Nickel City Splash

Brandi

Head Coach

Brandi Bashor is a dedicated and accomplished coach in the swimming community, committed to helping adults gain confidence and skill in the water. As a leader of Nickel City Splash Masters Swimming, she oversees coaching, communication, and program development, including the Adult Learn-to-Swim (ALTS) program and the Introduction to Masters Swimming for ALTS graduates. Under her leadership, Nickel City Splash has grown significantly, earning national recognition with a 5th-place finish at U.S. Masters Swimming Short Course Nationals and a 4th-place finish at Long Course Nationals in Ohio. Brandi’s dedication to her athletes was recognized when she was named Niagara LMSC Coach of the Year, a testament to her impact on swimmers of all levels.

Beyond the pool, Brandi brings the same passion for empowering people and building community to her work as a Licensed Real Estate Associate Broker with Buffalo Home Sellers. She specializes in helping individuals and families—especially first-time homebuyers—achieve the dream of homeownership. Her success in real estate has earned her a spot as a 2025 member of Buffalo Real Producers, ranking her among the Top 300 Realtors in Buffalo—placing her in the top 8% of all 3,500 Realtors in the Buffalo/Niagara region. Pretty baller if you ask me!

Whether guiding swimmers to new milestones or helping clients find a place to call home, Brandi is dedicated to helping people realize their full potential—both in and out of the water.

Judy

Asst. Coach

A native of Bowmansville, Judy completed her undergraduate education at SUNY Cortland in 1984, and her graduate degree from James Madison University 1987, both in Physical Education.

After nearly 20 years coaching college swimming (JMU, Union College in Schenectady, and Bryn Mawr), Judy transitioned to raising funds in support of higher education.

Now, serving as Senior Director of Advancement for the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Judy is happy to have returned home after many years to support UB and live in close proximity to family and friends. She spends her free time organizing and decorating her home in Buffalo, exercising, and entertaining her three cats.

Jason

Asst. Coach

Jason’s favorite part of coaching is helping swimmers stay healthy while having fun! He has coached two state champions in his time as a summer league coach, a USA Swimming coach, a Special Olympics coach and as head coach at Nardin Academy.

Jason is a former college swimmer who swam backstroke, butterfly and distance freestyle at Niagara University. He started competing at the age of 8 so he could convince his mom he was a good enough swimmer to be able to surf. He dedicated himself to the sport, was named Most Improved, and became the first athlete from his high school to compete at the Texas 5A state championships.

Morgan

Asst. Coach

Morgan is from a small town in Michigan and was a record-setting member of the West Virginia Univ. swim team, where she specialized in butterfly, IM and freestyle. As a Mountaineer, she was a two-time NCAA qualifier and an All-American Honorable Mention, after finishing 15th in the 200 butterfly. Since graduating in 2020, she has been an assistant coach at Niagara Univ. and the Univ. at Buffalo.

In her free time, Morgan enjoys boxing, lifting weights, checking out the Buffalo food scene, the Buffalo Sabres, and watching Bills Mafia leaping through tables.

Coach Tom

Asst. Coach

Coach Tom has thoroughly enjoyed his time as a coach, working with the rawest of beginners up to US National, Olympic Trial qualifiers, an Olympic Trial finalist, and a champion at the World Junior Championships.

In his spare time, Coach Tom likes to spend time with his family (two kids, a wife, and a dog) as well as listening to, playing, and writing music. Any additional time is pretty much taken up looking for his phone, wallet, or car keys!

Coach Bill

Asst. Coach

Bill grew up in Marilla, swimming for Iroquois High School and STAR swim club. The high point of his high school career was winning the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke at ECICs in 1988. He then headed off to the big city, swimming at Georgetown Univ. After setting eight school records his freshman year, his swim career was limited due to a car accident. After decades out of the water, he joined Nickel City Splash in 2017 and found a home. Being part of this team has changed his life! The friendships and camaraderie with his teammates gives him a joy he has rarely experienced.

Bill hopes his help on deck will make everyone’s mornings a little more fun so they can go out and have an amazing day!

Breena

Asst. Coach

A member of the swimming and diving team at the University of Mary, DeLegge earned NSIC All-Conference honors and CSCAA Individual All-American honors in 2021. She was also a qualifier and participant in the 2020 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships. In addition to her success in the pool, DeLegge was also an NSIC Scholar-Athlete. The California native broke the 50 and 100 freestyle school records at the University of Mary as a freshman, also being a part of the relay teams that set school records for the Marauders in the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle.

DeLegge has been a coach and swim instructor at multiple age levels throughout her young career. While still in high school and as a member of the Marauders, she was a coach for a youth summer swim league, helping children from ages eight to 14 learn to swim competitively. DeLegge also aided with the development of high school athletes after beginning her college career, serving as an Interim Head Swim coach for her local YMCA as a freshman in college, teaching children from ages five to 12 the basics of competitive swimming. DeLegge also has experience with first aid, serving as a lifeguard on several occasions throughout her high school and college career.

Sophia

Asst. Coach

Sophia is from Wilmington, North Carolina, and has a rich and diverse swimming background. She learned to swim shortly after she learned to walk and has been passionate about it ever since! Starting at 15, she has worked at a pool in various roles, including teaching, lifeguarding, and competing. With team swimming experience that began at age four, Sophia loves working with all groups and is dedicated to helping swimmers reach their goals. She hopes everyone who comes to the pool enjoys a fulfilling experience just like she has, and she’s eager to work with swimmers of all levels!