WEST Coaching Staff

Nick Chevalier Head Coach / President

Nick joined WEST in September 2010. In high school, Nick swam for Don Lemieux and the Greenwood Swimming where he was a multiple time New Hampshire state champion and junior national qualifier. He went on to swim on scholarship at Marist College where he was a 6-time MAAC conference champion and held multiple school records. Nick began his coaching career in 2004 working with the Marist Swim Club and after graduating from Marist he continued to coach the Cheshire YMCA Sea Dogs while pursuing his MBA degree. After graduate school, Nick worked with 6-time US National Team Coach Don Wagner as the Director of Community Programs and Marketing at Condors Swimming. Since joining WEST in 2010, Nick has coached swimmers to Olympic Trials, National Age Group Top 10 Rankings, NW Regional and PNS individual champions, record holders and repeat PNS Top 10 Team finishes.

Carlene Takaki Associate Head Coach

Carlene started coaching in 2008 to help fellow Purdue Boilermaker, Marisa Watts-Cozort found the club team Swim South Bay in the South Bay Area. Carlene coached age group up to senior swimmers there before accepting a position assisting the National Team at Santa Clara Swim Club in 2010. In 2013, she moved to Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics to head the pre-senior group of swimmers ages 13-15. She has coached swimmers through the Junior National Level, including several Pacific Swimming Outstanding and Record-Breaking swimmers and relays, with athletes consistently ranking top 10 for their age in USA Swimming.

Some of Carlene's notable coaching achievements include:

  • National Select Camp, Western Zone Select Camp Coach, Eastern Zone Select Camp Coach
  • National Select Camp, National Junior Team Camp, and World Junior Team Head Manager
  • Appointed to USA Swimming's Rules and Regulations Committee
  • Elected member of the USA Swimming Coach Advisory Council
  • Member of the Pacific Swimming Board, representative at the USA Swimming Leadership Summit
  • Multiple-time ASCA Coach of the Year Nominee
  • Pacific Swimming Coaches Clinic Speaker
  • Women in Coaching Clinic Organizer and Speaker

Carlene grew up in the Bay Area and attended Presentation High School (class of '03) where she was a 3-time All-American and helped the team to a CCS victory in 2001. In her collegiate career, she started as a walk-on at Purdue University, and ended as Big Ten champion in the 200 fly and an NCAA All-American. She graduated with a degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in Jewelry and Metals and a minor in Art History. After her collegiate career, she stayed and trained at Purdue, completing her career with the 100 and 200 fly at the 2008 Olympic Trials.

In her free time, Carlene loves to work on her startup (FastSwims) swim, walk, read, and spend time with her family.

Jason Schoper Junior Group Coach
Jason began his coaching journey in September of 2017, with the Bozeman Barracudas. He started with the newest age group swimmers before several moves landed him as a coach of the pre-senior group with swimmers 10-14. During his time, the group saw an increase in state, regional, and zone level swimmers, as well as several senior sectional level qualifiers. Coach Jason also helped the team win the State titles in SCY and LCM in 2022, and the LCM title in 2023, as well as setting over 35 new Montana State Swimming Records. Jason has also helped several swimmers reach top 100 rankings in multiple events, and coached regional and zone champions. 
 
Jason grew up swimming in the Pacific Northwest, where he also became a lifeguard and swim instructor. He has been teaching Learn to Swim and Red Cross classes for the past 14 years, and enjoys sharing the life saving skills that are offered by those programs, as well as introducing a passion for a lifelong sport. 
 
When he is not on the pool deck or watching swimming, Jason enjoys fishing, camping, paddleboarding, and exploring new areas.
Mariana Dominguez Developmental Coach

Mariana joined WEST Coast Aquatics in early 2020 and has become a key part of both the coaching and administrative staff. She currently leads the Development and Fundamentals groups (ages 6-10), where she focuses on building strong foundations in technique, endurance, confidence, and long-term love for the sport! Her athletes have gone on to qualify for PNS Winter and Summer Championships, Northwest Regionals and Zones.
 
In addition to coaching, Mariana serves as the Team Manager, overseeing apparel, team communications, fundraising events, and seasonal celebrations. Her creative approach, and positive energy help bring the WEST community together both on and off the pool deck.
 
Originally from Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico, Mariana began swimming at age nine and competed for eleven years. She swam at the collegiate level while earning her Business Management degree at the Technological Institute of Morelia. After moving to the U.S. in 2018, she continued her studies and deepened her passion for coaching and leadership.

When she’s not on the pool deck, Mariana is usually at hot yoga, out exploring nature, trying new food spots, or building charcuterie boards for her side business.
Theresa Trinka-Hoard Adult Swim Lessons Instructor & Coach
Theresa’s passion is teaching and coaching swimming. She had a near drowning experience as a child, and feared 
being in the water. At the age of 39, she started learning to swim and has since completed numerous triathlons at all 
distances, including five Ironman competitions and other open water competitions. 
 
Theresa teaches swimmers of all ability levels including experienced swimmers who want to refine their swim to be more efficient.
She also  loves seeing swimmers go from being anxious getting into the water, to becoming swimmers who enjoy swimming in the pool for recreation, and for some, venturing out into open water and competing in triathlons. 
 
Theresa has been teaching and coaching adults for the last 14 years using a systematic and step by step approach. She developed her curriculum through her own experiences in the process of learning to swim, study, our coaches at West, and coaching clinics she attended.  
 
As a new swimmer, you will learn how to breathe, kick, and balance.  Once you are comfortable and balanced in prone position, we move to side breathing and balance, then we work on the stroke.  
 
Theresa has helped many people learn to swim, reach their swimming goals, and to enjoy all that swimming has to offer both for recreation and sport. 
 
* US Adult Learn to Swim Instructor Certification
* US Masters Swimming Certification Levels 1, 2, & 3
* USA Swimming Level 1 Certification
* American Red Cross Lifeguard, CPR, and AED Certified 
* National Academy of Sports Medicine Certification
* USAT Level 1 Coaching Certification