Chris Ranallo
Head Coach
Email
This will be Coach Chris's 9th season with
the Geneva River Rats and 5th 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 the 13-18
age group as head coach and has loved working with the older
swimmers.
Coach Chris is also a physical education
teacher and coach at West Aurora High School. He completed his
sixth 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
Email
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
Email
This is Coach Janice’s 20th 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
46 years ago (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 32 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. Janice lives
in Mill Creek with her husband, Doug, and their 12 year-old son,
Dylan, who will be competing as a River Rat again this summer!
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
Email
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.
Reid Regelbrugge
6&Under Head Coach, 9&10 Assistant
Email
Coach Reid started swimming with the rats when he was 5 and has swam with them since! While swimming with the Rats, he was a lead coach for Goldfish Swim Schools recreational swim team for 2 years and swam for Geneva High Schools swim team. His favorite events are the 50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, and most of all the freestyle relay! This is his first season coaching for the rats and he's looking forward to it!
Chelsea Brandt
8 & Under, 9 & 10 Assistant Coach
Email
Coach Chelsea started swimming with the River Rats when she was nine years old. When she was thirteen, she decided that she wanted to swim year round and joined St. Charles Swim Team where she swam all through high school. Currently, she attends Augustana College and swims on their team. Her favorite strokes are freestyle and breaststroke and she occasionally likes to swim the IM. She is double majoring in Pre-Medicine and Spanish and is planning to go to medical school one day. This will be Coach Chelsea’s first summer coaching River Rats instead of swimming on the team. She is excited to meet all of the swimmers this year and bring back another conference win!
Annika Ness
9 & 10, 11 & 12 Assistant Coach
Email
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
Email
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.
Rachel Heiss
8 & Under Assistant Coach
Email
My name is Rachel Heiss. I just graduated from West Aurora High School and will be attending Waubonsee Community College next year. I have been swimming since I was in 1st grade and would love to transfer what I have learned to the kids I am coaching now. I am very excited for this season and to watch all the swimmers accomplish their goals.
Kellyn Todd
6 & Under Assistant Coach
Email
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.
Divya V Patel
6 & Under Assistant Coach
Email
I have been
a River Rat for almost 12 years and am excited to spend my last
summer before college coaching. In the fall, I will be attending
Saint Louis University to study Medical Sciences, but meanwhile I
also am a counselor for Geneva Park District Summer Camps and will
be swimming on the team! Go Rats!
Alexis Newendyke
6 & Under Assistant Coach
Email
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.
