Nate Burkhart
Head Coach
Email
I am 23 years young and
excited to be the Larkey Head Coach! I am currently coaching
California High School’s Swim Team with a couple past Larkey
Head Coaches - Ross Dautel & Connor
Green.
A favorite accomplishment
of mine as a swimmer was finishing top in my high school league at
the 200 freestyle with my best friend just a lane over, a heartfelt
moment that I will never forget.
I value honesty and clear
communication along with hard work to achieve self-set goals. I
believe if you strive to be your ideal role model every single day,
it will not only make you a better person, but also improve
everyone around you.
Lastly, I love anything
music, the beach, and fitness! Swimming in the ocean, playing in
the sand, getting a quality Cross Fit workout in, or
producing/mixing my own sounds. As long as each day has just one of
those things, I’m doing something right.
Favorite stroke: Butterfly
Favorite pre meet meal: Avocado toast & a
juice or a smoothie
Favorite post meet meal: an infinite amount of
sushi rolls plus fried rice
Favorite Larkey tradition: Campouts &
Conference
Maria Freeman
Coach
Email
Hi Larkey!!! I am so excited to be returning for my third year to
coach you all. I am currently a junior at the University
of Southern California, where I study Journalism. I began
swimming at the age of 4 for Round Hill Swim Team and continued
swimming year round for the Crow Canyon Sharks and Diablo Aquatics.
I graduated from Carondelet High School, where I swam on the
varsity team. Throughout my years swimming, my love for
the sport has only continued to grow and has taught me to value a
competitive and fun environment on the pool deck. When I’m
not at the pool, I love to spend my time outdoors, being active
with my family and friends.
Favorite
stroke: breaststroke
Favorite pre-race
food: smoothie
Favorite post-race
food: pasta &
bread
Favorite Larkey
tradition: Alumni/Spirit
meet
Thomas Seibel
Coach
Email
Hi
Sharks! I am happy to be back at
Larkey. Currently, I am a Sophomore at
DVC. My accomplishments include making County in
Freestyle and Academic Honors at DVC. I joined Larkey as
a 13-year old who had no idea how to swim. With the help
and encouragement of my coaches, I ended up having an amazing
experience. I want the swimmers to have the same amazing
experience that I had. My interests outside of swimming
are working out, handing out with my friends, and keeping up with
my schoolwork.
Jack Gray
Coach
Email
Favorite
stroke: I.M. Breast or Fly
Favorite pre meet meal: Fruit & Water
Favorite post meet meal: Cheese
Pizza
Jake Simpson
Coach
Email
Hi Sharks! It is great to
be back at Larkey!
I am a junior in college
at UCLA. I got into UCLA for water polo and have decided to go
back to my roots and coach Larkey once again.
My values include being genuine and enthusiastic with everything I
do. I believe if you put your mind to anything, you can accomplish
it. I will hopefully be able to help you find a love of swimming
and a way to get everyone fired up with lots of spirit. I also
think these values will help me coach swimmers to their maximum
potential.
My hobbies and interests
outside of school include triathlons, hanging out with my friends
and being in a pool. I feel more comfortable in the water than I do
out of it (;
Favorite
stroke: Breaststroke and I.M.
Favorite pre meet meal: Lasagna (night
before) and salads/fruits the day of the meet
Favorite post meet meal: Steak
Ashley Larson
Junior Coach
Email
My name is Ashley Larson
and I am a (Second-semester!!!) senior at Campolindo! If you
consider being a student-athlete a job, then you could say
I’m working all day everyday for at least 3 hours a day. I
row for Oakland Strokes and, recently, have found my home in the
lightweight program. In November 2018, I was a part of the
Lightweight 8+ that got the opportunity to travel to Tennessee to
race and represent the women of Oakland. We ended up achieving our
goal and getting the gold that morning by a 7 second margin, which
was an incredibly humbling experience. It was something that
definitely solidified my love and passion for the sport and made me
want to continue to work even harder than before in order to
contribute to the speed and intensity of the team. In Larkey
language, I’ve been on the team for going on 10 years and am
super excited to give my all to the kiddos and the team again! For
me, mentality is everything and I’m looking forward to
helping the kids not only get faster physically, but help them gain
the courage and confidence to get on the blocks and think the words
“I can” before diving into the pool. Outside of
swimming, I row everyday and I also love to hike, be outdoors, and
play with my puppers! I’m excited for another unpredictable,
fun-filled summer full of family and Larkey Love!! GO
SHARKS!!!
Favorite
stroke: Breaststroke
& Butterfly
Favorite
pre meet meal: Coffee
Favorite
pre meet meal: Salad
Favorite
Larkey Tradition: IVST/Larkey
Cheer off at Conference/Cheers in General
Thomas Davies
Junior Coach
Email
My name is Thomas Davies
and I am a senior at Northgate High School. I am looking forward to
coaching at Larkey this summer.
I have been a member of
the SHARKS Swim Team for almost 15 years and have made lifelong
close friends. I am not a very strong person physically, so
most of my ability to swim comes from getting the technique right.
As a coach, I will focus on making sure to teach the proper
technique to the swimmers as early as possible.
Outside of swimming I
enjoy running, biking and hanging out with my
friends.
Favorite
stroke: Backstroke
Favorite
pre meet meal: Burrito
Favorite
pre meet meal: Pizza
Favorite
Larkey Tradition: The
Campout and duct taping a Burkhart to that pole.
Jackson Simmons
Junior Coach
Email
Favorite
stroke: ALL!!!
Favorite
pre meet meal: Blueberry
bagel w/blueberry cream cheese
Favorite
pre meet meal: PB
Moo'd from Jamba Juice
Favorite
Larkey Tradition: Taping
up a Burkhart to the pole and covering them w/shaving
cream.
Anna Mills
Junior Coach
Email
My name
is Anna Mills and I am a junior at Acalanes High School.
My biggest accomplishment is winning a trophy that was bigger than
me when I was five at the OMPA Bottoms-Up Meet. I hope that I can
help some young Sharks get big trophies too! I value good
sportsmanship, both towards your teammates and others, and
positivity. I think that a good attitude will not just help their
swimming but many other aspects of their lives! I believe that a
combination of focus on technique, hard work, a positive attitude
and fun(!!!) will lead to swimming improvements and a great summer.
I like rowing, reading, and hanging out with friends, but food
beats all of the above. Can’t wait for an amazing
summer!
Kyle Burkhart
Junior Coach
Email
Hi! I am Kyle Burkhart.
I am a senior at College Park High School and am
working at Burgerim. One of my favorite memories of Larkey
was when my 11/12 medley relay team broke the Larkey record.
I want all the swimmers to be as fast as they can and proud of what
they can accomplish. I love swimming, water polo and other
sports like lacrosse, soccer, basketball and football. Outside of
sports, I like working out and playing video games.
