Chris Ranallo
Head Coach
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This will be Coach Chris's 10th season
with the Geneva River Rats and 6th season as head coach.
Before being head coach Coach Chris was Coach Joe's assistant coach
for two years with the 13-18 age group. He then took over for Coach
Joe as the head coach of the Geneva River Rats and has loved every
minute! It has been awesome to watch our swimmers start as 6 &
Unders and continue to swim until the age of 18!
On January 16th 2019 Coach Chris and his wife
Vicki welcomed their first child into the world! Kinsley Grace
Ranallo has been amazing and I know that she is extremely excited
to watch the River Rats this summer compete!
Coach Chris is also a physical education
teacher and coach at West Aurora High School. He completed his
seventh year last year as the head girls' and boys'
swimming/diving coach. He has had a variety of experience coaching,
including two years at Metea Valley High School as an assistant in
their boys and girls aquatics program. He also worked with both the
boys and girls programs at Naperville North High School while
student-teaching. Coach Chris also coached water polo at Waubonsie
Valley High School. Coach Chris is excited to get the season
started again with the River Rats and can’t wait to see
everyone for the winter, spring and summer seasons!!! GO
RATS!!
Joe Neukirch
8 & Under Head Coach
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Coach Joe started his
swimming career at the age of five with the Aurora YMCA Sharks and
the Westwind Wahoos (old rival of Geneva) continuing through to
college swimming at Southern Illinois University. Joe's events
included the 200, 500, 1000, 1650, and 5 kilometer (open water)
freestyle. Joe was five time YMCA National All-American, three time
IHSA All State Second Team, three time MVP/Captain of the Aurora
Sharks, and varsity letter winner along with team captain his
senior year of college.
Joe started his
coaching career in 1999 as an age group coach with the Aurora YMCA
. Joe also had coached four seasons (2001-2004) for the Oswego
Otters (another River Rat rival). Joe currently is a Assistant
Principal at Jefferson Middle School.
Joe enjoys spending
time with his family (Dee, Jaxson, Jameson, Layla) camping,
swimming, biking, and traveling.
Janice Clark
9 & 10 Head Coach
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This is
Coach Janice’s 21st swim season as the head 9-10 year-old
coach. She began her ten year swimming career as a nine year-old on
the original Geneva Swim Team (and remembers when the team chose
the name River Rats!). She swam in the “old days” when
the Geneva pool wasn’t heated and when the swim blocks were
huge “boxes” of wood that the timers had to sit on or
else they would fall into the pool. Janice also swam for B.R. Ryall
YMCA, and she was a Rosary Bead, stepping into the role of captain
during her senior year of high school. For the past 33 years,
Janice has been teaching English at Glenbard North High School in
Carol Stream; she just finished another year of teaching Advanced
Placement Literature, English 3, and World Literature (all
seniors). Janice lives in Mill Creek with her husband, Doug, and
their 13 year-old son, Dylan, who also loves being a River Rat!
Janice is very proud to have such a long and fulfilling
relationship with the Geneva Swim Team—and she looks forward
to another fantastic summer!! Go Rats!
Martin Ambre
11 & 12 Head Coach
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Coach Marty began
swimming when he was six years old. He and his older sister swam
for West Aurora and many teams Aurora Sharks, Delta, and Aqua
Force. Until he started high school and then swam for Coach Ranallo
at West Aurora in which he then started at Rats. Marty’s
favorite races to swim are the 200 free, the 500 free and the 1650
free. Coach Marty swims at Illinois College where he has six
records and has the guys captain position. This is Coach
Marty’s third season with Rats as a coach and he is very
excited to be leading the 11,12 age group.
Annika Ness
6 & Under Head Coach, 9 & 10 Assistant
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Coach Annika has been swimming since age 9 for the Academy Bullets Swim Club. Her favorite swimming memories are under Coach Ranallo for West Aurora High School, where she felt her swimming truly excelled. She is more than excited to continue her coaching career under Chris>
Annika studied Business Management at Le Moyne College the past year, but is transferring to a Chicago University next year and switching to Political Science. She hopes to continue coaching for the River Rats as long as she is able to and watch her swimmers kick butt! GO RATS!
Carolyn Kovanic
13-18 Assistant Coach
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Coach Carolyn started
her swimming when she was 6 years old. Through her swimming career
she has swam for the Academy Bullets, Geneva River Rats and West
Aurora High School. She then went on to swim in college at Carroll
University where she specialized in breaststroke and mid distance
free (if you ask her college coach); she was also the women’s
team captain for two years.
Carolyn first started
coaching with the Tanglewood Tigersharks before coming to coach the
River Rats where she was the head coach for the 11/12 age group for
two years. While in Wisconsin for school, she worked with Waukesha
Express as an assistant coach for the high school swimmers. Coach
Carolyn recently graduated with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy
and is very excited to be returning to coach in Illinois. This will
be Carolyn’s third season with the Rats but her first season
as the assistant coach for the 13-18 age group.
Brooke Jensen
11&12, 9&10, 8& Under Assistant Coach
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Coach Brooke began
swimming at the age of 10 and swam for a total of ten years. She
swam for Aqua Force, Delta Aquatics, and the Yorkville/IMSA co-op
high school swim team. After high school, Brooke went on to
compete at a collegiate level for Illinois State University
specializing in sprint and mid-distance freestyle. Her favorite
swimming memory is competing in the IHSA State Championships her
senior year of high school.
Brooke studies Middle
Level Education with a focus on math, science, and English language
arts at Illinois State University and is excited to graduate in May
2021. This is Brooke’s first season with the River Rats, and
she is super excited to start working with all the
swimmers!
Alexis Newendyke
9 & 10, 8 & Under Assistant Coach
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Alexis has been swimming for Rats since
she was 9 years old. She loves swimming and her favorite events are
the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle. This will be her first year
coaching for the rats and she’s very excited! Alexis has
taught swim lessons and is a lifeguard. She’s currently a
Senior at West Aurora High School. She swims for West
Aurora’s swim team and on Wheaton Swim
Club.
Kellyn Todd
9 & 10, 8 & Under Assistant Coach
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Kellyn is a Geneva Community High School
Graduate who loves her swim team and her job as a 6 and under
coach. She also has a passion for her music and loves hanging out
with her friends and making new ones.
Kelly Baughman
6 & Under Assistant Coach
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Kelly has been swimming for the River
Rats since she was 8 years old. Her favorite events are the 100 fly
and 200 IM. She now swims at St. Ambrose University, making it to
nationals as a Freshman. This is her first year coaching this
summer and she can’t wait!
Channing Osborne
6 & Under Assistant Coach
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I am a student at Batavia high school and
is on the high school's co-op swim team. I have been swimming
for Geneva River Rats since I was 6 years old. I love swimming and
am very excited I get to be one of the coaches for my favorite swim
team. This will be my first year coaching and I can't wait to pass
on the love I have for swimming to others.
Nilan V Patel
6 & Under Assistant Coach
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Nilan has been swimming for about 12 years.
He is passionate about swimming, swimming both as a River Rat and
as a high school student. Nilan attends IMSA and has been on the
team for two years. His favorite events are the 500 freestyle and
the 100 backstroke. This is his first year as a coach and he cannot
wait for the summer season the start!
Mitchell Regelbrugge
6 & Under Assistant Coach
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Mitchell Regelbrugge is
graduate from Geneva High school and has been swimming for the
River Rats since he was 4 years old. Mitchell has taught swim
lessons for the past 3 years and has loved everything about it.
Currently he is planning on studying fire science and plans to be a
firefighter in the future. This is his first year coaching and is
excited to see what the season has to bring!
