Coaches
Chris Loughlin
Head Coach–Girls Team & USA Team
Coach Chris has been coaching at NAAC since 2003. He has coached the instructional group and the boy and girls teams. In 2007 he became certified as a USS coach which enabled NAAC swimmers to join US Swimming.
Coach Chris started swimming competitively in 1969 at the Main Street YMCA in Phoenixville. He swam for Methacton AAU and Methacton High School under coach Mike Coble. From 1982–1983 Chris swam at West Chester Suburban Swim Club under coaches Jack Simon, Tim Murphy and Carey Apple. In college Coach Chris swam Division 1 for LaSalle University under coach John Lyons. He graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and from St. Josephs University in 1994 where he received his MBA with a concentration in MIS.
Coach Chris worked in banking and software in Philadelphia prior to joining Aetna in 1997. He is married with four children and lives and works in Blue Bell.
Bruce Hockenbrock
Head Coach–Boys Team
Coach Bruce has been coaching at NAAC since 2001 when his son and then his daughter started swimming competitively. During that time he has had the pleasure of coaching many very talented swimmers and great young people. His goals as a coach are to try to make sure that every swimmer learns good technique, shows improvement, and have some fun.
Bruce started swimming as a five year old at Mermaid Lake Swim Club. In the winter he swam for the Norristown YMCA and the Methacton Aquatic Club. A 1975 graduate of Methacton High School, Bruce was named a High School All-State in 1974 and 1975 in the medley relay and backstroke. They were league champions in 1973, 1974, and 1975. Bruce graduated from West Chester University in 1980.
Bruce credits the great coaches he had in the early years with learning the value of hard work, discipline, teamwork and commitment. He also made some very good friends.
Bruce, the owner of Frank Jones Sporting Goods in Norristown, is married, has two children and lives in Lower Providence Township.
Mike Hernandez
Head Coach Mini Team
Coach Mike is in his fifth year of coaching with NAAC. This is his second year as the head coach of the Mini Team. Mike has also helped the YMCA with its adult swim lessons and teaching private swim lessons through the local YMCA.
Mike started swimming for NAAC and Markley Farms Swim Club beginning at the age of 6 during which time he held several team records. He graduated in 2001 from Germantown Academy where he was a member of the varsity swim team and varsity water polo team for four years. Mike was voted captain for both the water polo team and swim team in his senior year. In 2005, Mike earned his Bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis majoring in Economics and Spanish. He swam all four years and was named captain of the swimming and diving team during his senior year.
In addition to his swimming achievements, Mike was the recipient of numerous academic awards including a four-year Merit Scholarship from Washington University in St. Louis, the Hispanic Science and Technology Award, and the American Chemical Society Scholarship.
Coach Mike is a Financial Advisor Sales Administrator for Vanguard and recently got married to Meghann over the summer. They currently reside in Horsham, PA.
Alex Caesar
Head Coach Diving Team
Coach Alex is in his third year of coaching at NAAC. Alex's coaching experience includes two years as dive coach at Rose Tree Woods Swim Club, and a dive instructor at Boston University.
Alex's diving career began at Rose Tree Woods Swim Club in Broomall, PA at the age of 9 and continued until the age of 18. Alex also dove four years at Haverford High School and was a member of the men's varsity swimming and diving team at Boston University for four years. Alex graduated from BU in 2009 with a degree in economics and a minor in business administration.
Alex currently works in Chadds Ford, PA as a manufacturers representative at a high performance security firm.
Barbi Griffith
Assistant Coach–Mini Team
Coach Barbi is in her third year of coaching at NAAC. Barbi's coaching experience includes three years as the head coach at Skippack Swim Club, head girls swim team coach at Lower Merion High School for one year, and volunteer assistant swim coach for Emory University's men's and women's swim teams for one year.
In addition to coaching swimming, Barbi has coached junior varsity softball at Lower Merion High School, 9th grade field hockey at Methacton High School for four years, and has been the assistant coach for the varsity and junior varsity lacrosse team at Mehtacton High School for three years. Barbi has also held various volunteer coaching positions in youth athletics in the area.
A graduate of Methacton High School, Coach Barbi's swim career began at Methacton Aquatics Club from the age of five to 18. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1986 where she received a BS in Nutritional Science. She swam competitively all four years and was named All New England in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and the 200 and 400 IM. She is also a 1987 graduate from Emory University's Clinical Dietetics program and received her MS degree in Secondary Education from St. Joseph's University in 1995.
Coach Barbi has been teaching chemistry at Methacton High School since 1994, is married with two children and lives in Worcester Township.
Josh Heatherby
Assistant Coach–Boys and Girls Team
Josh is in his fourth season as an assistant coach for NAAC. Josh began teaching swim lessons at age 14 and has taught swimming at both Norristown High School and Whitpain Greens Swim Club.
Josh began swimming competitively for NAAC when he was six and swam for the team for 12 years. A 2001 graduate of Archbishop Carroll, Josh swam for four years and qualified for Easterns twice. He was co-captain of the boys team during his senior year. Josh also swam for Germantown Academy age group for five years, Markley Farms Swim Club for six years, and Whitpain Greens Swim Club for five years.
Josh received his BA in Earth Sciences from Millersville University in 2006 and is a Field Geologist for Earth Engineering, a construction consulting firm in East Norriton. He resides in Harleysville.
Daniel Casey
Assistant Coach–Boys and Girls Team
This is Dan's second year coaching for NAAC. Coach Dan began his swimming career in 9th grade under Coach Bill Zackey at Norristown High School where he made districts in the 10th,11th and 12th grade. During that time he also swam for NAAC.
Dan went on to swim for four years at West Chester University where he studied Health and Physical Education with minors in Adapted P. E. and Health graduating in 2010. He was named captain in his senior year. While a member of the men's swim team, WCU won PSAC's (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) conference title all four years. In fact the WCU men's swim team hasn't lost the PSAC conference title since 1998.
In addition to coaching NAAC, Dan is an assistant swim coach at Norristown Area High School. He is currently a substitute teacher in the Norristown and Methactin school districts and lives in East Norriton.
Megan Harvey
Assistant Coach
This is Megan's first year coaching at NAAC. She began her swimming career at NAAC at the age of 7 and represented the team until age 16 as both a swimmer and diver. She swam for the Norristown High School, where she currently holds records. She swam for the Upper Main Line YMCA and participated in YMCA Nationals during her junior and senior years of high school. Megan was the head coach of Markley Farms Swim Team (Mini Team) for four years, as well as the Head Coach of the Upper Merion Swim Team (Mini Team) during the 2011 summer.
Megan is a recent graduate of Georgetown University where she swam four years and majored in Nursing. At Georgetown, she holds both individual and relay records and participated in Big East Championships all four years. She swam spring/middle distance freestyle and butterfly and was captain her senior year.
In addition to coaching, she is working at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania as a Registered Nurse specializing in Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant. She currently lives in Philadelphia, PA.