Neil Walker is an alumnus of the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a 25-time All-American and two-time NCAA individual champion. Neil began his career in his hometown of Verona, Wisconsin. Swimming under Verona Aquatics Club coach Randy Trowbridge, Walker set state records that he still holds to this day. Recruited by several schools, including Florida, USC, Auburn and Arizona, he decided to make his mark under head coach Eddie Reese at Texas. 

Neil finished his collegiate career as one of the most decorated athletes in Texas history and as one of the highest ranked Longhorn swimmers in the school's history. In addition to his 25 All-American awards, he won back-to-back NCAA individual titles in the 100-yard backstroke, and six individual Big XII titles. In 1997 he set an American, US Open and NCAA record in the 100-yard backstroke, with a time of 44.92. He also set the NCAA record in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 19.08. His accomplishments (shortened by a broken hand the second day of the meet) earned him the NCAA Swimmer of the Year award in 1997.

Since graduation, Neil has gone on to swim in numerous international meets, including several World Championships, Pan Pacific Championships and the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. Considered one of the most versatile swimmers in American swimming history, Neil has held records in every stroke (breaststroke through an I.M. record) and over multiple distances.

Neil was an assistant coach for Longhorn Aquatics (USA Swimming's No. 1-rated swim club since 2004) from 2005 until 2009, when he became the head coach for RACE. He spends the majority of his time with the Senior Racers and Senior prep, as well as overseeing all operations.

Tom Applegate is a graduate of Truman State University, where he was a six-time All-American and a two-time Academic All-American.
Tom began coaching in Pontiac, Illinois in 2000, when he started coaching the Pontiac Pacers Swim Team. He coached the team for four years, developing many young swimmers. He then started coaching the ASA Aquadogs in Kirksville, Missouri. He became the head coach of the Aquadogs in 2005 and remained there through 2007.
In 2007, Tom took over the Plano YMCA Sea Dragons swim team. In the short time he was there, he had more than 40 YMCA state qualifiers and built the team from 40 swimmers to 120. He then took a job with the Rockwall YMCA as the Aquatics Director and Assistant Swim Coach. While there he saw the Riptides through a state championship and a second-place finish in 2008 and 2009 as an age group coach.
Tom was part of the original RACE staff who started the program in 2009. Since coming to RACE, he has coached several USA Top 16 Age Group Swimmers and helped the team achieve numerous Top 10 finishes at TAGS.
In 2010 Tom met his wife, Jessica, at the Aquatic Center. Having had a club swimming background herself, Jessica joined the RACE coaching staff until they welcomed their daughters Paige in 2015 and Hadley in 2018. Jessica is now a RACE Official and both Applegate girls are competing for the team.
In his time away from the pool, Tom enjoys hunting, fishing and being with his family and bird dogs.
Tom is our Head Age Group Coach, RISD Aquatic Supervisor and coaches Jr Racer 1.

Coach Dave or Coach P is from Jeffersonville, Indiana with over 26 years of coaching and teaching experience. 

He started off as a swimmer for Pacesetter Aquatics and worked his way up to Head Age Group Coach.  He has coached middle school and summer league teams.  While in Indiana he also had the privilege of coaching the Indiana Zone Team.

In 2004 Coach P moved to Texas where he started coaching High School swimming in the Houston and Austin areas.  He has also Coached for TWST and Texas Gold Club teams.

Teams achievements under Coach P include:

• Won Girls State 5A swimming and diving Championships 2017
• Had Multiple NISCA All American Relays and Swimmers
• Multiple T16 USS Swim Times
• District, Regional, & State Team Titles
• Won District, Regional, and State Coach of the Year awards

Coach Dave has also coached USA Water Polo Club Teams, summer league in Houston, and Zone assistant coach.

In addition to being the new Mini Racer 1 Coach, he is the current Rockwall High School Swim Teams and Water Polo Teams.

Coach Dave is also a certified teacher and has taught HS Math, Physical Education (all grades) and Elementary Education from early childhood to 4^th grade.

Coach Stacey has been coaching at RACE since 2015 and her family has been part of the RACE family since they moved here in 2012.  Coach Stacey has been involved in swimming in one way or another for most of her life. Stacey was a competitive swimmer from the age of 3 until 17 in New York and Connecticut.  She coached summer league and taught lessons in HS.  She was away from swimming for a few years while she was serving in the Air Force.  When her children were young she started teaching lessons again and coaching part time at the YMCA in Bessemer, AL.  Over the next decade the family moved several times to Louisiana, Austin, TX,  Virginia and then to Rockwall.  During that time Coach Stacey was involved with swimming as a swim mom, volunteer, and board member in VA..  After moving to Rockwall, Coach Stacey became a swimming official for USA Swimming, HS and NCAA.  She continues to officiate when she is not coaching.  She is married to Eric Harbin who is also a swim official and they have 4 children, all swimmers or swammers :)  Her oldest, Haylie, swam for Coach Neil and then at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.  She graduated in May, 2018 and now lives with her family in Okinawa, Japan  Braxton And Forrest also swam for Coach Neil and also both attended the Air Force Academy graduating in 2021 and 2023.  They are stationed in Colorado Springs and California respectively.  Peyton also swam for Coach Neil and is currently attending and swimming for the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY.  All 4 of her children also swam for Rockwall High School.

Coach Stacey is the Heath High School Head Coach for swimming, diving and water polo.  She coaches Jr 2 for Race year-round and the Sailfish summer league.  She is also the 2nd grade swim program co-lead and the lifeguard supervisor. Coach Stacey loves working with the kids and helping them to be the best athlete and person they can be.

Coach Ari began swimming at age eight for Waukesha Express Swim Team in SE Wisconsin, where she swam through her high school years and competed at the state, zone, and national levels. She then went on to swim for Oregon State University, where she competed in sprint and middle-distance events. 

After graduating in 2013, Ari remained active in the swimming world through coaching girls high school, novice level swim team groups, and supervising a lessons program that equipped swimmers for the team. She believes that the sport of swimming teaches invaluable lessons in excellence, discipline, and character, preparing each swimmer for life-giving experiences outside the pool. 

In her free time, Ari enjoys being in nature, spending time with family, and homeschooling their four girls. She helps coach the Mini E and L groups, and is hopeful to one day have all her girls on the team.

Coach Kacy began swimming at the age of six years old. She joined the RACE team as an athlete when it opened in 2009, first swimming for Coach Tom in Racer 1 and later swimming for Coach Neil in Senior Racer for several years. 

At 15 Kacy began instructing at the Rockwall Swim School and has been employed there for the last 9 years. Over that time she has worked with swimmers ages 6 months and up to ensure water safety and proper technique.

Coach Kacy began coaching at RACE in 2014, coaching High School, Middle School, and Age Group athletes. She left the team in 2015 to pursue her Bachelors’ in Sports Management at Wayland Baptist University. While at WBU she was selected to intern with the Wayland Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Team. Immediately following graduation Kacy accepted an assistant coaching position in New York at Utica College. During her time at UC she was placed in charge of recruiting and assisted in writing and running workouts, as well as day to day operations. In the fall of 2018 Coach Kacy returned to RACE and now coaches Senior 3.