Head Coach & Aquatics Director

Lead National Group Coach

 

Coach Peter Verhoef has been the head coach of the Bolles Sharks since 2018. Under his leadership, the program has seen back-to-back Winter Junior National-East Combined team titles in 2023 & 2024 as well as a five year streak of Men's titles from 2021-2025.  In the high school arena, the men's team has earned a 2024 Independent School National title and a 2021 National High School Championship and continuing the defense of the FHSSA titles on both the men’s & women’s program. His coaching philosophy includes working with student-athletes to nurture the entire person to tap into their maximum potential, in and out of the pool. 

 

Coach Peter is passionate about developing the sport of swimming at a National level. He  served as the head men's coach of the 2025  Junior  World Team in Romania coming off the head coach of the women's select camp in 2024.  A member of the ASCA board, Coach Peter also sits on the USA Swimming Senior Development Committee and widely respected by the national swimming body for his calm, thoughtful & innovation vision for the future of our sport. 

Prior to Bolles, Coach Peter spent time at SwimMac after working with David Marsh at TeamElite, where their athletes won 8 medals at the 2016 Olympics. He concurrently served as an assistant coach at Division II Queens University, including during their 2015 NCAA Championship season.

Coach Peter’s personal competitive background helps him guide athletes to unlock their potential. He had a stellar college career at the  University of Georgia, where he earned a double degree in Management and MIS in 2007. He was a finalist at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Trials and swam as a team captain at the 2007 World Championships. His biggest international success was a silver at the 2005 World University Games.

He lives in Jacksonville with his wife Kristin & his two sons and enjoys the active lifestyle that only Florida can provide!

Associate Head Coach

Coach Dale is a familiar face in competitive swimming on the Florida coast.  He came across the river to the Bolles Sharks in 2010 from the Spartan Aquatic Club (SPAC) in Orange Park, where he served as the program’s Head Coach from 2004-10.  During his tenure with SPAC Porter has coached swimmers to number one rankings at the local, state, and national level.  Porter also served as the Head Coach for St. Johns Country Day School since August of 2004, where he taught physical education.

Porter enters his 36th year of competitive coaching.  Thirteen of those years were spent as an assistant coach at the Lake Erie Silver Dolphins in Ohio, then one of USA Swimming’s Gold Medal Clubs.  Porter also served those 13 years as a teacher/coach at the Hawken School in Chesterland, Ohio. 

Awarded the 2011, 2022 & 2023 Florida Swimming's Age Group Coach of The Year, Dale Porter’s experience is only equaled by his enthusiasm for teaching and coaching.  Most recently, he was named to the ASCA top 50 Age Group Coaches list for 2024. An established and highly respected coach in Florida Swimming, Porter brings a wealth of experience and a great store of excitement to the Bolles Sharks Age Group program.  He has presented talks at the 2012 and 2014 ASCA World Clinics, 2015 San Diego Age Group Coach's Clinic, 2013 Legends of Texas Coach's Clinic, and for USA Swimming's online clinics.  He has served USA Swimming as a manager for the 2021 Boys National Select Camp, 2018 Jr. Pan Pacs, 2017 Jr. World Championships, 2017 Western Zone Select Camp, 2015 & 2016 Open Water Select Camps, the 2016 National Junior Team Camp., and as an assistant coach for the 2014 National Select Camp.  

Highly regarded for his outstanding coaching, depth of knowledge, leadership, enthusiasm, and humility, Porter creates an exciting dynamic on the Bolles Sharks coaching staff and within the team itself. Dale has been married to Catherine for 29 years.  They have two adult children, Maggie and Jacob.

Associate Head Coach
Meet Director

Coach Alexis comes to Bolles most recently from New Trier Aquatics, a storied high school and club program in the Chicago area.  Her 25+ years of coaching experience includes Northwestern University, North Carolina State University, New Trier Aquatics, and Colorado Athletic Club.  She has also held multiple roles within the USA Swimming organization and local LSCs and is currently a member of the Coaches Advisory Council for USA Swimming. Coach Alexis has had athletes compete at all levels of the sport by focusing on an athlete-first philosophy, finding technique and training methods that suit each athlete, while valuing the full team dynamic.

Coach Alexis has a passion for giving back to the sport and has working numerous LSC & National camps and clinics. As an athlete, Alexis competed as a swimmer at the National level while growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and continued her career as a scholarship student-athlete at Northwestern University, completing her graduate degree at N.C.State while coaching. 

Find her Swim Journey logbook for swimmers on Amazon - CLICK HERE.
Founder & CEO of SwimCoachKeto - a consulting platform to help coaches, athletes & teams move through the sport of swimming through thoughtful programming & intentional, personalized coaching. 

Currently, Alexis lives in Jacksonville with her estranged cats, Seamus & Yzma and collection of puzzles, vinyl & books

Assistant National Group Coach
Varsity High School Head Coach
Summer Camp Director 

Jake Gibbons serves as Varsity Head Coach at The Bolles School and Senior Assistant Coach for the Bolles Sharks National Group. A Bolles alumnus (Class of 2015) and member of the 2014 National Championship team, Gibbons returned to his alma mater to help lead one of the nation's premier swimming programs.

As Varsity Head Coach, he has guided the Bulldogs to continued state and national success, earning recognition as the 202425 National High School Coaches Association Boys Swimming Coach of the Year and 202526 Florida Dairy Farmers FHSAA 1A Boys & Girls Swimming Coach of the Year. He also collaborates on the design and execution of elite-level training within the National Group and serves as Director of Bolles Swim Camp, overseeing the nationally recognized boarding camp.

Gibbons is widely known for his coaching platform, @coach_jake_swim, where he shares high-performance training insights with more than 60,000 coaches and swimmers worldwide.

He earned both his bachelors degree in Political Science and masters degree in Public Service & Administration from Texas A&M University, where he served as team captain, was a team record holder, and received the Distinguished Letterman Award the highest honor given to a Texas A&M student-athlete.

Jake and his wife Nicole, a former All-American equestrian at Texas A&M, live in Jacksonville with their pug, Flipper.
 

Lead National Prep Coach
Strength & Conditioning Coach - Senior Programs

Coach Claire has coached for the Sharks since 2017. Her experience working with some of the top swimmers in the country, both at Bolles and through numerous USA Swimming camps helps to provide significant foundations for the athletes in the National Prep group as they prepare to make the next leap in their swim journey - be it to National or colleigiate success.

Coaching since 2012, Coach Claire has had the opportunity to work with athletes at all levels of their swimming - from the smallest swimmer just beginning to swim to the elite athlete moving into their college experience.  She takes that experience and is able to translate the most complex concepts in to bits of wisdom for athletes to consume and develop - this skill really shines in her development of the Senior Team strength & conditioning programming! 

Prior to her arrival in Jacksonville, Coach Claire was an Associate Head Coach and Assistant Aquatics Director for the Colorado Athletic Club Stingrays in Englewood, CO. While she worked with all ages with the Stingrays, her primary focus was their Senior team. During her time with the Stingrays, she coached athletes to win CHSAA State titles, Sectional and Zone titles, and helped athletes achieve Junior National qualifying times. Several of her athletes have gone on to DI, DII, DIII, and NAIA collegiate programs. 

Coach Claire received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Sport and Exercise Science with minors in Coaching and Psychology, and her Master's degree in Kinesiological Sciences from Jacksonville University. Coach Claire was a distance swimmer throughout her time at the University of Northern Colorado and was a member of their Conference team for all three years that she attended. 

Outside of the pool, Coach Claire likes to spend time at the beach, get in a killer crossfit workout, go for an occasional surf or just chill at home with her cats! 

Lead Champs Coach - School & Late Night Seniors
Emmy comes to Bolles from Channelview, Texas where she is currently serving as a Program Advisor at San Jacinto Community College.  Prior to that Emmy was an assistant swim coach at Wittenburg University and Athletic Academic Advisor at DePaul University.  She has been coaching since graduating from the University of Wisconsin as a 3 time division 1 NCAA championships qualifier and 2 time NCAA All American.  Her coaching stops have included Badger Aquatic Club at Wisconsin, Kenyon College, and Bowling Green Swim Club where she began her swimming career.

Coach Peter Verhoef shared; “Our senior coaching staff is excited to welcome Emmy to our TEAM.  She brings a well-rounded experience on and off the pool deck that will impact our whole team, specifically our champs group swimmers looking to develop their student-athlete careers.  Emmy’s positivity, creativity, and love for the students she works with was evident in the hiring process and we are thrilled to have her on the Bolles pool deck.  We look forward to welcoming her to Jacksonville and to Bolles."

Emmy loves the warmth of Florida and spends time away from the pool working out, walking her dog, Plum & enjoying all that Florida's outdoor life has to offer! 

Lead Coach - Hammerhead
Coach Gina - winner of three gold, two silver, and one bronze in the Central American and Caribbean Games, has returned to the Bolles School Sharks coaching staff, San Jose campus.  Gina has successfully coached Recreation, High School, and USA Swim Inc. club swimmers since 2004, with several of her athletes placing in the top ten of their respective division State Championships. 

Coach Aguilar has proved her passion, energy, and diligence through enrollment and retention of dedicated and respected swimmers of all abilities, while resourcefully utilizing her coaching talents to encourage and train swimmers from the Mako to Senior programming level.  The Bolles School Sharks are excited and fortunate to have Coach Gina leading our Hammerhead group as well as overseeing the Junior Mako program. 

When not on pool deck, Gina spends her time playing tennis, working out, and making exquisite jewelry.  She has been married to Dr. Jorge Aguilar since 1981, is a long-time resident of Ponte Vedra, and mother to two professionally successful executives, Joshua and Ian Aguilar - who have brought her wonderful grandchildren - a role she embraces with great joy!

Lead Mako Coach

Age Group Curriculum Coordinator

Coach Julia is in her third year of her second stint at Bolles School Sharks after her career took her through multiple lead positions and working with some of the top coaches in the country at elite programs like Bolles SwimMAC Carolina and Queens University of Charlotte.  

At SwimMAC, Coach Julia worked as a division lead swim coach (overseeing an age group of 100+ swimmers), assistant swim school director (teaching and creating curriculum), and as a registration/placement/outreach coordinator where she ran clinics and built relationships to build the program. Coach Julia was also instrumental in growing the program to its largest at the North site in the past three years as they increased membership to four hundred swimmers from the low 300s in previous years.

In 2017 she took the assistant coaching position at Queens University of Charlotte where she oversaw the distance group accompanied by Northwestern’s Hall of Famer Bob Groseth. During her time at Queens (2017-2019) both men’s and women’s teams won consecutive DII National Championship titles.

As a scholarship student-athlete at West Virginia University, Czentye competed on the swimming and diving team under Olympic Coach Sergio Lopez (and spent her time coaching for him at Bolles 2007-2012). During her time there she served as team captain her junior and senior years. She also represented the team in the university’s SAAC program as a representative for three seasons, and 4x Big East Qualifier and finalist her senior year in the 400 IM.

Julia and her husband Alexander along with their four children (Joanna, Jillian, Xander & Anderson) are so happy to be part of the Bolles Family, with Joanna & Jillian enrolled in the Lower School. “I am thankful for my family who helped me return here, especially my husband. It is a great feeling to coach with Coach Dale, as well as my other colleagues who I worked with before…thank you to Coach Peter who has given me an opportunity to be part of the team! I am excited the most on building on the rich tradition Bolles has and the continuation of development to keep it going, GO BOLLES!”

Sean Abbey

Lead Tiger Coach
Lead Masters Coach
Camp On-Site Resident Manager

 

With over 30 years of coaching experience—eight of those at Bolles—Coach Sean has dedicated his career to helping swimmers of all levels unlock their full potential. Named the 2024 Florida Swimming Masters Coach of the Year, Sean is known for creating an environment that is both challenging and fun, where athletes are encouraged to push their limits while building a strong sense of camaraderie.

In addition to his work with the Bolles Sharks, Sean has been a key figure in Florida’s competitive swimming community. He served as a Florida Showcase Lead Coach in both 2023 and 2024, and was part of Team Florida Zones as the 2023 Assistant Coach and 2024 Head Coach.

A proud Jacksonville native and former Bolles athlete himself, Sean brings a lifelong connection to the sport and the school. His coaching philosophy is rooted in helping every athlete—no matter their age or level—discover both their potential and a lasting love for swimming.

Outside the pool, Sean draws on his background in construction and worksite management—often pitching in with facility maintenance and improvements. He’s also a father to two daughters: Jolee, a current Bolles student and swimmer, and Arlee, a Bolles graduate now attending the University of South Carolina.

Sean’s passion for swimming and commitment to athlete development is evident in every aspect of his work—on deck and beyond.

Lead School Champs Coach
Coach Melissa works with our Senior programming and returns to Bolles as an alumna coach. After her scholarship athletic experience at University of Louisville, Coach Melissa finished her bachelor’s degree at Louisville and then a second sequence of study at the University of Arkansas.

With stints at the college level at Arkansas & Florida Gulf Coast, Melissa has a wealth of knowledge in and out of the pool to assist athletes as they navigate their high school experience. Melissa also has club experience in the age group programs with the RAC Aquahwags and Swim Florida. Coach Melissa is a passionate educator and has also taught swim lessons and various group exercise course as well, but perhaps most impressive is her commitment to education as she currently works as a teacher at a nearby elementary school.

Assistant Age Group Coach

Sergey moved to Florida from Ukraine, where he was a head coach of a public swimming school. In less than five years between 2014-2019, Sergey created a swimming program and raised the level of the team to the national youth championship. His swimmers have repeatedly won National championships in 2018-2019.

Sergey has coaching history with “Ras Tanura Aramco” Saudi Arabia in 2013 and 2015. Twice in those seasons, swimmers of various age groups completed the NQT, the USA Standard to participate in the national championship and became KSA champions and medalists.

From 2000 to 2012, Fesenko was the head coach of the Ukrainian national swimming team and was responsible for the scientific and methodological support for swimmers. Comprehensive scientific training programs for the Ukrainian National Team at the Olympic Games 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 have been repeatedly recognized as one of the most meaningful and achievable.

From 1992 to 1999 Fesenko was a coach and consultant for the Ukrainian National Team Age Group division, specifically for endurance and IM swimming.

Fesenko got his first international coaching experience while working in China in Hubei province with a local swimming team in 1990-1992. Fesenko was invited to China as an exchange program between the Universities of Kiev, where Fesenko headed the Department of Swimming and the province of Hubei. While working in China, he advised the coaches of the National Swimming Team, studied local methods, and also coached the swim team. Later, with his help, Liu Li Ming won medals at the World Championship and the Olympic Games at 200m butterfly.

From 1985 to 1989, Fesenko was engaged in scientific activities, collecting materials on the decades of training methods from world-class swimmers around the world. Analytical data and research summary of more than 200 sports biographies were embodied in a doctoral dissertation, which Fesenko successfully defended.

Fesenko's sports biography is more vivid than his coaching activity - The champion and silver medalist of the Olympic Games, the repeated medalist of the World Championships 1978,1982, European Champion 1977, 1981, 1983, and the University Games - 4 gold medals 1981, 1983.

Coach Kathy has been a longtime assistant coach for Bolles for the Age Group Program. She has a passion for education and making sure each athlete matters! Currently an elementary school teacher at San Jose Catholic School where she routinely finds potential in her students, Coach Kathy even recruited her daughter to return to Bolles as a coach! 

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