cOACHES AND dIRECTORS
Coaches and Directors
Coach Andrew joins Surge from Lakeside Aquatic Club, where he coached the National Prep and Senior groups from 2021 to 2024. He originally joined LAC in the spring of 2019 as a Site Head Age Group Coach.
During his time at LAC, Andrew was recognized as an American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Top 10 Finalist for Age Group Coach of the Year in 2021 and 2022. He has coached multiple Texas Age Group State (TAGS) champions and record holders.
Prior to LAC, Andrew served as a graduate assistant coach for the Ithaca College Men’s swim team, where he pursued a graduate degree in Sport Psychology.
Before Ithaca, Andrew coached in Chicago with NASA Wildcat Aquatics as an Assistant Senior Coach and was also a volunteer assistant coach for Northwestern University’s swim team.
His coaching career began at Club Mountaineer Aquatics in West Virginia where he worked as an Age Group Coach from 2012 to 2016.
Andrew completed his undergraduate degree at West Virginia University, earning a B.S. in Athletic Coaching Education with a minor in Sport and Exercise Psychology. As a swimmer at WVU, he was a two-time NCAA qualifier, an Olympic Trials qualifier, and set the Big XII record in the 100 backstroke.
Andrew found his love of swimming growing up in Buffalo NY where he swam and played a myriad of sports with his four siblings Megan, Matthew, Mitchell and Adam.
In his free time Andrew enjoys plays pickleball with his partner Jenne.
Erika Smith
Head Age Group Coach
CoachErika@surgeaquatics.org
Lead Coach Surge 2
Lead Coach Gold
Coach Erika has over 10 years of coaching experience and most recently served as the Head Age Group Coach and Dryland Coordinator at Aqua Swift Aquatics, where she successfully grew the developmental and age group programs. Her leadership helped many swimmers achieve their first time standards and compete at qualifying meets.
She began her coaching journey at LifeTime Fitness, moving from swim instructor to Head Site Coach, where she built one of the region’s top-performing teams. Erika also coached with City of Plano Swimmers and Texas Ford Aquatics, gaining experience with national-level athletes and Masters swimmers.
Originally from San Antonio, Erika swam competitively at Texas Military Institute and trained year-round with Alamo Area Aquatics. She is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and holds an Associate's degree in Elementary Education.
Erika is passionate about helping swimmers grow in confidence both in and out of the water. Outside coaching, she enjoys weightlifting, cycling, and volunteering at the Humane Society.
Zoe Skelton
Assistant Coach
Lead Silver Coach
coachzoe@surgeaquatics.org
Coach Zoe brings over four years of experience coaching competitive swimming across both summer league and year-round club programs. Before stepping into her coaching role, Zoe was a dedicated competitive swimmer for nearly nine years, cultivating a lifelong passion for the sport.
She began her swimming journey with Surge Aquatics, training under Coaches K and Howorth, and has now come full circle by returning to the team as a coach. During her time with Surge, Zoe has successfully guided numerous 10 & Under swimmers to significant milestones, with many qualifying for STAGS and even advancing to TAGS.
Zoe's deep-rooted love for swimming and her commitment to developing young athletes are at the heart of her coaching philosophy. She is excited to continue inspiring the next generation of swimmers and helping them reach their fullest potential.
Since co-founding Surge Aquatics with Derek Howorth in 2019, Coach Nabil Kebbab—named the 2023 South Texas Age Group Coach of the Year—has led his swimmers to remarkable achievements, including Texas Age Group Championship titles and guiding a relay team to secure second place at the Texas Age Group Championships—a historic milestone for Surge Aquatics. Under his guidance, multiple swimmers have achieved Sectionals and Futures cuts despite starting with minimal swim experience.
Nabil Kebbab was born and raised in Algeria and brings extensive expertise as both a professional swimmer and coach. He began swimming at seven years old and joined the Algerian national team at 17. At 18, Nabil moved to France to train with Cercle des Nageurs de Marseille. As a member of the Algerian national team and Cercle des Nageurs de Marseille, he trained and competed internationally.
Nabil’s swimming career highlights include competing in the Beijing and London Olympic Games, finishing 5th in the 100m Freestyle at the 2007 World Championships, and earning four gold medals at the African Championships.
In 2004, Nabil first came to San Antonio to train with AAAA. After retiring from professional swimming, he returned to San Antonio with his wife, Meriem (also a swimmer), to begin his full-time coaching career. Nabil holds safety certifications and coaching licenses from the American Red Cross, USA Swimming, the Algerian Swimming Federation, the University of Marseille, the French National Safety and Rescue Aquatic, and the American Swim Coaches Association.
In his free time, Nabil enjoys tent camping with his wife Meriem and their two boys, Yanis and Samy. He is also passionate about early morning bike rides and workouts before sunrise.
Derek Howorth grew up in San Antonio, TX where he swam with Alamo Area Aquatics Association (AAAA) under the tutelage of the great George Block.
Coach Howorth continued his swimming career at the University of Texas where he was a 6-time All-American, US Olympic Trials Qualifier, and a member of the University of Texas National Championship Team in 1996. While at Texas he earned his degree in Applied Learning and Development/Sport Management.
During his time coaching, Coach Howorth has developed over 30, USA Swimming National Top 16 swimmers. He has also had the opportunity to share his swimming and coaching experiences in Kenya (2010), Dubai (2012), USA Swimming National Select Camp (2017) and Hangzhou, China (2019). Most recently, Coach Howorth is honored to be named to the USA Swimming National Coaches list in 2018 and 2019.
Coach Howorth enjoys coaching because it allows him to help children learn life lessons through the sport of swimming. During his free time he enjoys traveling, cooking, cycling, being outdoors and spending time with his wife, Angela, whom he married in October of 2009.
