Ian McNeal
Head Coach
My name is Ian McNeal and I am the Mariners new Head Coach. I
have been coaching in the Mid-Atlantic region for the past twelve
years. I worked as the Aquatic Director and Assistant Coach for the
YMCA Randallstown Sharks from 2009 until 2013. I then went on
to work as Head Coach of the YMCA Sea Dragons of Alexandria,
Virginia from 2014 until this year after teaching swimming,
lifeguarding, CPR/AED and First Aid for a year at the YMCA Silver
Spring. While I have coached all age groups, I have primarily
been tasked with developing the 10 and under groups. The Sea
Dragons, numbering under 100 athletes, competed in the Potomac Swim
League and the Chesapeake Potomac Swim League. For a small team we
accomplished quite a bit:
2017: Third Place Overall / 8 & Under
Championship
2018: East Field South District Championships / 10
& Under Small Team Champions
2019: Opening Gun / Forth Place High Team
Score
Swimming Background:
I began swimming during the Summer league in Columbia, Maryland at
the age of nine. I swam competitively through my Sophomore
year in college. My favorite strokes are Breaststroke and
Butterfly and my favorite events are
100/200 Breaststroke, 100/200 Butterfly and 200 Individual Medley.
Philosophy:
I believe in swimming it right before swimming it fast. As a
result, I like to focus on developing fundamentals before adding a
lot of mileage. Additionally, I like having each practice group
work on starts as frequently as possible. This prevents any
surprises occurring at a meet.
