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VARSITY TEAM
The Varsity Swim Team includes the swimmers on our competitive team and is open to children 6 years old to 18 years. Over 120 children participate in our swim teams each year.
Varsity Swim Team evaluations will be held on Tuesday, May 28th from 4:30-5:30 PM. Swimmers new to St. Albans or swimmers wishing to move from our 2023 mini team to varsity MUST be at evaluations. Returning varsity swimmers do not need to attend evaluations.
Varsity Practice Schedule:
MINI SWIM TEAM
The Mini Swim Team includes children 8 and under who do not have the skills necessary to compete on the Varsity Swim Team. Mini Team is a developmental program with an emphasis on stroke mechanics. Mini Team is for swimmers who are proficient in both freestyle (side breathing, face in the pool) and backstroke (able to stay afloat while moving arms).
Mini Team evaluations will be held on Monday, June 3rd at 4:30 PM
Practice schedule Monday, June 17 through Thursday, July 18
The mini team will have one intrasquad meet at the end of the season.
DIVE TEAM
Dive Team is open to children 6 years to 18 years old and has more than 20 participants each year. This is a great chance to learn the fundamentals of diving in a safe and supportive environment. If your child does wish to participate in the competitive diving meets, they are required to attend practices and be able to perform the minimum diving requirements for each meet.
Divers will be split into 2 practice groups:
Dive Team Preseason begins Saturday, June 1st.
Practice Schedule:
COACHES
HEAD SWIM COACH
Ashley Suchecki
Coach Ashley has a passion for swimming and swam competitively for 14 years. Ashley was the Swim Team Captain for Gettysburg College. Ashley has previous coached and swam for The Stony Lane Swim Club under Dave Curtis and John McFadden. Ashley currently coaches all age groups at the Suburban Seahawks Club (SSC). Prior to joining the Suburban Seahawks Club, Ashley spent 10 years at Comcast creating, developing, and managing sales teams as the Senior Director of Digital Advertising Sales. Ashley applied the skills of discipline, perseverance, and team comradery, which she learned in the pool, to drive her career at Comcast. After having 4 children, she decided to turn back to the pool and focus on helping youth swimmers continue to develop and find their passion. Ashley holds a BA in psychology from Gettysburg College, an MA in Communication from Villanova University and an Executive Leadership Degree from The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.
ASSISTANT SWIM COACHES
Svetlana Panayotova
Coach Svetlana has worked with Age Group, High School, and National Level Swimmers for over 40 years. She has been coaching for over 25 years at St. Albans. As part of the St. Albans Championship Swim Team, she focuses on team comradery, competition, and fun. Her philosophy is to build a foundation on understanding and executing swimming fundamentals, which leads to continuous growth as her swimmers develop. Not only is Svetlana active in coaching, but she also provides swim lessons to children and adults of all ages and abilities. Additionally, Svetlana has been coaching and teaching at Suburban Seahawks Club (SSC) since 2000. She has developed a learn-to-swim program and has mentored State Champions and National Qualifiers. As a competitive swimmer, Svetlana swam at the national level in Bulgaria. She participated in international competitions including the 1982 World Championships (monofin) in Moscow, USSR. Coach Svetlana holds a Master of Science in Physical Education from The National Sports Academy of Bulgaria.
Devon Bernabeo
Devon is a rising sophomore at Fairfield University where she is continuing her swim career by participating in the club swimming program. She has been swimming competitively for eleven years, beginning with Radnor Aquatic Club, then later swimming for Triton Swim Team and Radnor High School’s Varsity Swim team. She has participated in summer swim leagues for eleven years as well, and is a recently graduated senior swimmer of the St. Albans Swim team. She teaches several swim lessons through the swim club as well, and this is her second year coaching the St. Albans team.
Brandon Block
Brandon is a rising senior at The Haverford school where he competes in water polo and swimming at the varsity level. He is also a member of The Suburban Seahawks Club where he swims all year round. In the summer, he works as a lifeguard at St. Albans and swims for the club. He has been a member at St. Albans for over ten years and this will be his first summer coaching.
Jacob Kellerman
Jacob has been swimming competitively for over 10 years. He has been swimming at St. Albans and at the club level since he was six years old. Jacob is a rising senior at Radnor High School, where he has been on the varsity swim team all three years.
Eddie Kohn
Eddie graduated from The Haverford School, where he competed in varsity water polo, swimming, and baseball. Eddie is the two-time winner of the McQuillen Award for his dedication to The Haverford School Swim Team. Eddie has been swimming at St. Albans for 12 years and he is a club record holder. Eddie will be helping develop and grow the swimmer’s knowledge of not only the swimming strokes and technique but the love of the sport. Eddie will attend Bucknell University this fall.
Connor Simpkins
Connor has been swimming competitively since he was five years old. Connor swims year-round for the Suburban Seahawks Club. He has been swimming for St. Albans for two summers where he has qualified for the SSL Elite Meet, obtaining top three finishes for all of his events. Connor is a rising senior at The Haverford School where he is also a member of the varsity swim team.
HEAD DIVE COACH
Alyssa Pagani DeVincenzo
Alyssa has coached teams for Aronimink Golf Club and Rose Tree Woods. She is a former competitive swimmer and diver for Marple Newtown High School and Rose Tree Woods Swim Club. Alyssa is a speech-language pathologist at AIM Academy, where she also coaches and helped establish the school’s swim program.
ASSISTANT DIVE COACH
Eddie graduated from The Haverford School, where he competed in water polo, swimming, and baseball. He has been diving at St. Albans for 12 years, where he is the club record holder in 10U and 12U boys. Eddie has qualified for the elite meet every season and finished in the top 3 at the SSL Elite Meet eight times. This is Eddie’s second season coaching diving at St. Albans. Eddie will be attending Bucknell University in the fall.
