Meet Your Coaches
Philipp Davydotchkin is the Head Coach and CEO of Southeast Tennessee Swimming (SETS), bringing over 15 years of experience developing swimmers at every level, from first time competitors to national champions and Olympic Trials qualifiers.
Philipp has coached athletes to success at YMCA Nationals, USA Swimming national meets, and international competitions, including contributing to the preparation of Olympic-level swimmers for the Tokyo Games. He is known for building strong team cultures, developing technically sound swimmers, and creating programs that balance high performance with long-term athlete development.
With advanced training in sports education and a background leading successful swim teams across the country, Philipp combines proven coaching expertise with thoughtful leadership to guide SETS athletes toward excellence in the pool and beyond.
Outside of swimming, Philipp is a proud dad to a 17 year old son preparing for college and the owner of two dogs, Ollie and Tibet. You can find Ollie next to Coach Philipp at practice daily!
Rhys Bender is the Head Age Group Coach for Southeast Tennessee Swimming (SETS). He brings over a decade of competitive swimming experience, having swum for 10 years with the St. Johns Sea Lions and Space City Aquatics Team (SCAT).
Rhys began his coaching career with SCAT, where he first worked as a swim instructor before advancing to an assistant coaching role. He later joined Life Time Fitness, starting as an assistant coach and quickly earning a promotion to head coach.
He continued to build his coaching experience with Sharks Swim Club in Friendswood, Texas, where he spent two years developing age group swimmers. Most recently, Rhys coached at Tyler Rose Aquatic Club in Tyler, Texas.
Rhys is passionate about swimmer development, technical skill progression, and fostering a positive, team-oriented environment.
I’m Coach Maddie. I started competitively swimming when I was 8 years old for the Tidal Waves. I continued to swim competitively with SETS year round, Tidal Waves in the summers, and with my school team until I graduated high school. This swim team is a family to me and I’m so excited to use my love for the sport through coaching!
26-27 Ooltewah High Swim Team Information 