Union City Eagle Aquatic Club

Board of Trustees

This is how the Eagles began...

All three co-founders formed an admirable trio. They all came from different backgrounds, swam on opposing high school teams growing up, but somehow they all had one common goal for Union City Swimming and that's where the idea of Eagle Aquatic Club originated. Eagle Aquatic Club would serve as the foundation for the future of all swim programs in Union City by offering a superior development program where athletes can train throughout the entire year and compete against the best swimmers in the state when attending NJ Swim Meets.

David Alonso

David Alonso is a co-founder and the first ever head coach of Eagle Aquatic Club. He is also the only one of the three co-founders who has been around Union City swimming as both a swimmer and a coach. David first began swimming for Union City at the age of 10 when his father wanted to find a nearby swim program that was more competitive in nature and had the resources for all year round development. David originally began his swimming career in his hometown of North Bergen for the North Bergen Gators at the age of 6. He decided to join Union City's summer recreation swim team when he discovered the team trains their swimmers year round. When David graduated from high school he took over the mantle of head coach for the Union City Tiburones from Anthony Snarski who was his Union City summer swim coach before and during high school.. David's involvement with the Union City Tiburones proved to be vital to the overall success of Union City swimming as he would eventually partner up with Peter Sinagra and took their swimmers to the next level. In 2010, David and Peter officially brought Eagle Aquatic Club to life starting off with an estimated amount of registering 50 swimmers in its first full season. Due to his committment to the overall program in Union City, that same year he was offered the job of head coach for the Union City High School Girls Swim Team. David inherited a team that constantly finished at the bottom of Hudson County. He quickly turned the high school team around in one season and today the high school team is constantly finishing in the top 3 of H.C.I.A.L. and the "All County" with multiple Hudson County Public School Championships under their belt.

David credits his passion and desire for coaching to many of the coaches he had previously swam for during his swimming career. David's prior swimming experience also includes St. Peter's Preparatory High School where he swam under Head Coach Luke Piede (currently coaching at Summit High School) his freshmen year, and then Head Coach Frank Thomson from sophomore to senior year. At St. Peter's he was primarily a 100 flyer and 100 backstroker. He was a co-captain during his senior year in the winter of 2006-2007. David also swam for Cougar Aquatic Team under Judy Montalbano and Eric Harse where he was first exposed to club swimming.

When the idea of starting Eagle Aquatic Club first came to mind, David firmly believed that Union City deserved a club team of its own that can properly train, develop, and send swimmers to state wide meets all year round. After graduating from college and obtaining a full time position, David decided to step back and oversee the daily management operations of the team. Currently, he works full time for JPMorgan Chase in New York City as a Compliance Analyst. David currently holds a degree in Finance from Rutgers University and is striving to obtain his M.B.A. in the future.

Peter Sinagra

Peter Sinagra, an original co-founder, joined forces with David Alonso and Anthony Snarski during the summer of 2008 when he joined them in an effort to bolster the city's summer league swim program and bring a much more competitive mindset to the swim team. Peter brought over the same goals David and Anthony shared for Union City Swimming so the addition fit perfectly. It was only a matter of time that Peter would come on board and round out a trio of coaches that would be vital to the development of the swimming program.

Peter previously had success as the Head Coach for both Boys and Girls Swimming at Union Hill High School (now a middle school). Peter took over a high school program that was previously ranked at the bottom of the division and within a few years they were contending for a County Championship in the Atlantic Division. Peter partnered with David Alonso and successfully brought the Union City Summer League program its first League Championship in the summer of 2010! At that point, the Union City Tiburones became the Union City Eagles in order to reflect their efforts to tie in the summer recreation team to Eagle Aquatic Club. That same year, they had early success bringing Eagle Aquatic Club to life when it was officially registered in 2010, albeit as an "unattached" team.

Peter brought a level of expertise and dedication to the coaching staff that is unparalleled so much that David Alonso claims that without his partnership with Peter the summer league team nor Eagle Aquatic Club would have been as successful as it is today. Today, he is also coaching the UCHS Boys team alongside Anthony Snarski where they have had much success as a duo, including the 2012 HCIAL title. Peter's prior swimming experience includes swimming for St. Joseph's of the Palisades, where he was team captain, and the Secaucus Seahawks both under the guidance of legendary Hudson County High School Swim Coach, Michael Scerbo. At St. Joseph's he was butterflyer and freestyler, swimming both the sprint and middle distant events. Peter then continued his swimming career at the college level when he swam for Montclair State University for the very successful coach Brian McLaughlin. Peter Sinagra has been a board member since 2010, and is also an English Teacher at Jose Marti Freshmen Academy in Union City. Peter also holds a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in Urban Education.

Anthony Snarski

Anthony Snarski is co-founder of Eagle Aquatic Club, and he has been around Union City Swimming the longest as a coach out of the three board members. Anthony began his coaching career in Union City in 2000 when he took over the Union City Tiburones Summer League Swim Team. The swim team was a success as he developed swimmers who were recruited from the learn to swim programs at the Union City Pools with the help of the lifeguard staff. By 2007, Anthony had passed the torch to David Alonso, a former summer league swimmer of his as well, to become the new head coach of the Union City Tiburones, and then Peter Sinagra when he eventually joined the staff. Finally in 2003, he took over the Emerson High School Swim Team in Union City (now a middle school) where he recruited, trained, developed many student athletes to the sport of swimming, many joining the sport for the first time sparking more interest for swimming in Union City.

Anthony's hard work and efforts finally paid off in the 2006-2007 when the Emerson High School Boys won the Hudson County Swim Championships in the Atlantic Division. Today, he is the head coach for the Union City High School Boys Swim Team. In 2012, he led the UCHS Boys Swim Team along with Peter Sinagra to its first ever HCIAL Championship edging St. Peter's Preparatory School and Bayonne High School. Anthony's prior swimming background includes swimming for the Hudson Catholic Hawks under the coaching and guidance of long time, well-respected coach Terry Matthews, and he was also named captain his senior year. During the 2000-2001 swim season he earned All County Honors. Anthony Snarski has been a board member since 2010, and is currently a Vice Principal in the Union City School District having obtained his bachelor's in Physical Education and a master's in Educational Leadership and Administration.

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