Lead Coach: Senior National

Gary Taylor is in his first year with Cavalier Aquatics of Charlottesville, VA. Taylor was previously the head coach at Auburn University following North Carolina State where he spent the previous six seasons, including the last two as associate head coach. 

Under Taylor’s leadership, Auburn’s men’s and women’s teams both went 5-2 in dual meets in 2019-2020. At the SEC Championships, the women won three titles and set SEC records in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays en route to a fifth-place finish. The men placed eighth with a number of Tigers swimming top 10 all-time performances in program history. Though there were no NCAA Championships, Auburn had 19 receive CSCAA All-American honors (18 women, 11 men) 

In Taylor’s first season on the Plains, he helped guide the Auburn women to a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. The women’s team featured nine CSCAA All-Americans and three SEC titles – Erin Falconer in the 200 free, Aly Tetzloff in the 100 backstroke, and the winning 400 freestyle relay team. On the men’s side, Santiago Grassi earned All-American honors in the 100 butterfly at the NCAA Championships. 

Prior to Auburn, Taylor’s primary responsibility with the NC State program was working with the distance freestyle events and stroke aspects and assisting with recruiting responsibilities. In six seasons, he coached 11 swimmers to NC State school records and 97 to all-time top 10 performances.

Taylor played a vital part in guiding the NC State men to four-straight ACC Championship titles and three consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, including top-four finishes in each of the last three years. In addition, while Taylor was at NC State, the Wolfpack women were crowned conference champions in 2017, tabbing its first conference title since 1980. The women’s team also achieved its highest NCAA finish in program history, placing seventh in 2017.

In 2017-18, Taylor’s final season at NC State, his distance group was the only in Division I to have a male and female finish in top three of 1650 freestyle at the NCAA Championships, including NCAA men’s champion Anton Ipsen. The NC State men earned a fourth-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Championships, winning a program-best five NCAA titles. The women finished 18th, which included three top-16 finishes in the 1650 free.

Ipsen was named the 2018 ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year as he earned All-America honors in the 500 free and All-America honorable mention honors in the 400 IM to go along with his 1650 free title. He was an ACC Champion in the 1650 free, 500 free, 400 IM and 800 free relay.

During the 2016-17 season, Taylor coached four athletes to the men's and women's NCAA Championships where they earned seven total All-America honors. At the ACC Championships, he led Ipsen to his third-straight title in the 500 free and a runner-up finish in the 1650 free. Adam Linker also tabbed All-ACC honors in the 500 and 1650 free events. On the women's side, Taylor helped Hannah Moore to All-ACC honors in the 500 free and 400 IM and Rachel Muller to a third place finish in the 1650 free.

In the 2015-16 season Taylor helped to lead Ipsen to ACC titles and All-America honors in the 500 and 1650 free for the second-straight season, as well as a berth to the 2016 Olympic Games in the 400m and 1,500m freestyle. Linker additionally earned the first All-America honors of his career in the 500 and 1650 free at the 2016 NCAA Championship.

Taylor also played a part in the development of recent graduate Christian McCurdy and Justin Ress's successful rookie season. McCurdy was a three-time ACC Champion and All-American during his career and Ress was named the 2016 ACC Male Freshman of the Year. Ipsen tabbed the mention in 2015, marking the second-straight year a Wolfpack swimmer earned the honor.

Prior to joining the NC State staff, Taylor spent the previous four years as the distance coach and recruiting coordinator at Florida State. The distance program at Florida State flourished under Taylor's tutelage as eight school records were broken during his stint with the program, and 43 all-time top-10 marks were achieved.

Taylor guided four athletes to individual crowns at the ACC Championships while at Florida State, including Juan Sequera, who was named Freshman of the Year in 2012, and Mateo DeAngulo, who took home Swimmer of the Year and Performer of the Championships honors. Taylor guided seven individuals to the NCAA Championships over the course of his four seasons, including DeAngulo, who earned first team All-America honors in 2012.

Prior to taking the reigns of the distance program at Florida State, Taylor spent three years coaching for the Dynamo Swim Club in Atlanta, Ga. He coached multiple age sectional and state record holders, as well as age group sectional and state champions. He was named the Georgia Age Group Coach of the Year in 2007.

Before coaching with the Dynamo, Taylor spent six years with the Twin Cities Swim Team. He was the lead site coach in Minnetonka, Minn., and gained experience in both the business and coaching aspects of the sport through the program.

Taylor was a former student-athlete at the University of Minnesota, and was a member of the 1998 Big Ten Championship swimming team. He graduated in 2001 with a B.S. in sport management.

Todd DeSorbo was hired as the head men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach in August 2017. Since taking over, the women have won two ACC titles, and were seeded to become national champions before the COVID crisis caused the meet to be cancelled. In 2020, the women scored the most points in a single ACC championship, ever. The men have rocketed from the bottom of the NCAA to a top 10 finish in 2019, and to a second place ACC finish behind a fiercely competitive NC State squad in 2020. 

Prior to coming to Virginia, Desorbo spent six years at NC State as an associate head coach, bringing the program to the national and international stage. There, DeSorbo worked primarily with the Wolfpack sprinters and was a developmental specialist. He oversaw the programs’ recruiting, training and day-to-day operations. Additionally, Todd coached Ryan Held to the 2016 Olympic team, where he helped the USA win gold in the 4x100m Freestyle Relay.

Todd joins CAV-Y as Director of High Performance, and adds a wealth of knowledge and experience to the coaching staff. 

DeSorbo holds two accounting degrees from UNCW, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1999 and a master’s degree in 2000. A native of Salisbury, N.C., DeSorbo is married to Lauren Suggs. They have one son, Jack, and one daughter, Cate who are both on the team.

Conor Hassard returns to Cavalier Aquatics in the Spring of 2024 for his third year with the program.  Hassard has previously spent time with as a volunteer assistant at the University of Virginia and as an assistant coach at Villanova University and UNC Wilmington.

At Cavalier Aquatics, Hassard worked primarily with the Senior Groups in the 2021-22 season, and worked with both the Senior Groups and Cavalier Orange Group in the 2022-23 season.  Notable team accomplishments during this time include USA Swimming Gold Medal Club Recognition, a YMCA Short Course National Championship team title, and several Top-3 team finishes across Virginia Senior Championships and Age Group Championships meets.

Most recently at UNC Wilmington, Hassard worked primarily with the distance swimmers.  Both the women’s and men’s teams won the CAA Conference Championship in the 2023-24 season.  At that meet, the program had twenty A-Finals swims across the Women’s and Men’s 500 Free, 400 IM, and 1650 Free, including nine top-three finishes and four individual championship titles.  Freshman William Carrico was named the Conference Rookie Swimmer of the Year after winning the 500 Free and 400 IM, while setting the conference record in the 400 IM.

In the 2021-22 season, the Virginia women won the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row, and the men finished in the Top 10 for the third consecutive year.  Members of the program set numerous NCAA, US Open, and American records in 2022, and won several individual national titles at Speedo Summer Nationals.

With Villanova in the 2019-20 and 2020-21, Hassard handled the men’s team recruiting and coached a group of distance and middle-distance athletes.  In his two seasons, the women’s team won the 2020 and 2021 Big East Conference Championships, and Hassard was named to the Women’s Coaching Staff of the Year at both meets.

Lead Coach: Cavalier Blue, Wahoo Blue

Dave Anderson is excited to be working with Cavalier Aquatics in the 2022-23 season. He previously spent the last three years with 757 Swim in Williamsburg, VA where he was the lead coach of two groups and worked as an assistant with every group (ages 5-18). Dave spent his last two summers as the Head Coach of the First Colony Flyers, winning the VPSU Championship two years in a row.

Growing up, Dave swam for Williamsburg Aquatic Club and Lafayette High School, where he earned All-State honors as well as the team winning the state championship his senior year. He attended Hampden-Sydney College where he broke 2 individual records and 3 relay records. After his freshman year, Dave retired from swimming to focus on tennis. At Hampden-Sydney, he played in the #1 doubles spot and the #3 singles spot. 

Dave enjoys working with swimmers of all ages and brings a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm to Cavalier Aquatics. His coaching philosophy is to make swimmers enjoy swimming and enjoy competition.

Coach Chris is a long-time resident of the Charlottesville area and has contributed greatly to the Central Virginia swimming community, both in USA Swimming and summer league.  Joining Cavalier Aquatics ahead of the 2021-22 season, Chris brings a wealth of effective swimming knowledge and experience formed from 32 years of coaching experience as well as a highly successful swimming career of his own.

During his years of coaching, Chris has worked with multiple Olympic trial and Senior National qualifiers, numerous Junior National qualifiers, a host of Division I, II, and III collegiate swimmers (many of whom went on to be conference champions), multiple state record holders, a National Age Group record holder, and a men's State Age Group Championship for mid-size teams.

As a swimmer, Chris competed at the highest level and was an Olympic Trials qualifier in the 100 Backstroke. During his time at Clemson University, Chris qualified for the Men's NCAA Championships, received ACC Honorable Mention awards, and set a Clemson University Medley Relay record. Other accomplishments include:

• Senior Nationals qualifier in the 100 Back, 200 Back, and 200 IM
• 2-time YMCA National Champion in the 100 Back
• Top 3 Finish at Junior Nationals in the 100 Back
• Junior Nationals Finalist in the 200 Back, 200 IM, and 400 IM
• Multiple state record holder in the 100 Back and 200 Back

Carroll spent three seasons with UNC Wilmington before joining the Cavaliers’ staff for the 2023-24 season. While at UNCW, Carroll and the coaching staff transformed the Seahawk program. During the 2022-2023 season, UNCW won the Colonial Athletic Association Championships combined title for the first time since 2006. The Seahawk staff was awarded the 2022-2023 coaching staff of the year.  

Carroll oversaw the Distance and IM groups at UNCW.  Over the last two seasons, the group combined to win the 500 Free, 1650 Free and 400 IM events.  Brooke Knisely became the first UNCW swimmer since 2013 to qualify and compete at the NCAA championships.  Knisely was the CAA champion in the 500 and 1650 Free, setting program records in each event. Two other swimmers John coached (Sam O’Brien - 500 & 1650 Free CAA champion and Katie Knorr - 400 IM CAA champion earned CAA swimming rookie of the year honors).

Before UNCW, Carroll was a graduate assistant coach at Auburn University from 2018-2020. He worked primarily with the mid-distance and distance swimmers. Carroll assisted the staff with all facets of the program. He assisted with two SEC individual champions, two SEC relay champions and multiple NCAA qualifiers.

John began his collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Rowan University in 2016-17. Alongside his time at Rowan, Carroll coached for two seasons as an assistant senior coach with the Jersey Wahoos Swim Club.

Carroll graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in 2016, where he earned a degree in History and a minor in Political Science. He helped the Retrievers to three conference championship titles. Carroll also served as a team captain during his senior season. Over his last 2 seasons at UMBC, John got his start in coaching by assisting several age groups programs with the Retriever Aquatic Club (RAC).  Carroll also earned a master’s degree in education at Auburn in 2020.