Staff

Andrew Kramer joined the Dayton Raiders coaching staff in Fall 2020 and has been coaching for more than 12 years. Before joining the Raiders, Andrew coached at Miami Valley School, Columbus School for Girls, Versailles Swim Team, Woodhaven Swim Team, and Ritter Sports Performance.

Andrew grew up swimming for the Darke County YMCA, where he qualified for the Ohio State Championships and still holds several team records. His own experience as a swimmer shaped his approach to coaching and his belief in creating opportunities for athletes to surprise themselves.



Andrew's favorite moments as a coach are when swimmers accomplish something they didn't think was possible. He strives to create a positive team culture where athletes want to be at practice, work hard, and become great teammates. Andrew served as Interim Head Coach in 2022 and 2023 before becoming Head Coach in 2023, working closely with and learning from longtime Raiders coach Kevin Weldon.

For more than 30 years, Coach Brent has brought creativity, enthusiasm, and innovative training techniques to age group swimming, helping build one of the most comprehensive programs in the region. Throughout his coaching career, he has guided swimmers to hundreds of Top 10 National Rankings, Sectional and Junior National qualifications, National Age Group Top 16 finishes, State and Zone Records, Zone Team berths, numerous Ohio Junior Olympic State Championships, and a National Relay Record.

Known for his high energy and big smile, Coach Brent is a former Ohio Age Group Coach of the Year and currently serves as a Team Manager for the Ohio All-Star Zone Team. Before joining the Raiders, he was the Head Age Group Coach for the Wright-Patterson Flying Fish, Head Coach at Fairborn High School, and Head Coach of the Wayne Swim Club in Huber Heights, where he led the team to two Miami Valley Swim Association titles.

Brent began his own age group swimming career in San Pedro, California, and later competed in the European Forces Swim League while attending high school in Madrid, Spain. With a passion for developing young swimmers, Coach Brent continues to strive to put the fun in swimming every day.

Coach Holly joined the Raiders staff in Fall 2021 and has been coaching for nearly a decade. Before joining the Raiders, she served as the Assistant Coach at Waynesville High School and Head Coach at Oak Creek Swim Club from 2018–2020. She also currently serves as the Head Coach of Archbishop Carroll High School.

Holly began swimming summer league at age 7 before joining the South Kettering YMCA team at age 10. She later made the move to the Raiders at 16 and went on to swim at the United States Military Academy as a Junior National-level swimmer.

Holly is an ASCA Level 2 Certified Coach and was named a 2025 ASCA 30 Under 30 Coach. She coaches because she wants to give back to the sport that has given her so much. Her goal is to help swimmers learn how to set meaningful goals, put in the work and experience the reward of achieving them.

Coach Holly is passionate about helping swimmers grow both in and out of the pool and creating an environment where they can challenge themselves, build confidence and enjoy the process.

Kevin Weldon has been a part of the Dayton Raiders organization since 1989 and has spent more than 45 years coaching swimmers at the club and collegiate levels. Before joining the Raiders, Kevin coached at Sunkist Swim Team, Kankakee Y, the University of Nebraska, and NC State University. He spent four years as a Division I collegiate coach before beginning his 38-year career in club swimming, including 33 years as the Dayton Raiders’ Head Coach.

As a swimmer, Kevin was a three-time Ohio High School State Champion, an Olympic Trials qualifier, and an All-American swimmer at NC State. Throughout his coaching career, he has helped develop 30 Olympic Trials qualifiers, 40 Ohio High School State Champions, and multiple USA Junior National Championship teams.



Kevin has been named Ohio LSC Senior Coach of the Year multiple times, was the 2013 NCSA Coach of the Year, and was inducted into the ISCA Hall of Fame in 2018. While he no longer coaches regularly, Kevin remains a valued resource for the Raiders and enjoys sharing his experience with athletes and coaches. He is grateful for the many years he has spent as part of the Dayton Raiders organization.

Coach John joined the Raider staff in the fall of 2017.  Coach John has over 20 years of coaching experience at the age group, senior and college level. 

John is the director of swim academy/lesson program, and enjoys watching big dreams start with tiny bubbles. John's journey in swimming started here in Dayton as a swimmer at South YMCA - he went on to swim at Wilmington College. John coaches for a variety of clubs and colleges in North Carolina, including as head coach for a YMCA swim team, before returning to the Dayton area and taking over our swim academy. 

Coach John is the lead coach for our homeschool group. 

Outside of the pool, Coach John enjoys fitness and spending time with his wife and three sons. 

Coach Jaclyn has been coaching since 2008, and brings her personal experience as an outstanding swimmer from both the local high school and University ranks to the Raiders pool deck. She was a standout student/athlete at Centerville High School and the University of Miami in Florida.

Jaclyn is currently a chemistry/biology teacher at Alter High School. She prides herself in her ability to utilize her teaching skills both in and out of the pool to best teach her athletes. Coach Jaclyn believes athletes should learn what it means to work hard, but have fun while doing so. Her groups target listening skills, team building, goal setting, and more.

Coach Jaclyn hopes to develop each of her swimmers into the best athlete and person they can become.

Coach Kara joined the Raider staff in the fall of 2024. She grew up in Cleveland, OH and swam at Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH in college. She has been coaching age group swimmers since 2008, including for the Lake Erie Silver Dolphins and the Blazing Barracudas. She also served as the Head Site Coach for the Cleveland Swim Institure, managing all aspects of the program. 

Coach Kara loves to go in-depth in teaching technique, and has spent a lot of time studying the finer points of each stroke. She enjoys passing this knowledge on to swimmers to help them go faster!

Coach Kara works with our white, blue, and bronze groups.

Claudia Hollis joined the Dayton Raiders coaching staff in January 2026 and brings more than six years of coaching experience to the program. She has previously coached with Parkway Swim Club in St. Louis, Birmingham Swim League, and the University of Evansville.

Claudia began swimming at age eight with Excel Aquatics in Nashville, Tennessee, and continued swimming competitively through several moves before committing to Lindenwood University. During her collegiate career, she earned her team's Most Improved Award as a freshman and helped Lindenwood compete for a GLVC Conference Championship as a junior. After graduating, Claudia served as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Evansville while using her final year of swimming eligibility.



Claudia believes coaches can be a catalyst in an athlete's career. She hopes to encourage her swimmers to have fun, keep an open mind, and look forward to coming to the pool every day.

Richard “Dutch” Kipp joined the Dayton Raiders coaching staff in Winter 2023 after spending two years as a lead group coach at the Coffman YMCA. He has been coaching for more than 12 years and is a USA Swimming, United States Masters Swimming, and ASCA certified coach.

Dutch is a lifelong swimmer and spent several decades competing as a triathlete, primarily in sprint and Ironman 70.3 distances. He has competed at the Olympic Distance National Championships, La Jolla Rough Water Swim, and Escape from Alcatraz, along with numerous YMCA and USMS National Championships.

Dutch's connection to the Raiders is also a family affair. Both of his children swam for the club and went on to compete at the collegiate level. His daughter, Noelle, was a four-year NCAA Division I swimmer at Cal Poly, while his son, Dutch, was a four-year NCAA Division III swimmer at Rose-Hulman, where he became a First Team All-American and broke three school records.



Dutch enjoys helping swimmers improve, achieve their goals, and discover what they are capable of both in and out of the pool.

Coach Ken Hunter is the Director of Fitness and Dryland for the Dayton Raiders. 

Coach Ken brings over 15+ years of experience in the health and fitness industry. His professional experience originates from Personal Training, Martial Arts, Yoga, Pilates, and Joint Pain Reduction. He has trained collegiate, elite, and junior elite athletes and effectively helped many clients reach weight loss goals and get in shape.

Ken has a genuine passion and dedication to promoting healthy lifestyles, encouraging fitness for the whole family, and activating today’s youth. Ken has thoughtfully developed effective fitness programs that teach, motivate, and promote hard work while ensuring that the time is enjoyable for all. Ken’s programs encompass the true meaning of fitness.

As the Director of Fitness for the Dayton Raiders Swim Club, Ken ensures the fitness environment at DRAC to be one of learning, safety, growth, and personal development. Swimmers enjoy the challenges and creativity his dryland workouts bring. The work coach Ken does helps keep swimmers healthy and gettering stronger throughout their time as swimmers, while also staying balanced.

Coach Bethany joined the Raider staff in the fall of 2019. Coach Bethany served as the Head Coach of the Yellowsprings Sea Dogs from 2012 to 2023, helping grow one of the smallest summer clubs to a 100+ team and strong presence in the Miami Valley Swim Association (MVSA). She was also the former Head Coach for the Yellowsprings HS Swim & Dive Team.  Coach Bethany began her swimming career at the Dearborn County YMCA and later was a member of the MAKOS Swim Team in Oxford, OH. Coach Bethany works as an Intervention Specialist at St. Brigid's. Coach Bethany and her husband have 4 children and two of them swim for the Raiders.

Coach Bethany enjoys instilling fundamentals like uw kicking and fast kicking for swimmers, and has served as the lead coach of our 9-10 year olds for the last 4 years.

Coach Jen Sparks has been part of the Dayton Raiders family for more than two decades, with two coaching stints beginning in 2005 and returning to the program in 2023. Her love of coaching began while she was in high school and college, coaching summer league swimming before continuing her own swimming career at the collegiate level.

A former Dayton Raider herself, Jen specialized in backstroke and mid-distance freestyle events and went on to swim at The College of Wooster. While in college, she also had the opportunity to help host two NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships. She graduated in 2004 with a degree in Communication Studies and currently works as a Billing Manager at Zeser Family Eyecare.



Jen and her husband have two children, including one who swims for the Dayton Raiders. She currently works with the Junior and Bronze groups and loves helping swimmers push themselves, reach their goals, and celebrate all of the fun moments that make swimming special.

Coach Nicole joined the Dayton Raiders coaching staff in Fall 2023 and is excited to give back to the program that was such an important part of her own swimming journey. Nicole was a Dayton Raider herself, swimming under Coaches Brent Peaden and Kevin Weldon.

Outside of the pool, Nicole is a professor at Wright State University and brings her passion for learning, fitness, and health to her coaching. She especially enjoys building relationships with swimmers, helping them grow their skills and confidence and creating a positive training environment.

Coach Nicole hopes to inspire swimmers not only to improve in the pool, but to develop a lifelong love of swimming, fitness and healthy living.

Bella joined the Dayton Raiders coaching staff in Fall 2024. A lifelong swimmer, Bella grew up swimming in Indiana before being recruited to swim at the United States Air Force Academy.

After stepping away from competitive swimming, Bella quickly realized she wasn't quite ready to leave the pool behind. She enjoys helping swimmers improve their technique, find new ways to get faster, and develop a better understanding of their strokes.



For Bella, coaching is a way to stay connected to the sport she loves while helping the next generation of swimmers find their own success in the pool.

Coach Heather

Coach Heather is originally from Huber Heights, Ohio, and began her swimming journey with the Raiders as an athlete after first swimming for the Wright-Patterson AFB Flying Fish. She spent six summers coaching the Wayne Swim Team and swam for four years at Wayne High School.

Heather was a member of the 2005 Ohio All-Star Zone Team staff that traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and later graduated from Miami University. She currently works for the Fairborn YMCA and brings her experience and love of the sport to several Raider groups, assisting with Prep, White, Red, Blue, and Bronze.



Outside of the pool, Heather plays rugby with the Dayton Area Rugby Club. She and her husband, Ryan, have three children who are all involved in a variety of sports. Heather enjoys being part of the Raider community and helping young swimmers build their skills and love for the sport.

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