Dan Flack
Director of Competitive Swimming
Head Coach / Aquatics Director
Coach Flack is recognized by the American Swimming Coaches Association as a Level V coach, the highest level attainable. Level five is composed of the top 2-5% of coaches in the USA. In his second year as the Director of both the Baylor School and club programs, Coach Flack has enjoyed remarkablie success.
"The Baylor Swim Club is a great opportunity becoming a reality. The program has taken a major step towards our goal of developing a coaching staff of caring professionals and a program that will set a high standard for teaching great fundamentals in the sport of swimming," said Flack.
In his three years with Baylor, Coach Flack accomplished the following:
Baylor Swim Club
2008-2009
Coached Baylor Swim Club to 2nd place finish in Men's, Women's and Combined Team Championships at the Short Course Junior National Championships at the University of Texas
Coached Baylor Swim Club to 3rd place finish in the combined Team Championship at the NCSA Junior National Championships in Orlando, Florida
Baylor Swim Club was #1 Silver Medal Club and most improved in the country in the US Swimming Club Excellence Program
Coached Martin Grodzki to High Point award at US Swimming Junior Nationals and to German National Championship in the 1500 meter freestyle
Baylor set two US Swimming National Age Group Records - 15 -18 girls 200 medley & 200 freestyle relays
Baylor swimmers broke 10 individual and relay Southeastern Swimming records
Six World Championship Trials Qualifiers
2007-2008
Baylor Swim Club won the Southeastern Long Course Championship in the Middle team division, finished 4th overall, but firsts in club history
Two Olympic Trials Qualifiers
Seven Southeastern Zone Team Members, two Zone Champions
Over 50 team records set, three Southeastern Swimming records
11 USA Swimming Academic All Americans
Baylor Swim Club finished 4th overall at 2008 NCSA Junior National championship
12 Southeastern Swimming records set, 38 team records
Baylor School- High School Swimming
2008-2009
Baylor won all three Tennessee State tiltes
Baylor won both boys & girls championships at the 2009 Eastern Prep Meet heal in Philadelphia
Baylor won the NISCA combined national dual meet championship, and won their national division in both boys and girls, the boys the second year in a row
Baylor girls broke two national records in both the 200 medley & freestyle relays
Baylor boys & girls broke 11 national records for the 25 meter course
Baylor broke 17 school records
Baylor boys & girls teams were both awarded Silver Medal status Academically in the NISCA Academic All American program
2007-2008
Named TISCA Boys Coach of the Year 2007
Boys High School team won state championship for the first time since 1999, and the boys & girls won the combined team championship with the most points since 1993.
Boys team ranked 7th best independent team in the country
Boys team ranked 5th best independent school dual meet team
Girls team ranked 7th best independent school dual meet team
8 school records broken, 2 state records broken
Baylor boys and girls teams won the state championship, with a combined score that was the highest ever by any school
Baylor boys won Eastern Prep Championship in Philadelphia, girls 3rd
18 school records broken, seven state records broken
8 independent school short course meter national records
Both squads undefeated in dual meets
Prior to Baylor, Flack led the championship Raleigh Swimming Association from 2002 - 2006. RSA was selected as United States Swimming Gold Medal Club Excellence for 2005-2008. Coach Flack trained two qualifiers for the 2004 Olympic Trials, trained five different swimmers who are qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials and has had numerous national champions and finalists at both the junior and senior level. Coach Flack has trained a dozen high-school aged swimmers to top 100 in the world rankings. In 2004, RSA won the men's, women's and combined team championship at the NCSA Junior Nationals and repeated as men's champs in 2005. Flack was recognized as the NCSA National Coach of the Year in 2004.
Prior to his position at Raleigh, Flack was the head coach and program director for the Bengal Tiger Aquatic Club in Baton Rouge, where he coached Pan American Games Silver medal winner Jarrod Marrs, and was awarded Louisiana Coach of the year honors in 1999 and 2000. He also served on the 1999 Women's NCAA Women's Champion University of Georgia coaching staff under Head Coach Jack Bauerle, as well as the assistant coach at Germantown Academy in Philadelphia under Dick Shoulberg. Both Baurele & Shoulberg have been US Olympic coaches.
Flack earned his B.S. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dan has two children, Julia and Sam.
Brian Gill
Head Age Group Coach / Swim School Director
Coach Brian Gill enters his fourth year as
the Head Age Group Coach of the Baylor Swim
Club.
During his three years at Baylor, Coach
Gill has produced Southeastern Swimming champions, three Southeastern Middle School
Championships, created growth in the age group
program, and developed the swimming lesson
program.
Coach Gill also finished his third summer as head coach
of CASL's Signal Mountain Swim Team, a team
that boasts more than 250 swimmers. The Green
Giants have come away with the Swimming and Combined
Championships at the CASL Swimming Championships
in 2007, 2008, and 2009.
Before coming to Baylor, Coach Gill served
as the Head Age Group Coach for the Raleigh
Swimming Association in North Carolina. While
working under Baylor Head Coach Dan Flack,
he helped expand the RSA program from 120
swimmers to 280 swimmers in four years.
Coach Gill began his career as RSA’s Head
Age Group Coach in 2001. In his second year
with the club, Coach Gill received a Vocational
Excellence award from the Cary Kildaire Rotary
Club recognizing his work with children in
coaching. Coach Gill focuses on developing
proper stroke technique while striving to
instill a love and enthusiasm for the sport
of swimming. He boasts a coaching philosophy
that every swimmer in the swimming program
is important, regardless of swimming level.
The RSA Age Group Program thrived under Coach
Gill as he produced State and Sectional Champions
in 2003 and 2005. Coach Gill also achieved
American Swimming Coaches Association Level
III status in 2005. In addition to his Age
Group coaching responsibilities, Brian also
oversaw several developmental clinics.
A competitive swimmer since the age of seven,
Coach Gill swam for Lochmere Swim Club for
10 years and was a member of RSA and the
Cardinal Gibbons High School swim teams.
He furthered his involvement in competitive
swimming at age 16, coaching summer league
swimming at Glenn Ridge Swim Team. He then
became the Head coach for Lochmere Swim Team
in Cary, NC, where he managed 400 swimmers
and five assistant coaches. In his four years
at as head coach, the Lochmere Monsters captured
four Cary City titles, three single loss
seasons, one undefeated season, and the 2003
TSA Summer League championship.
Coach Gill and his wife Leah live on the
Baylor School Campus, with their dog Houston and cat Jacob.
Laura Pitman
Assistant Aquatics Director / Assistant Coach
Coach Laura Pitman grew up swimming in the
Chattanooga area. Pitman swam for Mercersburg
Academy in Mercersburg, Pa during her high
school years.
At the University of Tennessee she was an
All-American. She has been coaching with
the Baylor Swim Club for 4 years. Pitman
has experience coaching at many levels: summer
league, high school and age group/ senior.
In 2006 she coached the Southeastern Middle
School Champions as well as the 11-12 girls
Southeastern Age Group Champions at Baylor.
Laura currently is the assistant coach with
The Baylor Lower school team and helps with
other groups as needed. Laura is responsible
for the daily operations of the club.
Laura currently is the assistant coach with The Baylor Middle school team, which was the 2007, 2008, and 2009 Southeastern Middle School champiions, and helps with other groups as needed.
Coach Pitman lives on the Baylor campus with
her husband Wes, and her two children Sloane
and Arden, who swim on the Baylor Swim Club.
Tom Smith Assistant Senior / Varsity Coach
Coach Tom Smith begins his seventh year coaching with the Baylor Swim Club and Varsity program. Tom spent twelve highly successful seasons coaching in the CASL with both Signal Mountain and Colonial Shores before coming to Baylor. While coaching the Green Giants, Tom led the team to five consecutive city meet titles and one undefeated season.
Coach Tom has enjoyed a great deal of success with Baylor Swim Club. While at Baylor, Tom has produced multiple Southeastern champions, several national Top 16 qualifiers, two Jr. National qualifiers, and one Senior National qualifier.
As an assistant with the varsity program, Tom has coached numerous All-Americans and State Champions. During his tenure with the varsity team, Baylor has won five combined state championships and one Eastern Prep championship.
Coach Tom Smith is currently an ASCA Level 4 certified coach.
Coach Smith graduated form the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga in 1999 with a degree in Exercise Science.
He and his wife, Emily, currently reside in Harrison with their dog, Boomer, and cats, Sammi and Oscar.
Melissa Roop
Assistant Coach- Lead Developmental
Program
Coach
In her forty-eighth year of swimming and coaching,
Mrs. Roop has coached many of the swimmers
in this area and their parents. Her swimming
years include eleven years in the Chattanooga
Swim League, nine years of AAU and YMCA year
round swimming, and two years as an original
Lady VOL at UTK. Her coaching experience
started with the Chattanooga YMCA, followed
by the summer league CYF and Ft. Oglethorpe
teams, the UTC competitive swim program,
summer league teams in South Carolina, Greater
Chattanooga Aquatic Club, and Baylor Swim
Club.
Mrs. Roop graduated from UTC with a Chemistry
degree. She taught five years before retiring
to raise Josh, Laura, and Greg (All of whom
swam for Baylor Swim Club or its predecessor
Greater Chattanooga Aquatic Club). Her husband,
Gary, is the pastor at Brainerd Hills Presbyterian
Church where he has served for twenty-four
years. You will find Roops all over the pool
deck. Josh, a recent UTC biology graduate,
teaches swim lessons. Laura, a physical therapy
student, helps with our coaching. Greg, a
senior at Baylor, swims for Baylor Swim Club.
Although Mrs. Roop has coached Southeastern
champions and City Meet record holders, her
greatest love is teaching the basics to young
swimmers and watching their joy in learning
a new skill. Her philosophy is simple-"If
it is worth doing, it is worth doing right."
Dale Tillman Masters Coach
Dale Tillman grew up swimming in New Jersey, and she competed in the Pac-10 Conference while attending the University of California at Berkeley. Dale also attended the University of Miami and has a degree in electrical engineering. In the nearly 4 decades Dale has been involved in the sport of competitive swimming she has had the privilege of working under the direction of former Olympic Swim Coaches Jack Nelson and Frank Elm. In addition to the Baylor Master's Group, Ms. Tillman coaches the Notre Dame High School Swim Team, and she is a fitness instructor at the Downtown YMCA.
Dale is an accomplished triathlete and a member of the Krystal Racing Team. She is a former USA Triathlon All-American, the 2006 USA Triathlon National Sprint Champion (Athena Class), former Venezuelan National Triathlon Champion, and a 3-time Southeast Regional Xterra Champion and National Qualifier. She is a past President of the Chattanooga Area Swim League, and serves on the board of directors for the Cumberland Youth Foundation, and Scenic City Velo.
Dale's primary objective with the Master's Group is to help each adult athlete achieve their personal goals, whether it is setting a personal best in a masters swim meet, having a faster swim in a triathlon, or to just simply maintain physical fitness. “I am so excited to be part of the Baylor Swim Club. From the youngest swimmer to the oldest swimmer, incredible things are happening everyday at the Baylor pool. You can feel the ‘greatness’ in the air from the moment you step onto the pool deck.”
Dale lives in East Ridge with her 2 teenage children, Troy and Hayley-Rae, and as you might have guessed, both children are competitive swimmers and triathletes.
Mark List Assistant Coach- Lead AG Practice Group Coach
Mark began his swim career over 45 years ago. Mark has experience as a summer league, age group, high school, college, and Masters swimmer. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover, MA where he was a 4 year All-American and the top high school backstroker in the nation his junior and Senior years. From there, Mark swam at the University of North Carolina. At UNC, he was a 2-year All-American in the 100 and 200 yard backstroke. Mark continues his swimming as a Master swimmer. He has been ranked in the top 10 in his age group in the country 23 times. In 2002, he was the top ranked backstroker in his age group.
Mark began his coaching career over 30 years ago. During this time, he has coached summer league, age group, and high school swimmers. He also has many years experience teaching swimming.
Coach Jeannine Carpenter began coaching summer league in 1991 in Cary, NC. Since that time, Coach Jeannine has been the head coach of 5 different summer league teams, the head age group coach of 2 year-round swim clubs, and has experience coaching paralympic, high school and masters swimming. Currently, she is a Travel Team Coach for the USA National Paralympic Swim Team. Throughout her coaching career, Coach Jeannine was also busily pursuing her college and graduate education. She received her BA and MA degrees from N.C. State University in English Language and Linguistics. In 2009, she completed her PhD at Duke University in English.
Coach Jeannine Carpenter is very excited to be joining the Baylor Swimming Coaching Staff and the Baylor School faculty in 2009. In addition to coaching, Dr. Carpenter will be teaching English in the Upper School.
Whitney Rogers Swimming Lesson Instructor
Whitney just finished her first year as a swim instructor at Baylor as well as her first year in college! She is proud to say to have made the Dean's list this past semester, and she is now entering her sophomore year as an accounting major at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Whitney moved here from Lincoln County, Tennessee and now lives in the Signal Mountain area. In her hometown she was a lifeguard, barista, swim instructor, and very active in her school as well as in her community. In the summer of '07, she decided to take her lifeguard training one step further and become W.S.I. (water safety instructor) certified . Since joining the Baylor Swim family she has taught a majority of the beginner, advanced beginner, summer camps, and private lessons. She is now starting her second year at Baylor and has been so lucky to have such great kids and parents and looks forward to many more in the future. Whitney loves living in the scenic city and all the new sports it comes with like mountain biking, canoeing, volleyball, and hanging out with her new friends,boyfriend, and roommate.
Krista Ashton Assistant Coach / Swimming Lesson Instructor
Krista is a Junior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga majoring in Marketing and Economics. Raised in Franklin, Tennessee, Krista choose to come to Chattanooga for college because of everything the city has to offer. She loves the down town area as well all the outdoor activities she can do here. Krista is very active on campus being the station manager for the school’s radio program The Perch as well as being part of many school societies such as the National Society of College Scholars and Alpha Lamda delta honor Society. After finished school, Krista plans pursuing a career in the marketing for retail merchandising;
Krista hopped in the water right as a baby. She began her competitive swimming career when she turned nine and loved every minute of it. Long practice and rough workouts didn’t let her down. After competing in Southeastern and High School State Championships, Krista decided to take a break and not swim competitively in college. Being around the competitive swimming atmosphere, she grew a great appreciation for the coaches. When she was 16 she began coaching summer league for Middle Tennessee YMCAs. From there, she started giving swim lessons to children and adults in both private and group settings. This past summer, she became lifeguard certified to have more understanding of the aquatic department.
Coaching and giving lessons is Krista’s way of sharing something she loves with those who want to learn. What motives her is knowing what she is teaching can help someone survive as well and help someone achieve his or her goals. She is very glad to be part of the great Baylor coaching staff and cannot wait for all that is to come.
Murphy McCracken Swimming Lesson Instructor
Murphy is a Junior at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga majoring in the field of Painting and Drawing. Prior to moving to Chattanooga, Murphy grew up in Memphis, TN jumping in the pool at age eight and learning her love of the pool. From then on she swam competitively for twelve years competing in USA Swimming Southeasterns and High School State Championships.
At age sixteen she became lifeguard and CPR certified lifeguarding at local country clubs in West Tennessee. Just a year later she began coaching and teaching beginner to advanced swimmers anywhere from ages three to eighteen. Murphy's extracurricular activities include playing piano, lying in her hammock, and enjoying the beautiful atmosphere that Chattanooga has to offer. After four years of teaching she is excited to be joining the Baylor coaching staff and eager to get her feet wet with the many experiences and opportunities that await.
