Coaches and Directors

Coaches and Directors
Coaching Staff
Marilyn Soraghan Head Coach

Marilyn Soraghan has been coaching with the RAYS program since 2008 when her own daughter was swimming for the team.  Marilyn's love of swimming goes back to when she was a young swimmer in the Rhode Island area.  She swam through her sophomore year in high school, took a break and swam again her freshman year in college.  Eventually she returned to swimming as a Masters swimmer with the Granite State Penguin team.  She swims in local and national meets and favorite events include butterfly and IM.

A core belief of Marilyn's is to develop swimmers who love the sport and have the desire to do their best.  Creating a well-rounded student athlete is important and vital to their success.  

When not near a pool, she can be found playing golf, biking or hanging out with her husband, her dog and her 3 young-adult children.

 

Aimee Hazard Age Group, Junior & Senior Coach

Aimee began her swim career at the age of 7 on a summer swim team in New Jersey where she would only swim in a relay because she was too afraid to swim an individual event.  She persevered and eventually became captain of her high school team.  She went on to swim distance events (500, 1000, 1 mile) in college.  After college, Aimee went on to coach Princeton High School to a state championship.  She has coached several teams since then and has been with the RAYS for 5 years.  Aimee enjoys teaching proper technique to swimmers and hopes her swimmers develop a lifelong love of the sport. Aimee has four children who swim for the RAYS.

 

Kelly Bois Age Group, Junior & Senior Coach
 
Lauren Blake Junior & Senior Coach
Lauren's love for the water started long before she could even remember. She loved going to the lake and swimming with her parents and brother before she even knew what it was! At the age of 10, she joined a local club meet as an extra relay swimmer back home in the Chicagoland area. After that meet, she was hooked on swimming. Ever since then, she has been tied to the water as if it was a part of her. In high school, Lauren swam (the 200 and 500 free) and played water polo (as a hole defensive player). She went on to swim at the collegiate level in Indiana, where she swam the 100 free, 200 free, 500 free, and 100 breaststroke. Lauren continues to swim on the Granite State Penguins Master's team. 

Outside of the pool, you can find Lauren working as a biomedical engineer in Manchester, NH. She loves hiking, playing ukulele, reading, and spending quality time with her friends and family. Lauren brings a lot of energy and passion for aquatic sports as a whole and is very excited to be starting her coaching career with the RAYS!
Sharon Peterson Stingray, AG, Jr & Sr Coach

Coach Sharon has been a swim instructor with the Workout Club intermittently since 1998 and joined the RAYS coaching staff in 2021.   Her love of swimming began after a gymnastics injury found her hitting the pool for some active recovery. Unable to return to gymnastics, she kept swimming and joined her high school swim team as a freshman at the Academy of Notre Dame.  After learning from several coaches, she went on to become a lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor.  She thrives at helping swimmers develop a good mindset, correct technique and an understanding of USA Swimming rules.  A fun fact about Coach Sharon is that she is also a registered TCRG Irish Dance teacher and has coached some World Champions as well as dancers for Riverdance and Lord of the Dance alongside her co-teachers at the O’Shea-Chaplin Academy of Irish dance out of Boston.  

When not at the pool Sharon can be found training for her next triathlon or teaching dance.

She has two children who swim for the RAYS.

Karalyn Von Pichl Team AO
Coach Kate or Mrs. Pickles comes to us by way of a return route..... She was actually working as a consultant here at the Workout Club opening the pools when the Rays team was founded. She started the Hampshire Hills Seawolves  and the Masters swim program there as well as serving as the Beginner Triathlon Coach, West High Asst and eventually Head Coach after Grilli's retirement.  She also served as the Tri-State Swim Assoc President for 12 years.  
 
Kate has been a staple in the USA swimming world for almost 20 yrs and known for her attitude of "swimmers first" and "coaches check your ego at the door".  But her passion is for the teaching side of the stroke development phase.  You will often see her clapping along deck as the swimmers swim, to help them learn time.  You will see her in the water, physically showing the correct technique and form.  Or dancing on deck with the weirdest signals (because let's face it - they can't actually hear you with water in their ears).   And you will see her acting as a big kid, because it's suppose to be fun!
 
Her funny route to get here was that she is a runner (hard core) and during injury, it was suggested she swim.  And being sidelined from a swimming shoulder injury, it was suggested she run!  And so as a lifelong lover of anything water related she began her career in the Aquatics Field to which she had received many accolades and watched hundreds of kids find their love and passion for swimming. 
 
Just don't challenge her to participate in a meet.... she's never been off the block! 
Pamela Folan Stingray & Age Group