River Run Raptors

Tricia Bannister - Assistant Coach

Coach Tricia has not only been a coach for the Raptors for the past four years, she’s also swam for the team since 2001. She received the Coaches' Award in 2003. As a Senior at Neuqua Valley High School, she swam for NVHS for 4 years, making varsity the past two years. She has played water polo for NVHS for 4 years as well, on the varsity team for 3 years. Her favorite events are the 50 & 100 Freestyles, and the 100 Breaststroke. Tricia will be graduating this spring from Neuqua and plans on attending college in the fall and majoring in Business. Tricia has a passion for helping the swimmers of the neighborhood improve their strokes and becoming strong swimmers. She hopes the summer 2011 season is just as great as last year!

Morgan Gathe - Age Group Coach

A Senior at Neuqua Valley High School, Coach Morgan has swam on their team in addition to the White Water Aquatics Club, Naperville Riptides, Fox Valley Swim Team, and River Run Raptors - for whom she's been swimming since she was seven. No stranger to the Raptors, Coach Morgan was an apprentice coach during the 2007 swim season and gives private lessons to many children of the neighborhood. Her favorite part of swimming is "the feeling of exhilaration of knowing your hard work paid off when you win points for your team or you get the time you wanted", which embodies the goal of the River Run Raptors!

Colleen Clennon - Age Group Coach

Colleen just finished her sophomore year at Benet Academy. She started swimming for the Raptors in 2000, when she was 5 years old. She has also been a member of the Westboro Raiders Swim team, Naperville Riptide, and Fox Swim Team. Her favorite event is backstroke. Colleen is excited to be helping out with the younger swimmers, and looks forward to helping them build confidence, improve their strokes, and sharing her enthusiasm for all things RAPTORS!!!!!!!!!

Gian Luis Delgado - Age Group Coach

This is Coach Gian Luis' second year coaching the Raptors swim team. He is a sophomore at Neuqua Valley High School and swims on the JV swim team. He's swam for the Raptors since 2003 and for FOX Valley Swim Team since 2005. He's won the high point award three years consecutively for the Raptors and been a state qualifier for FOX. His favorite stroke is the breaststroke and currently holds the 13-14 50 yard breaststroke record. He hopes to bring his enthusiasm to the team and is excited for another great swim season in 2011!

Gia Dalesandro - Age Group Coach

Gia, a sophomore at Neuqua Valley High School, has been swimming since she was 7 years old for both the Naperville Park District and Fox Valley Swim Team. For two years, she has swam Varsity and participated in the State Swim Meet. Gia’s favorite events are the 100 back, 50 back and 50 fly. She holds the Naperville Park District City record for the Girls 13-14 50 back and won the Girls 13-14 50 free in 2009. Gia is very excited to be back for another great season!

Kyle Zacok - Junior Coach

This is Kyle's first year as a coach with the Raptors. He has been swimming on the team since he was 5 years old and is excited to be able to join the coaching staff for the summer 2011 season. Over the past few years, he has won the Raptor Award and the High Point award for his age group. This past year he swam on the JV team at Neuqua Valley. Kyle's favorite event is the IM because he enjoys all of the strokes. Kyle is excited about coaching this season, as he helps the younger Raptors develop their proper strokes and excel in their swimming abilities. Go Raptors!!

Coaches Corner