Iliana Bitis has been an integral part of the 92Y Flying Dolphins family for over a decade. During her time here, Iliana has been directly involved in the success of hundreds of athletes ranging from 8 and unders to NCSA finalists. Her swimmers are responsible for over 50 team records, and many of her athletes have competed at the Metro Junior Olympics, the Eastern Zones Championships, ISCA Senior Championships as well as the NCSA Age Group Championships. Iliana is a member of the American Swim Coaches Associatio and holds Water Safety Instructor and CPR/AED/Lifeguarding certifications for over 15 years.

Iliana Bitis also worked with the Hunter College Hawks Swim Team. During her two seasons with the Hawks, the team saw several notable accomplishments including two undefeated conference seasons, a second-place finish at the CUNYAC Championships, and multple school records. Additionally several swimmers were named CUNYAC All-Stars, and the team as a whole received the CSCAA scholar All-American team award with a 3.5 GPA. 

Iliana's coaching philosophy centers around the values of hard work, patience, and dedication, and she incorporates building physical strength and mental toughness in her workouts. She also holds our core values of Character, Community, and Excellence to high esteem and implements an environment that allows for her athletes to practice these values every day.

Iliana began her swimming career in Greece before moving to New York City in grade school. Once here, she swam and competed in the age group level at AGUA. She was also the captain for the Long Island City High School swim team. Iliana graduated from Queens College with a degree in History—focusing on European History and minoring in Byzantine Studies. 

Hervay Petion brings decades of coaching experience to his role as YFD Lead Senior Coach. Prior to joining YFD, he was the Head Coach of the Brooklyn Otters. While there, he guided all levels of swimmers to their peak performances from the Bronze Championships to the Metro Junior Olympics Championships. Hervay is a master developmental coach who has made it his mission to support motivated swimmers to transition from swimming lessons to the competitive team and even to the YFD National Group. His coaching approach is grounded in fostering a healthy competitive environment that builds both individual self-esteem and collective group achievement.

Hervay came to the sport relatively late, but was hooked immediately. He began swimming competitively in high school and was team captain his senior year. As a freestyle and backstroke specialist, he decided to continue competing at the university level. In college at SUNY Oswego, he represented the Lakers as a member of both the swim and soccer teams. He served as swim team co-captain his junior year. While in graduate school at SUNY Albany, he began his coaching career as an Assistant Coach for the Great Danes swim team. After years away from the sport, he began his USA Swimming coaching career with Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics (AGUA) and the Roosevelt Island Mariners, before being one of the founding coaches of the Brooklyn Otters. He is a member of the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA), and holds Level II Certification.

Hervay graduated from SUNY Oswego with a BA in Music, and from SUNY Albany with an MLS in Library Science. In addition to his commitment to coaching, Hervay works as indexer and cataloger with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In his free time, he dabbles with photography, jewelry making, baking, and enjoys jigsaw puzzles.

Manny Caballero is thrilled to join the 92Y team as Lead Coach for AG2 (AG1?). Born and raised in the concrete jungle of NYC, Manny has been a runner & cycler at heart with aquatics later becoming the true core passion.

After coaching at Asphalt Green for 7 years, with their Swim League, AGUA Competitive Swim Team and Masters Program, he’s looking forward to witnessing the unique & reputable YFD experience that the 92 Y provides.

Manny’s coaching style is being mindful of the water by incorporating everyday experiences to simplify the physics of swimming. Self discipline is a core value that he educates all swimmers on to ensure they are successful as a team in the water and well rounded individuals outside of the sport.

Naomi Hansen is honored to be a part of the YFD staff as the Lead Senior Coach. With over a decade of experience coaching in New York and Illinois, she brings thoughtful technical precision and a whole-athlete-centered philosophy. Naomi loves supporting swimmers as they meet and exceed their goals in the water and in the classroom.

During her time at YFD, Naomi’s swimmers have forged a legacy of excellence at the Bronze, Silver, MIT, and NCSA Championship Meets with dozens of YFD All-Time Top Ten finishes. Graduates of the group have gone on to thrive at elite universities.

Naomi is an International Swim Coaches Association (ISCA) Certified Coach, and holds American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Level II with additional certifications in advanced stroke mechanics, anatomy & physiology, sports psychology, and nutrition. Naomi is a member of the Alliance of Women Coaches, and was a participant in the Women Coaches Mentoring Program.

As a youth swimmer, Naomi competed with Patriot Aquatic Club, one of the premier teams in Illinois. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2007. Out of the water, Naomi is a MSTOM student in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Susan brings her passion for swimming to the Flying Dolphins after her time as Head Coach of the Riverdale Y's Rapids Swim Team.  As a Masters Swimmer  she competed in numerous meets and open water events while working for the NYC Parks Department as an Aquatic Specialist for 20 years. She has ASCA and USA Swimming Coaching Certifications and continues to pursue learning from fellow coaches and the latest developments in the sport of swimming.

Jared has been working at the 92nd Street Y for three years and leads fundraising efforts for YFD and 92Y’s May Center for Health Fitness & Sport. If you are interested in supporting YFD with a charitable gift, you may contact Jared at 212.415.5424 or [email protected]. To make a contribution online you may visit the website https://www.92y.org/donateyfd