Lyndsey Brown has been a part of the Hammerhead family for her entire life! As a local to Frederick, she grew up spending her summers at the Hood pool watching her older sister swim, learning how to swim, and then started competitively swimming herself when she was 5 for the Hammerheads. With her mom serving as team representative for 21 years, this has been in her blood! Her favorite memory of Hood Hammerheads would be the friendships she made in the summers and how fun the swim meets were! Lyndsey has been a coach for the past 7 years and she can’t wait to continue to coach this amazing team. Along with coaching, Lyndsey helps run the Hood Hammerheads social media platforms. When she is not coaching in the summer, Lyndsey is an Special Education Instructional Assistant at North Frederick Elementary and is currently in school for Marketing. As a coach, she wants to help swimmers grow in and out of the water and make sure these swimmers have such a memorable summer like she had when swimming as a Hammerhead.
Preston Cleary brings more than a decade of competitive swimming experience to the Hammerheads coaching staff. A competitive swimmer for 12 years, he competed with Monocacy Aquatic Club during high school, where he qualified for both Speedo Sectionals and Futures. At the 2025 Sectionals, Preston earned top-eight finishes in the 1000 and 1650 freestyle events, which highlight his strength as a distance swimmer, with the 1000 free as his favorite race.
Preston is especially excited to coach with Hammerheads, a team he grew up swimming for in the summers, and one where he built lasting relationships with teammates, families, and the broader community. He is passionate about giving back to a program that played a meaningful role in his own development.
Preston attends Fairfield University. He is pursuing a degree in business analytics along with a minor in economics, with a long-term goal of earning an MBA.
Ashley Gardner has been a dedicated coach for the Hammerheads swim team for several seasons, sharing her passion for developing young swimmers and helping them grow both in and out of the pool. With years of coaching experience, Ashley brings a wealth of knowledge and a knack for inspiring swimmers at every level, from beginners building their skills to competitive athletes chasing big goals.
Before coaching the Hammerheads, Ashley joined the Hood College swim staff in 2016 as the assistant swim coach and aquatics director, later serving as interim head coach during the 2019-20 and 2025-2026 seasons with both teams achieving solid results in the Middle Atlantic Conference.
Ashley’s focus on nurturing young swimmers started earlier in her career as the head coach and aquatics director at the Waynesboro Area YMCA, where she helped the team break more than 130 records (some more than once!) and qualify for YMCA Nationals after an eight-year drought. She also served as a Middle Atlantic Zone Team coach for three seasons, including as head coach for the Winter 2016 Championship meet.
A native of Dover, Delaware, Ashley grew up as a competitive swimmer herself, representing the Dover YMCA as a YMCA National qualifier and Middle Atlantic Zone team member. After graduating from Lock Haven University with a BA in History, she returned to coach at the Dover Y, where she helped send the largest team in their history to YMCA Nationals. Her love for coaching young swimmers continues to shine through her work with the Hammerheads, where she’s proud to help shape the next generation of swimmers. When she’s not on deck coaching or cheering for her swimmers, Ashley can likely be found singing along to Taylor Swift and unapologetically embracing her Swiftie status.
Hayley Taylor has been a part of the Hood Hammerheads family for what feels like forever...and for good reason. A Frederick, Maryland native, Hayley grew up swimming in the local and regional scene, competing year-round with Monocacy Aquatic Club and spending her summers with the Hammerheads. She has been a member of the Hood Hammerheads coaching staff for eight years and continues to be a familiar and trusted presence on deck.
In the fall of 2025, Hayley joined the Hood College coaching staff as the Assistant Coach for the men’s and women’s swimming programs, bringing her deep roots in the program full circle. As a collegiate swimmer at Duquesne University, Hayley had an outstanding career, earning an NCAA B cut, contributing to new school records, and swimming on a gold medal–winning 800 freestyle relay that set an Atlantic 10 Conference record.
Prior to college, Hayley competed at an elite level in Maryland high school swimming, capturing a first-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke during her junior year just weeks before the pandemic brought statewide competition to a halt.
Hayley holds a bachelor’s degree in health administration from Duquesne University and plans to pursue a master’s degree in business administration beginning in fall 2026. Her lifelong connection to the Hammerheads, combined with her competitive experience and passion for developing swimmers, makes her an invaluable part of the summer league program.
