Patrick Novak
Head Coach
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Coach Patrick brings
years of experience to the Cruzers. He began his coaching career at
Northwest Swim Club in Bethlehem, PA. Next, he coached at Catawba
Valley Aquatics Club (CVAC) in Salisbury, NC before coaching summer
league swimming for Broomall’s Lake Country Club in Media,
PA. Most recently, he coached Division III Cedar Crest
College.
Patrick swam
competitively for 17 years, in his high school career he received
All-America Honorable Mention honors all four years. He swam for
three years at NCAA Division II Catawba College in Salisbury, NC,
breaking multiple records throughout his
tenure.
Patrick graduated from
Catawba College in 2012 with a Bachelor’s of Science in
Business Administration. After his undergrad, he completed his
Juris Doctor in 2014 from the Villanova University School of Law.
Currently, he is pursuing a Master of Education Degree from Cedar
Crest.
Taylor Poehl
Assistant Coach
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Coach Taylor is a recent graduate of Texas A&M University and
has over 15 years experience in swimming.
From summer league, competitive and high school swimming,
lifeguarding and swim lessons, Taylor has always loved being in and
around the water. While at TAMU, Taylor ran swim meets and realized
how much she missed being around the sport. She enjoys teaching
children of all ages the importance of water safety and loves to
encourage athletes to reach their personal goals.
Halle Gordon
Assistant Coach
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I have been swimming
since I was 7! I swam at Lost Creek for 8 years and did two years
of Cruzers. I am a junior at Westlake and am just finished with my
third year of high school swimming. I work with first graders
multiple times a week and love working with
kids.
Susannah Balcezak
Assistant Coach
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My mom signed me up for
the Cruzers when I was 5, and I fell in love with swimming that
first summer. I swam with the Cruzers for 6 years and for LCA for 3
years, and now I am a certified lifeguard. I am a junior at
Westlake High School, and worked as a lifeguard for the City of
Austin last summer and for the Special Olympics. My little sister
swims with LCA and the Cruzers, and I have really enjoyed passing
the love of swimming down to her.
