Bruce brings over 30 years of coaching experience at the club and collegiate levels.  He has elevated the TAC TITANS program from a Bronze Medal Club to a Gold Medal Club in just three years.  The TITANS have been ranked as high as second in the Nation according to USA Swimming’s VCC rankings.  He has been recognized by the American Swimming Coaches Association as a Coach of Excellence for the past 10 years.

Bruce has been on three different USA National Team coaching staffs including the 2019 World Junior Championships, 2014 SC World Championships and 2012 SC World Championships.  He has qualified swimmers for the 2016 and 2012 Olympic Teams. He has placed swimmers on the USA National Team and USA Junior National Team.

Additional accomplishments include, 2018 National Champion, 2012 Olympic Gold medalist, numerous National Age Group records, ACC Coach of the Year, Conference USA Coach of the Year and Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year honors. 

John "JP" Payne, is the Associate Head Coach for the TAC TITANS. He has over 30 years of coaching experience at all levels of competition from the youngest beginner to elite professional athletes.

JP is active with both USA Swimming and NC Swimming. He has worked as a staff member of USA Swimming's National Open Water Select Camp (2011-2014, 2018) and National Select Camp (2012 & 2013). He was also on the staff of USA Swimming’s 2019 World Championship Open Water team where Titan swimmer, Ashley Twichell, qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. As a member of the NC Swimming Open Water committee, he helped to develop the NC Open Water Select Camp and Zone teams. 
 
JP swam and studied at NC State University earning a B.A. in English and a M.S. in Technical Communication. He lives in Raleigh with his wife and three sons. When not on the pool deck at the Triangle Aquatic Center, you can find him behind a set of drums playing music with several local bands.

Robert Norman grew up in the Cary area swimming for RSA, before attending boarding school in Va. at Woodberry Forest School. Robert then continued his swimming career at Middlebury College, before transferring back to NC State where he earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology. At that point he began his coaching career. Robert has coached in the area for over a decade now, and coached a number of age groups and abilities. Robert has coached and help produce NCS Zone and Select camp qualifiers. Robert believes in developing well rounded swimmers who have the ability to be competitive in many strokes and distances.  By developing good relationships with his athletes, unique training, and constant communication, he believes this gives athletes the greatest chance of reaching their full potential and goals.

Coach Alan has over twenty years of experience coaching in both age-group and collegiate settings. By supporting and encouraging proper group culture, Alan creates an environment which leads to athletes in learning how to own their process in competitive swimming and truly explore what their promise in the sport can be. 

Coach Alan was most recently the Director of Competitive Swimming at the YMCA of Central Florida in Orlando. Prior to his time in Orlando, he has held positions at SwimMAC Carolina as a Division Lead, Western Kentucky University, and was the Head Age-Group Coach at the YMCA of the Triangle Area in Raleigh, NC. He has coached many Jr. National, National, and Olympic Trial qualifiers and as well as National Junior Team members.

Coach Alan is also active in the leadership of the sport of swimming having held positions at the national and state level with USA and NC Swimming. He holds a BS in Sport Management from Western Carolina University and an earned an MS in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management from NC State University.

Kevin Maksinchuk has been with the TAC Titans since 2015. Kevin has 20+ years of coaching year-round, high school, and summer league swimming in both PA and NC, which gives him perspective on how to grow a champion swimmer.  While coaching in PA, Kevin developed several Regional, State, Zones and Age Group qualifiers and has continued that success in NC. 

Originally from Pittsburgh, PA., Kevin attended Slippery Rock University and graduated with a Bachelor of Education in Health and Physical Education in 2008. He became head coach of his first swim club, Plum Aqua, at the age of 18 for several years.  He then took a primary position with Penn Hills High School as the varsity swim head coach, Jr. Varsity head coach and club coach with the Penn Hills Dolphins before moving to NC in 2014. 

While with the Titans, Kevin wants our young kids to swim fast and have great times, but more importantly to help them grow as an athlete, by giving them the best technique instruction for long-term success. Kevin lives in Garner with his wife Jessica and their three boys Kaiden, Jace & Rowan.

A native of Durham, North Carolina, Matt Mosher has been involved with the sport of swimming nearly his entire life.  Matt grew up swimming for several local clubs and, like many coaches, began his coaching career at 16 for his summer league team.  Matt was a member of the American University Men's Swimming and Diving team (1998-2002).  Upon returning to Durham from D.C., Matt coached one season with his former club, then stepped away from the sport.

After a few years, a chance phone call brought Matt back to the pool deck, coaching for Raleigh Charter High School, where he led the team to five consecutive girls 1A/2A state championships.  During this time Matt returned to school with the goal of stepping into the classroom.  Matt joined the TAC TITANS in 2016 with the goal of keeping his coaching skills sharp.  After graduating Magna Cum Laude from North Carolina State University with a BA in History, Matt decided to forego the classroom and stay on the pool deck.

Coach Matt has coached numerous groups for the TITANS including Jr Titans, Masters, Teen Titans, Silver, Gold, Sectional, and National.  He currently leads our Jr TITANS groups and coaches with the staff on the Olympic Elite group.  Matt believes in passionate education and a process focused approach to develop swimmers for long term careers and success.

Coach Claire Donahue has been with the TAC Titans since 2017. She currently coaches the National and Sectional group. Over the years she has worked with the not only Sectional and National but also the Olympic Elite, Junior Titans 11 & over, Tag 2.5, and Tag 3. Claire is currently the Titans Safe Sport Representative.

Claire Donahue grew up in Lenoir City, TN where she started swimming. She swam for Blount Area Swim Team until she was recruited to swim in college at Western Kentucky University. There she swam for Bruce Marchionda (our current TAC Titans head coach). Once she graduated, she decided to continue her swimming career as a professional athlete. During this time, she qualified for the National Team five years in a row, multiple World Championship teams, and ultimately qualified for the 2012 Olympic Team. Claire swam the 100-yard butterfly and came home with an Olympic Gold Medal in the 400-meter medley relay.

After the 2016 Olympic Trials Claire moved back to Tennessee and started her coaching career. A year later she moved to Raleigh to coach for the TAC Titans.

FUN FACTS: Claire loves Raleigh. It reminds her of home. Her favorite things to do, besides coaching, is spend time with family, go to the beach, and try new restaurants. So far, Raleigh food doesn’t disappoint.

Coach Tariq was introduced to the water in his mother’s swim school when he was a toddler, in Suriname, South America. By the time he was a teenager, he regularly swam breaststroke at international competitions. As a candidate to represent Suriname in the Olympic Games, Tariq came to America in 2013 to further his training. He narrowly missed his time for the Rio Olympics in 2016, and joined TAC in October of 2018.

During his swim career, Tariq has taught swim lessons and coached athletes at all levels, including the national and international, since 2005. Along with his sister who is also an accomplished swimmer, Tariq started a non-profit organization called Help A Star Foundation. Their mission is to uplift underprivileged children through swimming, education, and nutritional support. Tariq and his sister, Xiomara, have already traveled to Africa twice, where they taught over 300 children how to swim for the first time.
 

Tariq’s journey started as a competitive swimmer, training for the Olympic Games. He would like to inspire and build character into the younger generation, which is exactly why he came to work for Triangle Aquatic Center. He looks forward to what the future holds for himself and his athletes.
Tariq speaks Dutch and English fluently. Married to his college sweetheart, Dakota, Coach Tariq enjoys spending his free time with his wife and his family.

Serge Victor has coached for over 40 years at all levels of competitive swimming such as USA Swimming, Collegiate Division I, High School, YMCA, and summer league.

Prior to arriving in North Carolina in 2021, Serge Victor had been a head coach/owner of New Wave USS Swim Team at Oakhurst Country Club in Clayton, California where he also served as Aquatic and Activity Director for many years. During his time in Clayton, he coached multiple top-level local summer teams of 250+ swimmers.

Before returning to California in 1998, Serge served as head coach of Rio Salado Swim team in Arizona. Where only after few years, he built the team from 30 swimmers to 160+ swimmers. While coaching in Arizona, Serge developed USA Junior National Champion in 200 Breaststroke and USA Junior National Team member, Nicholas Tobler.

During his younger years, Serge served as an assistant at University of California at Berkeley, where he assisted the late Nort Thornton, USA National and Olympic coach, helping Nort to coach many NCAA qualifiers, NCAA champions, as well as National and World Champions.

Previously, Serge coached at Villanova University where he was an assistant on the Men’s and Women’s team along with Carol Capitani, current Head Women’s coach at University of Texas in Austin.

The undisputed highlight of Serge’s coaching was his time assisting Mark Schubert at University of Southern California in Los Angeles where he helped Mark to coach one of the greatest USA swimmers of all time, Janet Evans – “Miss Perpetual Motion,” and other National and International caliber swimmers.

Despite all the experience at the highest levels of swimming, Serge takes pride in his record of relentlessly developing essential and long-term swimming skills in children of all abilities.

Serge is ASCA Level 5 certified. He has B.S degree in Mechanical Engineering.

He and his wife Elaine have three children, Mistral, Neige, and Etien.

Over the past decade,Coach Matthew Johnson has worked with several top programs including the University of Michigan, Club Wolverine, Queens University of Charlotte, and Team Elite with Olympic Head Coach David Marsh. While at these programs, Coach Matthew was fortunate enough to work with Age Group, Senior Sectional, NCAA Champion and Record holders, and Olympic medalists. In reviewing his time with these programs, Coach Matthew says “I have been fortunate enough to be there to support numerous athletes as they achieve their ling-time goals. What made these swimmers successful was not the coach in front of them, but a summation of their time and effort committed to their craft.”

Coach Matthew loves learning about the sport of swimming and exchanging knowledge with his fellow TAC coaches between practices. He enjoys watching movies, playing video games, and talking to athletes about doing their best to balance their life as a swimmer.

Matthew grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia where he swam for his high school before moving on to swim in college where he obtained a degree in health and human performance.  Matthew lives in Knightdale with his wife Margaret and his two dogs Earl and Baloo.

Coach Eddie Gillie started coaching with the Titans in September of 2021. Eddie has over a decade of coaching experience across the age group and collegiate levels including head coaching tenures at NCAA Division I & II institutions. 

Coach Eddie was most recently the Head Swimming & Diving Coach at UW Green Bay in Green Bay, WI. Before his time at Green Bay, Coach Eddie was the Head Coach at Limestone College in Gaffney, SC,  an Assistant Coach at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA, and Phoenix Swimming in Haverhill, MA. 

During his career Coach Eddie has Olympic Trial, US Open, US National, and Junior National Qualifiers and NCAA All-Americans. He was also voted the 2021 Horizon League Men’s Coach of The Year by his peers while at UW Green Bay.  

Michael Lippens was born and raised in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Growing up, he was a competitive tennis player, becoming a high school state champion and a national high school All-American. At the University of Louisville, he pursued his Bachelor's Degree in Health and Human Performance. There, he won the Big East Team Conference in 2011, one of his favorite memories. After graduating, he competed on the Professional Tennis Circuit from 2015 - 2018. As a health and fitness enthusiast, personal trainer, and certified strength and conditioning specialist, Michael continued his education with a Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology, Strength and Conditioning from the University of Louisville. Before joining the TAC Titans Team as the Head Dryland Coach for Elite and Challenge Tracks, he was the Athletic Development Coordinator and Personal Trainer at Blairwood Swim & Tennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky with the focus on youth long-term development from ages 6 to 16 and athletic performance for all ages.

Tom Turner grew up in Connecticut where he was a competitive swimmer starting at seven years old. This led him to be a four year varsity captain for his high school swim team. During his time as a swimmer, he found his passion for coaching athletes, in and out of the water. Tom was the assistant swim coach for Connecticut College with accomplishments of five All - Conference performers, one Conference Champion, and eight swimmers qualifying for NCAA Championships. Tom is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Personal Trainer who earned his Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science, Human Performance at Southern Connecticut State University. With his experience in powerlifting, personal training, and athletic performance, he is a Full-Time Dryland Coach for the TAC TITANS Team for Elite and Challenge Tracks.

Coach Kelsey Symm started coaching for the Titans in the fall of 2018. She currently coaches with TAG 3, TAG 3.5 and Bronze. She has also coached with Sr. Champs, Sr. Challenge, Platinum, Jr Titans and Titans Prep.

Coach Kelsey grew up in Indiana where she learned to swim competitively. When her family moved south, she continued to swim locally for her neighborhood summer league, Green Hope High school and New Wave Swim Team. She began coaching for her neighborhood TSA swim team when she was 15, starting out the season as the assistant age group coach and ending the season as the Head age group coach as well as the overall Assistant Coach for the team. Over the last 20 years she continued her coaching career and was a site director for New Wave Swim Team and finally finding her place here with the Titans!

Coach Kelsey hopes she can spark the joy in every young swimmer, just like her Coach did when she was younger. Seeing each swimmer become excited about their strokes is why Kelsey continues to coach every day. 

Coach Jack Grotjohn is returning to coach for the TAC Titans after swimming on the team for 5 years and finishing his swimming career at Old Dominion University. 

Coach Jack started swimming at a summer league team in the TSA area, and soon joined New Wave Swim Team, until joining TAC Titans in 2013. He was part of several of the early TAC Titans national teams. While in high school, Jack was a four-time conference, four-time regional, and three-time NCHSAA state championship qualifier for Cary High School. He swam for TAC until competing and studying at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. 

At ODU, Jack swam and completed his degree in psychology. He was a three-time finalist at the CCSA conference championships. His swimming career culminated with him recieving the ODU athletics Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in his senior year. 

After four years at Old Dominion, Coach Jack graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in psychology, a passion to coach swimming, and an eagerness to give back to the Titans community that has developed him.

Coach Kevin Plewniak has been swimming competitively since 2010 and started with RSA. He joined TAC Titans when it was first established in 2013. Coach Kevin swam with the Titans until he graduated High School and qualified for several Jr. National level meets. He then went to swim in a Division 1 college at Gardner-Webb University and graduated with an Undergraduate Degree in Exercise Science. Coach Kevin plans to go into Physical Therapy school in the coming years and apply his knowledge of swimming technique, strength & conditioning, and rehabilitation aspects to all aspects of swimming.

Coach Ronna brings over 25 years of swim team development and coaching experience to the TITANS.  Over that timeframe Ronna has coached and instructed swimmers across all age groups on USA Swimming sanctioned clubs, competitive summer league teams and high schools in Indiana and North Carolina.

Coach Ronna is well versed in all aspects of team development and brings a special focus on the skills critical to a swimmer’s advancement.  In younger swimmers she develops technique, builds confidence in their abilities and instills enthusiasm for the sport.  All of Coach Ronna’s swimmers develop a love of the water and camaraderie with their teammates - making swimming a fun and rewarding aspect of their lives!

Natalie joined the TAC Titans in the fall of 2022 after graduating from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. There she swam and competed at the Division III level while majoring in American Studies and minoring in Mathematics. As a part of the Carleton College Swimming & Diving program she became a four time MIAC Championship finalist in several events, was heavily involved in NCAA organizations, and served as a team captain her senior year.

Natalie is originally from Aurora, Illinois where she joined her summer league team and local club team at the age of eight and has been swimming ever since. She brings her experience coaching young swimmers to North Carolina, currently coaching Titans Prep and Silver 2. 

Her hobbies include swimming with the TAC Titans Masters group, lifting, and training for triathlons. She enjoys remaining active and expanding her knowledge on American history! Natalie's goals as a coach are to inspire passion for the sport of swimming while maintaining open communication between athletes, coaches, and parents.

Hi, my name is Coach Brian. I have been swimming and have been part of the “swimming world” for 16 years. My main specialty is breaststroke where I have qualified and participated in several Jr. National level swim meets.  I have swam with the Titans since we were founded in 2013 and currently aspiring to compete at the National level. I look forward to bringing my experience from years of racing to you guys and I hope we have a fun and very fast season!