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Coach
Roberto is originally from Arcola, IL and graduated from Southern Illinois University in 2016 with his degree in Industrial Engineering. Roberto moved to Kentucky in 2021 and is currently working as a Mechanical/Refractory Engineer for Novelis. He and his fiancé Mary, our nutrition coach, now live in Richmond and spend most of their time at the gym in some capacity.
Roberto has a diverse fitness background. With years of experience as a soccer, track/field, and mixed martial arts athlete, he wanted a gym that would improve both his athletic abilities and satisfy his competitive nature. Roberto joined CrossFit Cygnus in August 2022 and was immediately hooked by the diversity of the workouts the sport provided.
After getting a few years of experience under his belt as a CrossFit athlete, Roberto earned his CF-L1 in April of 2024 and started coaching in June 2024.
CF-L1
Coach
Ryan is originally from Henderson, TX. He was first introduced to CrossFit in 2013 while a student at Texas A&M University. When he started, he had never touched a barbell and he had absolutely no experience with competitive sports. For him, CrossFit was a revolution. The community support he received from the local box there in College Station helped him overcome an eating disorder, and the coaching he received equipped him with fitness habits that have forever changed his life.
Since that initial encounter with CrossFit, Ryan has been an active participant of whichever local gym he was a member. Ryan and his wife moved to Richmond, KY in 2023, and joining the Cygnus family was one of the first decisions he made after the move. He obtained his CF L-1 in October 2023.
Ryan has degrees and certifications from Texas A&M University, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the University of Kentucky. Currently, he is completing a PhD at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He loves learning, and he is always looking for ways to improve as a coach.
Ryan is passionate about helping others on their fitness journeys and is happy to help members both in and out of the gym.
CF-L2
Coach
Kayla is originally from Irvine, KY, but now resides in Richmond. She participated in competitive cheer and softball when she was younger but became inactive throughout her 20s. She decided she needed a change and started CrossFit Cygnus with a friend when it opened in 2020. She’s been hooked ever since and started coaching in January 2024. She’s grateful for that friend that pulled her into CrossFit and for the community she has found among Cygnus!
Aside from the gym, Kayla works in the field of nursing. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing from EKU as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She loves to help people in all aspects of their health!
CF-L1
Head Coach
Clark Lawson was raised in rural LaFollette, TN and moved to Richmond, KY in August of 2020. He currently attends Eastern Kentucky University and serves as our Head Coach.
Clark started CrossFit when he was 11 years old as a means of weight loss and furthering his health. Growing up, he was overweight and though he had always been active in sports, never found anything that stuck. That was until CrossFit. He reluctantly began attending classes and eventually lost an incredible 60 pounds, consequently falling in love with the sport.
He has competed at 3 national level Olympic weightlifting events, placing top 5 in all three, holds several state records, competed collegiately at Mars Hill University for Olympic weightlifting, and also qualified and competed at the 2024 TYR Wodapalooza in the teen division.
Clark joined CrossFit Cygnus in August of 2020 and began working in July of 2021 as the Senior Barbell Technician. Fueled by a love of the sport and a heart to help others, he started his journey to coaching on the floor from there. He now holds a plethora of certifications such as: CrossFit L1, USAW L1, Burgener Strength L1, and many more CrossFit Licensed CEUs. While at Mars Hill University, he started/directed his own non-profit affiliate, Mars Hill CrossFit, from the ground up. He also spent his time serving a Strength and Conditioning internship at the university as well. Clark loves the methodology of CrossFit and has seen it work firsthand, not only in his life but also in the lives of those he has coached. He is excited for his role here at CrossFit Cygnus!
CF-L1
Registered Dietitian
Mary is originally from Irvine, KY and went to college locally at Eastern Kentucky University. Mary graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in General Dietetics and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Kinesiology and Health Promotion. Mary has been working as a Registered Dietitian at a local major hospital since 2019, and she joined the staff as our Nutrition Coach in January of 2022. Mary and her fiancé Roberto (one of our coaches!) actually met at the gym and live here in Richmond with their many pets.
Mary was very active growing up and played several competitive sports, but she found it difficult to stick to a fitness routine as an adult going to traditional gyms. In 2021, Mary tried a class at CrossFit Cygnus and was hooked – the programming, coaching, and atmosphere made it easy to want to come back every day.
As our Nutrition Coach, she leads quarterly group nutrition challenges, teaches group nutrition classes, provides 1:1 individual coaching, and conducts our body composition testing. Mary is a habit-based nutrition coach and is passionate about making nutrition low-maintenance and easy to understand.
Certifications: Registered Dietitian, Licensed Dietitian (RD, LD)
COACH
How did I find CrossFit and why did I stay? I would like to boast that I have always led an active and fit lifestyle, but that would not be true. My fitness journey began later in life when I was 39. I had 2 small children, 8 and 6, I was 50 pounds overweight, depressed, and in the absolute worst health of my life. I knew I needed to change. So, I tried all the fitness kinds, the dance kind, the biking kind, the bootcamp kind. All those were great but they didn’t provide what I needed.
Three years later the gym I was a member of started doing a class I loved. I had no idea it had a name. We did cardio and used barbells and all I knew was that I loved the way I felt after I did the workouts. It was CrossFit. In the past 8 years CrossFit has kept me active, helped me lose 50 pounds, twice. (Yes twice, that’s a story to ask me if interested), gave me a community that holds me accountable and cheers for me when I succeed. I’m a true believer in the methodology of CrossFit beyond just losing weight. I’m talking about functional fitness and how food plays such an intricate part in fitness and the way our body performs and I want to share it.
Fast forward: I’ve been coaching the CrossFit methodology for 5 years and became Level 2 in 2021. I’m always interested in learning ways to help CrossFit athletes be successful whether it’s competing or being able to live unassisted as long as possible. It truly is for everyone.
CF-L2
Gym Manager, Coach
Marie is originally from Lexington, KY. She has lived in Richmond, KY since the age of 17 when she began attending college at Eastern Kentucky University. She holds a Master of Education degree and is currently an elementary teacher in Lexington. She has been married to her husband, Tyler, since 2007 and they have four children.
Marie has enjoyed fitness and being active most of her life. As a child and teen she was a competitive gymnast and cheerleader. After high school she began running and completed two half-marathons. During the years that she was pregnant with and mothering her first two young children, her fitness activity came completely to a halt. When her second child was six months old, she joined a local gym and while she enjoyed it for several years, she felt like something was missing. She tried CrossFit for the first time at CrossFit Cygnus in December 2020 and was immediately hooked!
Marie earned her CF-L1 in September 2022 and began coaching in June 2023. As a busy working wife and mama who lives with chronic autoimmune health conditions and has several past injuries, she fully believes in the methodology of CrossFit and has personally experienced and seen that CrossFit is for absolutely everyone! Her favorite part of CrossFit has always been the amazing family-like community at CrossFit Cygnus. She is excited to help others make fitness and health a priority in their lives and to help them reach their personal goals
CF-L1
Head Coach
Clark was born and raised in LaFollette, TN and moved to Richmond, KY in August of 2020. He is currently a junior at Model High School. Clark began doing CrossFit in 2016 as a way to lose weight and since then has grown to love the sport. Clark gravitated to the Olympic lifting side of CrossFit and has competed in several Olympic lifting competitions, including some at the national level. Clark holds a Burgener Strength Level 1 Certification for the Olympic lifts and plans to earn his CrossFit Level 1 Trainer and USAW certifications once he is old enough to meet the minimum age requirements. Currently, he assists coaching the CrossFit Kids class alongside Coach Jana Milam and the Barbell Club class with Coach Jake Reitz.
CF-L1
COACH
Chris was born and raised in Winchester, KY. Always having the desire to serve his country, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after graduating high school and served 5 years on active duty as an aircraft mechanic. He deployed twice to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom before leaving the Marines and returning home to work as a lead helicopter mechanic with Lockheed Martin. Chris is married to his junior high sweetheart Holly and has two amazing girls Olivia and Lucy.
Chris started CrossFit in 2015 as a way to get back in shape following years of not working out after leaving the Marine Corps. After the first class, he was hooked. Chris has been coached by several CrossFit games athletes and learned both the functional and competitive sides of CrossFit. Chris and his wife joined Cygnus in December of 2020 and in July 2021, earned his CF L1 and started coaching. Outside of CrossFit, Chris is a Olympic distance triathlete and routinely competes in local endurance race events.
CF-L1
COACH
Jake is originally from Columbus, OH but has resided in Richmond since 2017 while attending Eastern Kentucky University. He has since finished his studies and is currently working full-time at a local philanthropic organization. Jake has a diverse athletic background, having spent several years in high school playing football and wrestling and on the rugby field at EKU.
Jake began doing CrossFit in 2015, using it as a way to improve his athletic performance in high school sports. He worked extensively with Graham Holmberg, winner of the 2010 CrossFit Games, before earning his CF L1 in 2019. Jake is also a certified personal trainer and holds a certification in one-on-one coaching through Two-Brain Coaching. He officially began coaching in August 2020 in his hometown of Columbus before joining us at CrossFit Cygnus in October 2020.
CF-L2
COACH
Brandon was born and raised in Richmond, KY. He graduated from EKU in 2017 with a degree in Parks and Recreation Management. Brandon’s athletic background began with sprint triathlons and cross-country in high school. He then transitioned into CrossFit and Spartan Racing, placing in the top 50 in the 2017 Spartan Race World Championship.
Brandon began doing CrossFit in 2013, using it to improve his overall fitness and to become a more well-rounded athlete. He earned his CF L1 in the summer of 2018. He served as Co-Owner and Head Coach of CrossFit Solafide in Clarksville, TN before moving back to Richmond and joining CrossFit Cygnus in September 2020.
Brandon brings an immense amount of knowledge and experience to the CrossFit Cygnus coaching staff. His years of training with world-class endurance athletes, coupled with extensive experience teaching and coaching CrossFit, makes him a very well-rounded and knowledgeable part of the CrossFit Cygnus team.
CF-L1
COACH
Hannah is originally from Corbin, KY but she and her husband Kyrk have called Richmond home since 2016. She graduated from the University of the Cumberlands in 2013 and works in finance for the UK Federal Credit Union.
Hannah joined CrossFit Cygnus in 2022 and started coaching in December of that year. In addition to holding a CF-L1 credential, she is also an ACE Certified Personal Trainer. a certified Adaptive and Inclusive Trainer, and has completed the Ready State Mobility 101 Course.
She began her CrossFit journey in 2014. When that gym closed, she took a brief break before beginning again in 2017. It has been a critical component of her life ever since. She fell in love with the sport and developed a passion for showing others the improvement to quality of life CrossFit brings to all that train on a regular basis.
Apart from running track and cross country in high school,Hannah had no fitness experience and had been sedentary for many years before finding CrossFit. She understands how intimidating it can be for someone with limited or no fitness experience to get started. She wants to help you, coach you, and cheer you on as you begin and progress in your CrossFit journey!
CF-L1
COACH
Allison Sernulka is an Ohio native, but has resided in Richmond, KY for the majority of her life. Allison’s fitness background began in a dance studio, where she trained and taught well into her 20s. In 2014, Allison completed her first CrossFit workout and was immediately hooked. Shortly thereafter, she decided she wanted to continue coaching and has since earned her CrossFit Level 3 Trainer certification. With 8 years of experience in competitive CrossFit, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the coaching team. Outside of the gym, Allison holds a Master’s Degree from Eastern Kentucky University and is currently employed as the Assistant Director of Fitness and Wellness on campus. Here is what Allison has to say about her CrossFit journey:
CF-L3
OWNER
Jay Taheny was born in Upper Sandusky, OH but grew up in southeastern KY. At age 18, he moved to Richmond, KY to attend college at Eastern Kentucky University and has since called Richmond home. Jay served for 25 years in the KY National Guard, with one deployment to Afghanistan, but has recently retired and now manages the gym full-time.
Jay first started CrossFit in August 2013. Like many others, he was drawn to the competitive aspect of CrossFit but quickly realized the immense health benefits associated with the regimen. He earned his L1 and CrossFit Kids certification 2014 and began coaching soon thereafter. Jay has since gone on to earn multiple CrossFit credentials including CF Gymnastics, Weightlifting, and the highly coveted CrossFit Level 3 Trainer Certification. He has also completed The Ready State 102 Mobility Course and is a certified nutrition coach through Precision Nutrition. Outside of the gym, he holds a Master’s Degree in Executive Leadership from Liberty University and supports multiple philanthropic organizations in the Richmond area.
CF-L3, TRS-L2, PN-1 , USAW L1
305 Anna Hume Blvd, Richmond, KY 40475
(859) 267 1483