COACHING STAFF:
Coaches
We have assembled a fantastic team of coaches for the 2025-2026 season. You can learn more about them below.
Santa Margarita Catholic High School
High Performance Group
Felipe Delgado – Felipe Delgado is a two-time Olympian who represented Ecuador in the sprint freestyle events at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympic Games. Felipe was named Team Captain of Ecuador’s Olympic Team in 1996 and carried the Ecuadorian flag during the opening & closing ceremonies of the Atlanta Games. Felipe is the Founder of Evolution Swim Academy, a learn-to-swim school in South Orange County, which currently has two locations. Felipe is also the Team Director at Evolution Racing Club, a distinguished USA Swimming Club with multiple Club Excellence recognitions. [email protected]
High Performance Group
Sungmo Cho (Coach Cho) – Coach Cho participated in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics for his native South Korea. Cho was a distance specialist, specializing in the 1500 m freestyle. Coach Cho currently coaches one of our high-performance groups and had a remarkable 2024-2025 season. Amongst his most notable accomplishments included coaching Aaron Deng to a 13-14 year old SCS record in both the 200 yard and 200 meter breaststroke events. Coach Cho also coached Matthew Lanskikh to the fastest 400 m IM time in the country in the 13-14 year age group, as well as one of the fastest times in the 800 and 1500 meter free. Coach Cho qualified 5 swimmers to Futures and 2 swimmers to Junior Nationals. [email protected]
High School Prep Group:
Coach Blanc – Coach Blanc brings 38 years of coaching experience to Evolution Racing. Coach Blanc coached at Mater Dei School for 9 years, winning the 1990 CIF swimming title and a school-record 40 dual meets in a row. Coach Blanc has coached at Santa Margarita Catholic High School for 30 years and has won 42 Trinity League titles, 17 CIF titles, 9 California State titles, and 7 National Team championships, coaching the boys and girls varsities.
Ladera Ranch
Navy & Orange Development Groups
Coach Alicia – Since 2023, Coach Alicia has been coaching at Coeur d’Alene Area Swim Team (CAST) and before that, she coached with Evolution Racing Club from 2012 to 2021. Coach Alicia has coached swimmers ranked in the USA Swimming National Top 10 rankings and has coached multiple Junior Olympic champions. Coach Alicia was a scholar-athlete at the University of Southern California (USC), where she majored in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, minored in Business Administration and has a masters in Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Health Behavior Research. Coach Alicia returns to Evolution and is excited to start the 2025-2026 season as the Head Coach at Ladera Ranch. [email protected]
Navy & Orange Development Groups
Coach Jorge – brings extensive experience cultivating young talent in competitive swimming. As assistant coach at the Coeur d’Alene Area Swim Team from 2023–2025, he guided seven age- and skill-based groups encompassing 125 athletes, spearheading training programs that grew membership from 101 to 143 swimmers in just 18 months. Under his leadership, the team captured second-place finishes at Inland Empire LSC Championships for three consecutive seasons, achieving eight high-point individual winners and multiple record-breaking performances while producing two USA Swimming National Top 10 athletes in 2024. Jorge also launched new initiatives like a lake-based open-water program, a seasonal summer camp that attracted 35 newcomers, and “Intro to CAST,” a six-week prep program that successfully brought 45 more swimmers into year-round competition. Coach Jorge also served as an assistant coach with Evolution Racing Club (formerly Gators Swim Club), where he designed introductory programs that smoothly transitioned swimmers from lessons to competitive teams. [email protected]
Nellie Gail Ranch
Navy & Orange Development Groups
Krasimir Petkov – While studying civil engineering, Krasimir (Coach Krasi) coached swimmers of all ages in his hometown of Varna, Bulgaria and has remained an active Masters swimmer, competing and training whenever possible. His love of the sport led him to join Evolution Racing Club, where his son now trains, and he draws on decades of coaching experience across both swimming and ballroom dance, in which he was a professional competitor for more than 20 years. Beyond the pool, he works part-time as a paramedic and enjoys skiing, surfing, mountain biking, and spending time at the beach with family and friends. [email protected]
Navy & Orange Development Groups
Daria Chebotareva – Coach Daria launched her swimming career in Irkutsk, Russia, where she earned the title of Master of Sports before relocating to California and training with Rose Bowl Aquatics, capturing the CA/NV Speedo Sectionals title in the 200 backstroke in 2018. After a six-year break, she returned to the pool as both coach and athlete and now competes for Evolution Racing Club, reaching finals in the 50 and 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly at Speedo Sectionals. In 2024, she graduated with honors from the University of California, Irvine with a B.A. in Business Economics. As a coach, Daria blends her high-performance background, technical expertise and deep passion for the sport to help young swimmers grow in and out of the water, fostering a positive team culture through thoughtful instruction. [email protected]
