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Mark Walker headcoach@excelaquatics.org Bio |
ISC Excel Office: 615-370-3471 x 23 Fax: 615-730-5426 |
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Gretchen Bates grettle@gmail.com Bio |
Ellen Crosby ellencrosby910@gmail.com Bio |
Mike Ballard Labitty@aol.com Bio |
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Peter Browne pbrowne6@gmail.com Bio |
Gina Carbone jgcarbone@comcast.net Bio |
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Amy Caulkins amycaulkins@juno.com Bio |
Kate Chronic chronicks@aol.com Bio |
Amanda Crawford amanda@denovodahl.com Bio |
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Will Shelton |
Andreea Ianoli-Mitrofan coachandreea@excelaquatics.org Bio |
Dennis McEwan rhsswimcoach@comcast.net Bio |
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Steven Murry sjmurry@yahoo.com Bio |
Sarah Sargent sarahandroo@hotmail.com Bio |
Chris Pickerell |
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Dawn VanRyckeghem coachdawn@excelaquatics.org Bio |
Ashley Whitney coachashley@excelaquatics.org Bio |
Sheree Zobl sbzobl@comcast.net Bio |
Coach Mark Walker is in his twenty-seventh year as Head Coach and CEO of Excel Aquatics, the team he founded in 1983. Beginning as Stones River Aquatic Racers (STAR), Coach Walker’s team has grown from 18 members to the largest team in Southeastern Swimming with over 400 members. Under his direction, Excel Aquatics has fostered swimming at every level. Besides the age group team, Coach Walker founded the Excel Swim School which teaches young and old how to swim. In addition, Excel Aquatics boasts impressive adult competitive programs. The Excel masters team fosters healthy fitness swimming as well as training for elite adult competitors. The Excel adult Triathlete program aids novice to iron man Tris in aquatic training. The Excel Home School program provides aquatic learning for local home-schooled students.
Coach Kate Chronic returned to Excel Aquatics in 2007 after a ten year absence. She is a full time Assistant Coach assisting Coach Walker in training Gold I and Xtreme swimmers at the Williamson County Indoor Sports Complex and assisting in team management.
Coach Dennis McEwan has over twenty years of swimming experience as an age group, high school, college and masters swimmer. He has ten years of coaching swimming, two years assisting a local YMCA team in San Dimas, California, five years with Ravenwood High School, and two years as Head Coach for Centennial High School. Coach Dennis was the Head Coach for the Excel Master's program for three yearsuntil 2010 and is entering his third year as the Excel Gold II coach.
Coach Amy Caulkins returns to Excel Aquatics as the Head Age Group Coach with responsibility of overseeing the team's 12 and under program. Amy has successfully coached age group swimmers for 32 years in several states and Australia. For the past 16 years Amy has coached in the Nashville Swim League, recently leading 7 Hills to 7 City Meet Championships.
Coach Amanda began her swimming career as an 8 and under swimmer with Excel Aquatics. While competing with Excel, Coach Amanda was a Southeastern Swimming Champion, Southeastern Swimming Hall of Fame Honoree, and a nationally ranked age group swimmer. She currently holds the Excel Aquatics' 10 and under girls 50 and 100 meter butterfly records. Amanda has worked in recent years with swimmers refining their strokes. She joined the Excel Aquatics' coaching staff as a Silver II coach for the 2009-2010 season. She will also assist Coach Amy Caulkins with the Silver I group.
Coach Gretchen Bates started her coaching career as an Assistant Coach for the New York City YWCA Masters in 1999. IN 2004 she returned home to Summertown, Tennessee and became the Head Coach of the Maury County YMCA age group team and Head Coach for the Columbia Triathlon Club. She joined Excel Aquatics coaching staff in 2007 as a Masters Coach. Gretchen has been an assistant coach to Amy Caulkins for the Silver I group since the Spring of 2009.
Andreea comes from a long line of swimmers. Both her parents were highly successful, as well as her sister. Her father took part in the 1960 Olympic Games, while her mom was a national champion in the backstroke events. Her sister is a national gold medal holder in the Butterfly and IM events. Andreea first came into contact with a swimming pool at the age of 3 months where she seemed to excel since that time. Since her first introduction to a swimming pool, she began a long journey growing up on the pool deck, learning strokes and learning the technique the technique required to become an excellent swimmer. Never forgetting the two-a-day practice schedule, summer stages at the sea, winter stages on the mountains, she remembers how much fun it was to travel hours on a bus or train to help her team earn many medals at competitions. As a result of her hard work and dedication, "one of the best results as a swimmer was achieving the gold medals in the 400meter IM and 800meter Freestyle.
Mike Ballard has been a part of USA Swimming as a head coach, assistant coach, summer league coach, and swim school instructor. He is approaching his 20th year season. He is ASCA certified Level 3. He resides in Bowling Green, Kentucky with his wife, Annette, and daughter, Leigh. Mike coaches in Gallatin and is dedicated to the EXCEL mission. His motto is "learn, have fun, succeed."
Shereé Zobl joined the Excel coaching staff in Gallatin in 2007 after a successful 5 year stint as Sumner Academy’s 7th and 8th grade Girl’s Basketball Coach. Coach Shereé has been involved with Excel Aquatics as a Parent Representative on Excel’s Board of Directors, as well as serving as a USA Swimming Official. Coach Shereé will have primary responsibility of working with Coach Mike and the Silver II and Bronze groups, along with substituting as coach with the other groups as needed.
sarahandroo@hotmail.com
Sarah Sargent joined the Excel Aquatics' coaching staff after a phenomenal swimming career. During her 12 years as a swimmer with Excel Aquatics, Sarah achieved an Olympic Trial qualifying time in the 50 freestyle. She was a two time Junior National Champion and a National Championship finalist in the 50 freestyle. She is the current Southeastern Swimming record holder in the 50 and 100 yard freestyles and 50 meter freestyle for 13-14 year old girls and was a member of the 15-16 girls 200 and 400 yard freestyle relay that currently holds the Southeastern Swimming record for those events. Sarah is an 8 time National High School All American, and a 5 time Tennessee High School Champion.
After two years at the University of Tennessee, Sarah is now living in Murfreesboro and attending Middle Tennessee State University.
Will Shelton
Coach Will joins the Excel Aquatics staff in 2010 after a successful swimming career that spans15 years as an athlete and coach. Will swam many years in the Williiamson County Swim League, and year round with the River Oaks Swim Club and Excel Aquatics. He is a Blackmon High School graduate where he was the captain of the swim team for three years. Since 2008, Coach Will has coached the Sports Com Comets of the WCSL.
Coach Will is majoring in Biology at MTSU and hopes to attend medical school upon graduation.
Ashley Whitney was born and raised in Nashville, TN. She grew up swimming for Excel South which later merged with NAC. For high school, she attended The Bolles School in Jacksonville, FL. It was there she qualified for the United States Olympic team and went on to win a gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games in the 4 x 200 Freestyle Relay. After the Olympics she continued to represent the United States National team until 1999 when she attended the University of Georgia. At the University of Georgia she was part of the first swim team to win a nation championship for the school. After her first year at Georgia, she transferred to the University of California Berkeley to finish her schooling and swimming career. Ashley attributes her success to her Mom’s unconditional love and support; coaches Gregg Troy (University of Florida) and Ray Mitchell ( Terrapins Swimming)- although they were not always her favorite coaches (they pushed her to the limits mentally and physically in practice when she sometimes didn’t want to) they were, by far, the most influential.
Ashley has coached since being back in Nashville in 2003. She coaches summer league, year round (Silver II), masters swimming, and triathletes. In 2008 Ashley began competing at a national level again in Open Water swimming. She is currently a member of the USA Swimming Open Water National Team.
Steven Murry joined the Excel coaching staff after concluding a very successful swimming career ending in his participation in the 2008 USA Olympic Trials. Steven began his swimming career as a 10 and under with Williamson County Aquatic team. As a 12 year old her earned a berth on the SES Zone All Star Team. While representing Excel Aquatics, he earned numerous national qualifying standards and broke numerous team records. Upon his high school graduation, Steven continued his swimming career at Indiana University where he was a 3 time NCAA Championship qualifier and picked up an All-America certificate at the NCAA Championships,earning Honorable Mention for his 13th place finish in the 400 IM. He was also the Indiana University record holder in that event. Steven was a consistent finalist at the Big Ten Championships in multiple events during his tenure at Indiana.
Coach Steven was an assistant coach with the Longview Sea Dragons of the WCSL, helping leading his team to its first championship title in 2008. Steven joined the Excel Aquatics in 2008 as the Silver I and Gold coach in Murfreesboro. In 2010, Coach Steven assumed the head coaching responsibilities for the Master's team in Brentwood.
Coach Dawn has been passionately involved in the sports and fitness industry for the past 2 decades. She began her swimming career in 2000 when her eldest 3 children started swimming lessons and joined a summer league team. In 2002, she started her coaching career at the Maryland Farms YMCA as an assistant coach. In 2004 ,as Head Coach of the MFY she helped lead the team to a division and county championship. In 2005, she spearheaded the formation of the Brentwood Barracudas summer team, which she has managed and help coached to 4 consecutive championship titles for both dual and county meets. In the same year, she established a High School Home School Swim Team.