Disney Mullins is a busy girl with many interests, which can sometimes be rough, especially on a high schooler. Even with the stress it may come with, she manages to make things work in her favor.
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