Andrew Hasek – Age Group Head Coach - [email protected]

Swimming has been a large part of Andrew’s life. He was a competitive swimmer for 15 years. The first eight years were with the Paradise Piranhas, and he finished his last 4 years of age group swimming with the Aquajets. Before “retiring” from the sport he had the pleasure of swimming for 3 years at UC Santa Cruz. Starting in 2021 he became the head coach for the Paradise Piranhas where he found a passion for coaching, and is excited to continue coaching here with CAJ. Outside of the swim world, Andrew likes staying active by training and participating in triathlons. He also enjoys reading and going out in nature to see the sights.

 

Heidi Kerri - Assistant Coach

Heidi has been around the sport of swimming for as long as she can remember. Growing up, she swam for the Durham Dolphins, Chico Aquajets, and Durham High School teams. After high school Heidi attended Whitworth University and earned her degree in communication. Heidi has been a member of the CAJ coaching staff since summer of 2023. Outside of the pool, she enjoys spending time with her husband, dog (Dutch) and cat (Prim).  Heidi is passionate about swimming and is so happy she gets to share her passion with the Chico Aquajets!

 

Carlos Cazares - Assistant Coach

Hello everyone Coach Carlos here, I am one of the assistant coaches with the Aqua jets. I have been coaching here for the past 3 years and will continue to work here while going to school at Chico State. I am currently working on earning my teaching credentials to become a P.E. teacher in the future. At Chico State I am the head water polo coach for the Men’s Water Polo club! I have been swimming and playing water polo for 10 years now where I have refined my coaching abilities and have worked with many great athletes. I hope to bring these skills to the Aqua Jets to develop great swimmers!

 

Claire Anderson - Assistant Coach (Summer 2025)

Claire swam for the Chico Aquajets from 2013-2024. She started as a White group swimmer and swam year-round through high school. Claire attends Sonoma State University and is studying Early Childhood Education. This is her 4th year coaching and she's excited to be back with the Aquajets this summer.

 

Audrey Vierra - Assistant Coach (Summer 2025)

Photo & bio to come!

 

 

Melia Roswall - Assistant Coach

Coach Melia is a college student from San Diego completing her last year of undergrad studying to become a teacher and will eventually go on to complete her masters in education. She loves the nature and atmosphere of Chico. Coach Melia began to swim when she was a toddler. Around mini-jet age, she joined her local swim team and swam year round until her teen years. Her first job was as a lifeguard but took the opportunity to additionally do swim instructing. She quickly realized that she had a passion for helping children learn. Using her knowledge she gained from swim team and a few great coaches about technique, drills, and visualization, she taught children aged 3-6 how to swim for two years. Now, she’s coming up on three years with the Aquajets. She is the coach for the Mini-jets and assistant coaches for all other groups, usually White and Navy. Her favorite things about the Aquajets are the amazing kids shes gotten to meet and work with as well as our team’s coaching philosophy where we focus on building a passion for swimming through dedication and fun. On deck you can find her helping out with White and Navy, coaching the Minis, or socializing with swimmers. With her hair, she’s not hard to miss!

 

Aleea Johnston - Assistant Coach

Coach Aleea grew up in Mendocino County swimming for the Ukiah Dolphins swim team. She joined the Ukiah Dolphins when she was 10 and swam until she aged out at 18, swimming for 8 years. She played water polo and swam Varsity all four years at high school. Her main swim events were the 500 free and 100 fly. 
 
Coach Aleea started her coaching career during the summer of 2021 when she got hired on as a Junior coach for the Ukiah Dolphins at the age of 16 where she worked with the youngest age group. In 2023 she got moved up to an official coach after turning 18 and ran two different age groups. In early 2024 she got promoted to assistant coach. She enjoys sharing her passion for swimming with others through coaching and plans on continuing coaching for many more years.

 

Kacey Ross - Assistant Coach

I grew up in El Dorado Hills where I became a swimmer at 4 years old. I swam competitively for 16 years when I finished my last year swimming at American River College before transferring to Chico State to finish my college education as an exercise physiology major. I have been coaching for a couple different teams over the past 4 years and have loved every moment that I get to spend on deck

 

Debra Roth - Chico Masters Swim Coach

Hello, my name is Dr. Debra Roth, or simply Coach Deb, and this is a summary of my swim team, professional experiences, and accomplishments. I have recently retired from Chico State (2021) and currently coach the Chico Masters swim team. Coaching at this level has been rewarding, entertaining, worthwhile, and far from difficult when compared to my other coaching experiences. Please allow me to briefly share my story.

I have been coaching all levels of swim team for over forty years and had the distinct privilege of coaching swimmers as a “head coach” at college, high school, age group, masters, and Special Olympic programs. I am ASCA level 4 certified. Early in my career I coached 37 All-Americans, placed in the top 10 at NCAA Division II Championships, and earned conference “coach of the year” twice as the women’s swim team coach from 1979-1991 at Chico State. I was so young! I was inducted into both the Chico State Athletic Hall of Fame (2006) and the Chico Area Sports Hall of Fame (2012) for my achievements as an athlete and coach.

I have been involved with Special Olympics for over thirty-five years wearing many hats. Over the years I have been the Area Director for Butte County, aquatics venue co-director for Special Olympics Northern California Summer Games, and since 1989 the head aquatics (swimming) coach for Butte County. I was selected to be the head TEAM USA Special Olympic World Games aquatics coach in 2007 held in Shanghai, China. This led to the invitation to be the head coach for TEAM USA at the “2008 International Championships for Individuals with Down Syndrome” in Portugal.

I have been the aquatics director and instructor for the “Movement Unlimited Wheelchair Sports Camp” since its inception in 1987. I train instructors how to teach swimming to children with disabilities while providing instructional and recreational opportunities for Ability First campers.

I coached Chico High Swim Team for seven years while my three, now thirty/forty-something, children were in high school. In that time, I was recognized as the North Section CIF “Coach of the Year” three times with many section champions and college bound swimmers.

I am happy to share that I train regularly and coach daily the 6-7am group for Chico Masters swim team. I focus on fitness concepts while engaging in skill/drills, pace work, and open water strategies for new and experienced swimmers and triathletes, while giving workouts that need thought and sophistication. Sometimes we play water polo and learn synchronized swimming skills just for fun. Team building is my specialty.

I now enjoy the mornings at the pool with my friends and provide sound and challenging workouts that are inclusive and creative. We mix it up with fun days and competitions that remind us that we swim for many reasons that always includes improving our health and well-being.

I look forward to seeing you at the pool. Coach Deb