Davis​ AquaMonsters

Pete Motekaitis has been coaching swimmers in Yolo County since the early 80s. While he has been on the international stage, throughout his entire career he has coached all levels of swimmers and enjoys all the steps and levels of swimming.

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Since 2005, Pete Motekaitis has lead the Davis Aquamonsters as the co-Director of the organization which includes Summer Rec swim team (local youth competition) and USA Swim Team (youth - National and International competition). In addition to his duties of overall leadership and innovative visionary of the AquaMonsters organization, Motekaitis serves as the Head Coach of the USA Swim team in our program, developing and training swimmers for national and international competition as well as developing swimmers for collegiate swim careers. 

 

Motekaitis spent his 26th years at UC Davis. The last 9 years at UC Davis, Motekaitis was the Associate Head Coach of the UC Davis Women’s Swim and Dive team, developing student-athletes  as well as winning team coAs head coach of the UC Davis men's swimming program for his first 15 years, Motekaitis guided the Aggies into conference and national prominence at his alma mater, culminating with a Big West Conference Championship during the 2010 season. Under his leadership, the Aggies won the conference title with a record 985.5 points, the most ever in a five-team field and set two schools records and hit 12 NCAA "B" Consideration times. He was named Men's Coach of the Year for the second straight season..

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Under his tutelage, Scott Weltz, who finished his Aggie career as one of the most decorated swimmers in UC Davis history, became the first UC Davis student-athlete in its Division I history to earn All-America honors after finishing 15th in the 200 individual medley at the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships. The 2006 Big West Conference Freshman of the Year was named Male Athlete of the Year in back-to-back seasons in 2009 and 2010.

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Then in 2012, Weltz achieved an even loftier goal in his sport, qualifying for the Olympic Games in London. The Motekaitis protegé had placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke at the Olympic Trials, then upset Eric Shanteau and Brendan Hansen in the 200 breast final with a Trials record of 2:09.01. 

 

At the London Olympics, Weltz finished third in his prelim (2:09.67), set a new PR of 2:08.99 in the semifinal, then finished fifth in a thrilling final with a 2:09.02 clocking.

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This marked the second time Motekaitis had coached an athlete to the Olympic Games. Eight years prior, he had mentored former Cal standout Haley Cope to three medals (including two gold) at the FINA World Championships, multiple World Cup gold medals and a silver medal at the Athens Olympic Games. In coaching both Weltz and Cope, Motekaitis was selected to the USA Swimming National Team staff as a personal coach for those respective seasons.

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For 15 years Motekaitis was the head coach of the highly successful Davis Aquadarts age-group program. While there he founded the popular Summerdarts program which is still in existence today. 

 

Motekaitis also served as head coach for the Davis Senior High School swimming program until 2008, garnishing 29 straight league titles, 19 Sac-Joaquin Section championships, and developed 37 High School All-Americans. 

 

In 2018 - the American Swim Coaches Association inducted Motekaitis into the American Swim Coaches Hall of Fame,  In 2019, Motekaitis was inducted into the Cal Aggie Hall of Fame as a coach.  

 

A UC Davis with a bachelor’s degree in history, Motekaitis was also an All-American swimmer for the Aggies throughout his college career. As an educator, he earned a master’s degree in sports management & fitness from the University of San Francisco.

 

Highlights of Motekaitis’ Career

  •  Coached two Olympians (2004 + 2012)

  •  Coached ParaOlympian Mark Barr for 2004 + 2008

• Developed 2 National Champions & 22 All-Americans

• Developed 8 Individual Conference Champions

• Highest UCD men’s team GPA

• Coached 3 athletes who have won the NCAA post-graduate scholarship

• 29 league & 19 Sac-Joaquin Section Championships

• 9 LSC championship titles

• 5 National Age Group Record

• 2 National Public High School Championship team

Select individual coaching accomplishments as Coach of Record for UC Davis Women’s Swimming

• ●  U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifier, 2016, 2020

• ●  NCAA Championships Qualifier, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019

• ●  MPSF Conference Champion, 2021

• ●  MPSF Conference Champion, 2019 (3 titles)

• ●  MPSF Conference Champion, 2018 (3 titles)

• ●  MPSF Conference Champion, 2017 (3 titles)

• ●  NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, 2016

• ●  UC Davis Hubert Heitman Award winner (Female Athlete of the Year), 2016

• ●  MPSF Conference Champion, 2016 (3 titles)

• ●  MPSF Newcomer of the Year, 2016

• ●  Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholars Award, 2015 (3 honorees)

• ●  MPSF Conference Champion, 2015 (2 titles)

• ●  Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholars Award, 2014 (2 honorees)

• ●  Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholars Award, 2013 (3 honorees)

• ●  MPSF Conference Champion, 2012 (2 titles)

• ●  MPSF Conference Swimmer of the Year, 2011

• ●  MPSF Conference Champion, 2011 (2 titles)

• ●  UC Davis W. P. Lindley Award winner (Scholar Athlete of the Year), 2011

• ●  Established 9 individual MPSF Conference records

• ●  Set 17 individual UC Davis school records

• Select team coaching accomplishments

• ●  MPSF Women’s Swimming & Diving Team Conference Champions, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016

• ●  MPSF Women’s Swimming & Diving Team Conference 2nd Place, 2015, 2019

• ●  MPSF Women’s Swimming & Diving Team Conference 3rd Place, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2021

• ●  Undefeated regular dual meet season, 2014

• ●  MPSF All Academic 30 UCD Swim and Dive student-athletes recognized as honorees, 2021