Coaching Staff

Jeff Poppell -  Program Director

 

With success at the state, national and international level, Jeff Poppell led one of America’s dominant high school and club swimming programs for 13 years. As the second year head coach of the University of Arkansas swimming and diving team, he looks to build one at the collegiate level. As the head coach at The Bolles School, a preparatory school in Jacksonville, Fla., Poppell led or assisted in leading Bolles to 18 consecutive boys’ and 15 consecutive girls’ Florida high school state championships. Bolles was undefeated every high school season during Poppell’s four years as head coach. He led the team to the 2004 Girls’ National High School Championship and the NISCA National Dual Meet Team Championships for both girls and boys in 2003 and 2004. In addition, Poppell coached the NISCA National High School Female Swimmer of the Year in 2004 and was recognized as the NHSCA National High School Coach of the Year for Girls Swimming & Diving.

The Jacksonville native also directed the 300-plus member Bolles Sharks which is a force among United States Swimming clubs having developed some of the United States’ and World’s top ranked 18 & Under swimmers. Poppell established training relationships with several international swimming federations which resulted in The Bolles School serving as an international training facility for Olympic athletes of several nations. Poppell led the Bolles Sharks to a pair of national championship titles, and a fifth place overall combined finish at the 2006 USA Swimming Spring Championships. He was also named one of the USA Swimming National Team coaches in 2005.

 
In the last five years, Poppell coached four swimmers ranked top 25 in the world and 17 former or current members of the Bolles Sharks were in the pool at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. A dozen swimmers under Poppell’s guidance competed, finaled or medaled at major international events including the FINA World Championships, European Championships, Pan American games and Commonwealth games. In addition, he coached athletes to 25 U.S. or International records.

 

Text Box: Coaching Highlights 2005-2008 USA Swimming National Team Coach 2006 American Swimming Coaches Association Certificate of Excellence 2005 American Swimming Coaches Association Certificate of Excellence 2005 NFHS Florida High School Coach of the Year – Boys’ Swimming & Diving 2004 American Swimming Coaches Association Certificate of Excellence 2004 NHSCA National High School Coach of the Year – Girls’ Swimming & Diving 2004 Florida Dairy Farmers Florida High School Coach of the Year - Girls’ Swimming & Diving 2003 American Swimming Coaches Association Certificate of Excellence Poppell Has Coached 2 U.S. National Champions 2 Swimmers placing in the top 10 at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials 4 Swimmers ranked in the top 25 in the World 7 Swimmers that competed at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece 12 Swimmers that competed in major international championships including the Olympic Games, FINA World Championships, Pan American Games, European Championships, Commonwealth Games, Southeast Asian Games, and the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships 42 Swimmers that competed at the U.S. National Swimming Championships

Scott Berry  - C.E.O. & Head Coach

aquahawgcoachscott@gmail.com

 

Scott Berry was just recently named the new Head Coach of the RAC AquaHawgs. Scott had been coaching at the Wichita Swim Club since 1991, most recently as the Senior Assistant and Head Age Group Coach. USA Swimming designated the Wichita Swim Club a "Gold Medal Club," an honor bestowed on only twenty clubs in the country. Scott has led Wichita Swim Club’s impressive developmental program which boasts Caroline Bruce making the 2004 United States Olympic Team in the 200 Breast, three Junior National titles won by Wichita swimmers, and the development of Senior National qualifiers every year from 1998 – 2007. Scott's swimmers have set numerous Missouri Valley LSC records and National Top 16 rankings.  He has also been named to the staffs of several Missouri Valley All-Star and Zone teams and was Head All-Star coach in 2003.  Scott currently serves as the Missouri Valley Records Chair and in 2006 was voted Missouri Valley Swimming Age Group coach of the year.  He earned his degree in Psychology from the University of Kansas in 1991 and Elementary Education from Wichita State University in 1996. Scott was a collegiate swimmer at the University of Kansas where he was an All Big Eight performer and Senior National qualifier.

 

 

Kirk Schafer  - Siloam Springs Site Coach

cschafe@uark.edu

 

Kirk Schafer is the Siloam Springs Satellite Coach for the Razorback Aquatic Club AquaHawgs. He had formerly served as the interim Head Coach for the Razorback Aquatic Club.from February 2008  through July of 2008. We are very excited about the energy and enthusiasm that he will bring to this transitional phase for our team. Siloam Springs is a growing swimming community and we are excited to offer an extension of our program to the area. Kirk is a student at the University of Arkansas and previously he was a swimmer and student at Drury University.  At Drury, an injury ended his swimming career.  Coach Kirk grew up and swam in the Houston area. He started with RAC as a part time Little Back coach, and for two years increased his coaching responsibility to where he was named the Head Age Group Coach for RAC a year ago.

Leanne Jacobson—Summerhill Site Coach

lean_jac@yahoo.com

 

Leanne grew up in Houston, TX where she swam competitively from age 5 to 18.  She has been teaching swimming for approximately 9 years.  Leanne started coaching swimming for Northwest Arkansas Aquatics 2 years ago.  She holds certifications as a swim instructor and as a water aerobics instructor.  She has many varied hobbies ranging from hiking to Ballet.  Leanne has lived in Rogers for 12 years with her husband and 3 daughters.  This year will start Leanne 3rd year with RAC.

 

Lisa Petry—Jr. Hawgs Age Group Coach @ JCF

lisa.petry@gmail.com

 

Text Box: Lisa Petry has been named Head Age Group coach of the AquaHawgs. Lisa was previously an Assistant Age Group coach at Northwest Arkansas Aquatics. Lisa was a vital part of NWAA’s age group championship teams. As a swimmer, Lisa was a multi-time state champion for club swimming in the state of Kentucky. She then came to the University of Arkansas as a scholarship student/athlete. Lisa was a four year qualifier for the SEC Championships, a four year letterman and a team captain as a Ladyback swimmer. Lisa received both her bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Arkansas. Lisa is currently a third grade teacher in the Springdale School District.

Anita Parisi—Jr. Hawgs Age Group Coach @ HPER

anitaparisi@sbcglobal.net

 

Anita Heil Parisi comes to the Aquahawgs as coach of the youngest group, “the Hawgs”.  Anita has over 30 years of competitive swimming experience.  She swam as a youth in Little Rock as part of the Dolphin swim program and in 1980 was named the women’s Arkansas Athlete of the Year for Swimming.  Anita proceeded to swim on scholarship as a collegiate All-American at Rice University in Houston, Texas.  While building a 20 year career as an Information Technology executive/consultant, Anita continued her swimming participation as a Masters swimmer, a Masters swim coach, and private swim instructor.  Upon her IT retirement, Anita and a friend created the Fayetteville Athletic Club Shark swim team.  The FAC Shark team began as a summer swim program, but after rave reviews, was transformed into a year round developmental program.  This program has served over 400 children in the last 3 years with many children moving on to competitive teams in the NWA area.  She continues as consultant and part-time coach with the FAC program.

 

Anita is married and has 4 boys who all swim.  She is a 2006 inductee into the Arkansas Swimming Hall of Fame and her family currently sponsors the Heil Mile award given at the annual Hall of Fame banquet. She is a founding member and current chair of the Beaver Lake Open Water Swim.  She is active in support of Adult swim programs as a current Masters swimmer and coach.

 

 

Carolyn Haefner—Hawgs Age Group Coach @ JCF

jaycar13@gmail.com

 

Carolyn Haefner is assisting in the coaching duties with the youngest group, the Hawgs.  Carolyn was the original founder coach of Wal-Mart Swim Club, now known as Northwest Arkansas Aquatics Sharks.  Her coaching career began in 1975 when she became the coach for the Bentonville Summer Swim Team at Bentonville’s City Pool.  Under her coaching, the summer swim program grew from 25 swimmers to 125 in her 9 years of coaching the team.  The Bentonville Swim Team was a member of the Tri-State Summer Swim Conference, and under her leadership, she took the team to many first place conference championships.  In 1984, she began a year round United States Swimming program at the Walton Life Fitness Center in Bentonville.  She grew the Wal-Mart Swim Club from its initial membership of 20 to 70 and retired from coaching in 1994 to become the full-time Aquatics Director at the center.

 

Prior to Carolyn retiring from coaching, the Wal-Mart Swim Club achieved its first championship victory at the 1994 Arkansas Swimming Inc. Long Course Championships.  Carolyn retired from Wal-Mart in 2001 after 16 ½ years at the Walton Life Fitness Center as swim coach and Aquatics Director.  In September of 2003, Carolyn returned to coaching with the Wal-Mart Swim Club and was instrumental in helping to grow the team to a membership of 200 swimmers.

 

Carolyn received Arkansas Swimming Inc. Coach of the Year in 1994 and 2006 and was inducted into the Arkansas Hall of Fame in 1997.

 

 

Anne Stevens —Hawgs Age Group Coach @ HPER

Bio Coming Soon!

 

 

Emily Gregory—Hawgs Age Group Coach @ JCF

Bio Coming Soon!