University of Wisconsin (La Crosse)

"Amazing human who cares about his players on and off the court"

"Coach Petesch seems very focused on performance standards and building a more competitive program, but the environment felt very discouraging and unsupportive, especially for athletes who are still developing. A lot of emphasis is placed on times and whether athletes are considered “competitive enough,” which can make it feel like your value on the team depends more on immediate results than effort, growth, or long-term potential. He has openly said that most of the team is not at a true college competitive standard and that only a smaller portion of athletes are really at the level he wants. While high expectations are understandable, the delivery often comes across as harsh and dismissive rather than motivating. For a Division III program, it feels like there is very little patience for development, especially for athletes coming back from injuries or trying to rebuild confidence. Communication and feedback can also be frustrating. Many athletes feel unsure of where they stand unless they directly ask, and even then, the responses can feel more critical than constructive or blatantly ignored. Instead of feeling coached, it can feel like you are constantly trying to prove you deserve a spot. There is also a strong emphasis on team culture and lifestyle choices, with assumptions made about athletes being “social” or not taking the sport seriously enough, even in points of transition ex. long bus trip. While accountability matters, it can feel unfair when athletes who are working hard are still grouped into that narrative. If you are already a top performer and respond well to a very blunt, results-driven coaching style, this environment may work for you. But if you are looking for a coach who prioritizes athlete development, encouragement, and building confidence alongside performance, this may not be the best fit. "

"To begin, I have always been told that I am a blunt, head strong girl. I have been a captain on multiple teams because of this. I am not saying that I am a flawless person, however I know that I have never had malicious intentions toward another person when in a position of required bluntness. Due to the on-going never ending power trip and self placed pedestal that Charlie puts himself on, this creates a huge one sided issue between the two of us. I will never forget the complete 180 in personality from recruitment to coaching. now, I know this is something I should have anticipated, but the difference is VAST. I will never forget my first end of season meeting with him where he told me I was one of the biggest disappointments in regards to recruiting. there was a time he had pulled me out of the pool in the middle of a practice where he told me "you've been having great meets and great times only because you are self tapering yourself and not trying during practice. the girl you will race this weekend is going to go a 57 and you are going to get beaten because your meet luck has run out. you cannot handle being the top backstroker on this team" this was the first time I truly considered quitting this sport. I told my mother about scary thoughts I was having that were directly related to him. I told her that if something were to happen to me because of my own doing it would be directly linked to him. to add, the blatant favoritism on this team is disgusting. we currently have a captain who had BULLIED another swimmer to quitting the team last year. he was made aware of this by another captain, his explanation for having her as a captain was "I could not have (insert another swimmers name) be a captain and not her". as referenced before, I know I have been a captain to many teams, however I was not expecting nor am I upset about not being a captain, I knew I wouldn't be. but to take that position from a more deserving teammate (which we have ample of) is very disappointing. every year he picks a new person to pick on and tell they are not good enough. the first year he decided to bully someone who could not afford the OPTIONAL training trip, last year it was me because I was going through a breakup, this year it was someone who I became close with over the summer (common denominator? hmm) when confronted about this he denied everything and brought one of our captains to nearly quit due to how he treated her for being my friend. to add to the breakup mentioned above, my sophomore year of college I was broken up with by my long term high school sweetheart boyfriend, instead of asking how I was when I was clearly having a breakdown, he asked everyone else on the team, and then called my parents. let me repeat that, he called my parents. I am a grown adult who was going through something similar to a death and he called my parents about how disappointed/worried he was about me without ever speaking to me first. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after my sophomore year of college, this was a hard time of my life because I was scared of who I would become because of it. I notified my coaches, and my employers because I felt that it was their right to know. this was the first time I have ever felt support from him. until I was having a depressive episode and he told me it was something I needed to take care of and get over. if his favorite captain tells him she isn't feeling well he sends her home and coddles her. I wasn't expecting much, but a little empathy wouldn't kill him. next, something that the ENTIRE team has discussed feeling uncomfortable about is the fact that he tells each and every one of us that he "loves us". the amount of times he has said "I love you" to WOMEN on this team as a MALE coach is gross. I personally have told him how uncomfortable this makes me feel along with other teammates on my team. the way he says it is not right, there's a casual way to say you love someone, and then there is the way he says it. it has never sat well with me in my heart and it makes me uncomfortable. another question multiple people have brought up is, why can MSUM not keep an assistant coach? I'm sensing a common theme. him. I have had years of therapy as a result of him. I have been SCARED of my own coach for YEARS. why did you stay? my teammates. I love my teammates and wanted to compete for them. this is something that will take me years to recover from. the amount of insecurities that have surfaced because of this boy is disgusting."

"He is rude and treats his team horribly. He only treats the best on the team with respect. He, also, disregarded sexual harassment claims the team was brining up to him."

"Wouldn’t have wanted to spend my 4 years anywhere else."