Lara Preacco, PhD

Owner, CEO, Program Director & FAU Head Coach

Former Florida Atlantic University swimmer Lara Preacco, PhD, joined the men's and women's coaching staff in May of 2012 as an assistant, and two years later, was elevated to head coach. Preacco is in her tenth season at the helm of the program, a position she has held since 2014.

Preacco swam for the Owls from 1994 to 1998 when the University was in the early stages of Division I status. She was also an assistant coach for the team from 1998-2001, while earning her master's degree, in Mental Health Counseling. While she earned both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from FAU, she went to Western Michigan University to obtain her Doctorate in Counseling Psychology.

She represented both FAU and her home country of Switzerland at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, and was inducted into the FAU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010. Preacco is the second member of an FAU coaching staff, along with former swimming assistant coach Oliver Agh, to be both an FAU Athletics Hall-of-Famer and a former Olympic competitor.

Prior to coming to FAU, Preacco set five Swiss national records and captured 38 gold medals while competing at the Swiss National Championships from 1983 to 1997. At FAU, she was team MVP in 1995-96 and team captain the following season.

Besides her impressive résumé in the pool, Preacco also earned Honorable Mention in the All-American Scholar Excellence rankings, while placing on the FAU Dean's List four times and President's List three times.

Preacco’s Head Coaching Highlights

• Thirty-Seven Conference Champions
• Three NCAA Championships participants
• Thirty-four school record holders
• Two C-USA Newcomer of the Year awards
• Two C-USA Freshman Diver of the Year awards
• Two CCSA Diver of the Year awards
• Two CCSA Scholar Athlete of the Year titles
• Five CCSA post-meet awards (CCSA Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet and CCSA Most Outstanding Diver of the Meet)
• 16 CSCAA Scholar All-American Team distinction for women’s swimming & diving
• Nine CSCAA Scholar All-American Team honors for men’s swimming & diving
• Eight CSCAA Scholar All-American Honorable Mention recipients
• Five C-USA All-Academic Team recipients
• Nineteen CCSA Swimmer of the Week and 22 CCSA Diver of the Week award winners
• Seven C-USA Swimmer of the Week and eight C-USA Diver of the Week awards

Under Preacco's leadership

- the women's team marked the best finish for the Owls at the C-USA Championship, as well as the best placing at a conference championship since 2007-08 when the Owls were a part of the Sun Belt Conference.

- the men's team was the runner up at the 2019, 2020, 2022 & 2023 CCSA Championships. This runner up feat marks the best finishes in a Conference Championship for FAU in over 20 years.

Rich Rogers

Head Coach Swimming

"COACH RICH"

Florida Atlantic Aquatics (FAA) was happy & excited to welcome Coach Rich Rogers to our newly built Team, in 2022. FAA Families, Athletes and Coaches have done an incredible job in their first two summers and will continue to grow and reach success with Coach Rich’s help and leadership.

Coach Rich has a long history of success growing nationally recognized swim programs. His success is not limited to the elite level, as he has successfully worked with athletes of all ages and abilities. Coach Rich is excited to bring his knowledge and experience to Florida Atlantic Aquatics.

“I am thrilled to be a part of such a young, growing and dynamic swimming organization like FAA.

I want to thank Coach Lara, and her staff, for entrusting me with this great honor. I look forward to working with everyone involved to help build a world class aquatics program right here at FAA. Let’s work hard, work smart and have a lot of fun along the way!”

The Rogers Record

During his second year as Head Coach, Rogers helped the men's team to a third finish at the 2024 Age Group Champs and the ladies in twenty third, with a ninth overall for FAA (from thirteenth in 2023).

Coach Rich is a program builder. He has built clubs from the ground up to become large, multi-facility organizations as was the Program Director for a USA Swimming Gold Medal Club. As an age group coach, Coach Rich has guided swimmers to hundreds of USA Swimming National Age Group (NAG) Top 16/10 swims and over a dozen NAG National Championships & Records. His age groupers have earned numerous New York, Louisiana and Florida H.S. State championships and All American statuses as well as both NCSA and USA Swimming Junior National Championships; including a Junior National qualifier in every event and a Junior National champion in every stroke. His age group swimmers have made finales at USA Swimming Nationals, made National Teams and have gone on to hold NCAA, US Open, American records and win Olympic Gold.

Rogers has had success in the college ranks as well, working with athletes at both the University of Tampa (DII) and at the University of New Orleans (DI). Rogers helped those athletes achieve lifetime bests and implemented strategies that saw some of those athletes go home to their native countries and win National titles. Coach Rich shined as a Masters coach as well, and helped many adults swim faster than they did as age groupers or collegiate athletes; earning many Zone, National and World Masters titles along the way.

“I love swimming. It has been a blessing to me and my family for many years. Helping people reap the benefits of engaging in a healthy, lifelong activity is my main motivator each day. Putting together programs and training plans to meet that goal is a skill that I have honed over the years. All things are possible with a clear vision, a solid plan and the willingness to get up and do the work, day in and day out.”

Coach Rich and his recently departed wife Andrea, happily worked together to raise three Elite Athletes; two swimmers and one hockey player. Coach Rich understands how important each child is to their family and works hard to ensure that each one gets the attention they need to not only develop properly as an athlete but enjoy their time in the sport and grow as a person. Coach Rich knows that this is important regardless of the swimmer’s abilities or goals in the sport. He also knows the importance of constant communication with every members, so the families all understand and internalize the vision and mission of the programs we run here at FAA.

While these may seem like obvious high priority concerns, Coach Rich has witnessed far too many coaches and programs take their families and swimmers for granted. This is especially true as programs grow and get larger in scope. For Florida Atlantic Aquatics to have true long-term success, he and his staff will work to ensure to instill a sense of family and fun within the culture of the organization. Making this mindset an integral part of the organization's DNA has been the cornerstone of most of Rogers’ successes over the decades; especially as his past programs have grown in size and scope.

Coach Rich feels that he has been fortunate to have seen the sport as an athlete, novice coach, age group coach, senior coach, collegiate coach, Masters coach and parent. This unique 360-degree view of swimming allows him to help design programs that are developmentally appropriate for swimmers of all levels to meet or exceed their goals; whether those goals are to stay fit or to make a national team.

Coach Rich feels that his experiences have helped him create environments that empower swimmers and their families to take ownership of their process. Rogers past teams have been recognized nationally for swimmers who have strong technical skills, vast time improvements and, most importantly, for having happy, long term scholar athletes stay in the program and the sport.

“I try to pass on my love of the sport to my athletes and their families. We do this by fostering an environment where the individual is appreciated and the on-deck atmosphere is fun, yet focused. Goal setting is a priority as is proper technique, dryland, race strategies and all aspects of mental training. Addressing all these concerns throughout the course of each season is a major part of my philosophy. An educated swimmer (and family) will be successful and happy for many years, both in and out of the pool.”

Kim Kovasala

Lead Age Group Swim Coach

"COACH KIM"

With coaching stints at University of San Francisco, San Jose State University, Northwestern University Aquatics, Pine Crest Swim Club, Dolphins of the Desert Academy and Boca Raton Swim Team, Kimberly Kovasala   joins the Florida Atlantic Aquatics staff with a wealth of experience and passion for the sport.

FAA's newest deck member and assistant coach is a graduate of the University of San Francisco where she began her coaching career assisting with US Masters and USS age-group swim teams. 

In addition to coaching swimming, Kovasala has also logged many years of teaching physical education. Her experience has provided her the opportunity to pursue other teams and develop her coaching skills.

Kovasala is thrilled to be a part of the FAA family and looking forward to helping build this new program. 

"Let's dive in, work hard, establish friendships and be a part of something special that you will have for the rest of your life." she says.

Eddie Fernandez

Stroke Coach

"COACH EDDIE"

Meet our esteemed Stroke Coach Eddie Fernandez, a dedicated and experienced professional with a passion for swimming.

With 25 years of coaching experience, Coach Eddie has consistently helped swimmers of all ages and skill levels achieve their goals in the pool. Despite facing career ending injuries for what would have been a promising NFL career, Eddie turned adversity into opportunity and emerged as a successful entrepreneur.

Eddie’s coaching journey includes six influential years as the head coach of the Irockets USA swim team in Vermont and currently coaching at the YMCA Peter Blum Family of Boca Raton.

He is known for an impressive track record of coaching recreational swimmers to Junior Olympics and NCSA Championships, as well as enhancing the performance of multiple high school Teams; through his dedication, expertise and ability to inspire swimmers.

Thank you Coach Eddie !!!

Daphne Wils

Swim Lesson Coordinator

& Instructor

"COACH DAPHNE" comes from the Netherlands, via University of Hawaii and Penn State.

Personal:

• Daughter of Annemieke van Leeuwen and Rob Wils.
• Has two siblings, Berend (18) and Koen (23).
• Graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in sociology.
• Has competed with TeamNL since 2011 with coach Ramon de Meijer, placing third in the European Championships and eighth at World Championships for synchronized diving.
• Named the Dutch National Champion since 2018.

Ethan Udagawa

Swim Lesson Instructor

"COACH ETHAN"

College

• Sophomore

High School

• Swim Tampa Aquatics

Personal

• Born in
• Majoring in Biology

Palmer Smith

Swim Lesson Instructor

"COACH PALMER"

Career Accolades

• Country Club of Peoria pool area employee of the month
• Swim Team Captain
• First team all-conference swimmer
• Track and field team captain
• Evan Knoblauch Award (Three sport varsity athlete)
• Advanced Placement Scholar Award
• Steve Maxheimer Memorial Scholarship
• Washington Community High School Highest Achieving Student in Mathematics Award
• Graduated Summa Cum Laude
  
  

High School

• Swim Coach & Swim Instructor at the Country Club of Peoria
• Lifeguard at Washington Park Pool & Peoria Country Club of Peoria
• Pool manager at the Country Club of Peoria
  

Personal

• Born in Peoria, IL.
• Majoring in ...........
• Son of Tom and Julie Smith
• Hobbies include swimming, .......... and spending time with family

Alik Sarkisian

Head Diving Coach

"COACH ALIK"

Alik Sarkisian was named Head diving coach for Florida Atlantic University ahead of the 2022-23 season, arriving to FAU following a three-year stint as head diving coach at UNLV.

Sarkisian also previously served 13 seasons as the head diving coach for Northwestern from 2006-19. In 2019, he coached his divers to a silver and bronze medal in the Big Ten 3-meter and platform dives as well as an NCAA 1-meter and 10-meter dive finalist. He was named both Big Ten Coach of the Year and the CSCAA National Coach of the Year in 2018. During this period, he also served as the coach for four Team USA Grand Prix teams, the coach for Team USA in the World University Games in 2013 and 2018, and coached Team USA in the 2015 World Series.

Prior to his time at Northwestern, Sarkisian was the director and head coach for the USA Diving Regional Training Center from 2001-06, where he sent athletes to the USA Diving Grand Prix, Pan-AM Games, and USA/Canada Challenge.

From 1998-2001, Sarkisian served as the Head Diving Coach for the Trojan Dive Club as well as assistant coach for USC. While there, he sent athletes to the USA Diving Olympic trials and served as a preparation consultant for the United States Olympic team.

In 1996, Sarkisian had the honor of serving as the head coach of the Armenian national team at the 1996 Summer Olympics, held in Atlanta. 

Sarkisian also coached the Armenian national team from 1991-93. 

Sarkisian graduated in 1980 from the USSR State University of Physical Education in Yerevan, Armenia. He then coached for the USSR national team from 1980-1992.

Daphne Wils

Lead Age Group Dive Coach

"COACH DAPHNE"

Career Accolades: 

• Winner of the L.D. MacNeill Award & Elizabeth McCoy Most Outstanding Athlete Award (2023).
• B1G Diver of the week (2023) after leading the Nittany Lions to victory against West Virginia and setting a pair of then-school and pool records in the 1 and 3 Meter dives. 
• Academic All-Big Ten (2024)

2022-23 (SR+):

• NCAA Championships (3/16-17): Competed in the 1 Meter (259.50) and 3 Meter (237.60) for 24th and 43rd place. 
• NCAA Diving Zones (3/6-8): Qualified for NCAAs, winning the 1 Meter by over 20 points (610.80) and scoring within the top 12 of the 3 Meter (560.80).
• B1G Championships (2/15-18): Became the first female diver to advance to finals from Penn State in the past decade with two A Final appearances in the 1 Meter and 3 Meter, placing 4th (311.45) and 7th (317.25).
• v Army (1/13): Broke four records – earning the school and pool record in both the 1-Meter and 3-Meter dives with scores of 330.90 and 356.55. 
• NC State Invitational (11/17-19): Won the 1 (315.80) and 3-Meter (334.60).

Personal:

• Daughter of Annemieke van Leeuwen and Rob Wils.
• Has two siblings, Berend (18) and Koen (23).
• Graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in sociology.
• Has competed with TeamNL since 2011 with coach Ramon de Meijer, placing third in the European Championships and eighth at World Championships for synchronized diving.
• Named the Dutch National Champion since 2018.

Trevor Kuhn

Age Group Dive Coach

"COACH TREVOR"

Career Accolades

• 2024 ASUN Championships bronze medalist in the 1-meter dive
• Two-time ASUN Diver of the Week (10/17/23, 11/21/23)
• 2023-24 Owlspys All-Freshman Team

Career Best Scores at FAU

• 1-meter dive – 285.25 at 2024 ASUN Championships (2/21/24)
• 3-meter dive – 339.00 at Florida Gulf Coast (10/13/23)

Freshman (2023-24)

• Began collegiate career with a second-place finish in the 3-meter (278.25) and third on the 1-meter (244.20)
• Took the victory on the 1-meter (249.30)
• Swept the 1-meter (256.73) and 3-meter (339.0) at Florida Gulf Coast, earning him his first career ASUN Diver of the Week award
• Was the Owls’ top diver in their victory at the midseason Patriot Invitational with a third-place finish on the 3-meter (291.05) and fourth place on the 1-meter (273.65), propelling him to his second ASUN Diver of the Week
• Earned the bronze medal on the 1-meter (285.25) at his first ASUN Championships

High School

• Four-time district champion at Palm Harbor University High School as a diver under coach Anthony Perrillo
• Three-time regional champion 
• Third place in the FHSAA 

Personal

• Born and raised in Clearwater. Fla.
• Majoring in business
• Son of Trista Tori and Allen Kuhn
• Hobbies include working out and scuba diving

Payne Smith

Masters Coach & Lifeguard

"COACH PAYNE"

Career Accolades

• 2022-23 C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll
• 2022-23 C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal

Career Best Times at FAU

• 100 Breast – 1:01.84 at 2024 ASUN Championships (2/24/24)
• 100 Fly – 54.48 at the Patriot Invitational (11/17/23)
• 50 Free – 20.88 at 2024 ASUN Championships (2/21/24)
• 200 Free – 1:41.86 at 2024 ASUN Championships (2/22/24)

Sophomore (2023-24)

• Finished in sixth place in the 200 free (1:45.41) versus Indian River
• Took second place in the 50 free (22.15) at Florida Gulf Coast
• Swam to sixth place in the 50 free (21.90) against Keiser

Freshman (2022-23)

• Began collegiate career with a third-place finish in the 50 free (21.75) against Indian River (9/23/22)
• Impressed with a third-place finish in the 100 fly (55.43) at the Patriot Invitational (11/18/22)
• Finished in fourth place in the 100 free (47.87) against Florida (1/13/23)

High School

• Swam for Washington Community High School under head coach Tom Smith

Personal

• Born on October 4, 2003 in Peoria, IL.
• Majoring in Business Administration
• Goal is to finish his degree and chase excellent grades and titles during college years
• Son of Tom and Julie Smith
• Hobbies include swimming, fishing, and spending time with family

Rush Clark

Masters Coach & Lifeguard

"COACH RUSH"

Junior (2023-24) ... at Florida Atlantic

• Competed in first collegiate race in almost two years at Miami, recording a time of 51.94 in the 100 fly at Miami
• Took fifth place in the 100 fly (53.33) at the FAU Invite
• Recorded times of 21.55 in the 50 free and 50.89 in the 100 fly at the ASUN Championships

College (2020-22)

• Two-time ACC Conference Team member

High School

• Competed at Creighton Preparatory School under coach Tom Beck
• Nine-time All-American swimming honors
• Two-time school record holder 
• State record holder 

Personal

• Born in Omaha, Ne.
• Majoring in business
• Son of Andrew and Jennifer Clark
• Grandpa played for New York Yankees
• Professional goals are to own a supplement company, coach collegiately, and serve as a coast guard rescue swimmer
• Hobbies include listening to country music and teaching private swim lessons

Ethan Udagawa

Masters Coach & Lifeguard

"COACH ETHAN"

College

• Sophomore

High School

• Swim Tampa Aquatics

Personal

• Born in
• Majoring in Biology

Alexa Gustin

Masters Coach & Lifeguard

"COACH ALEXA"

FAU Swimming & Diving

• Alexa joined the FAU Swim & Dive Staff as a volunteer video manager in 2022.
• She has an incredible passion for swimming and a relentless will to improve.

Other Interests

• Alexa is a passionate creator with a deep love for art and fashion, which have always been integral parts of her life.
• Her enthusiasm extends from creating and designing to sketching, always with a unique flair that reflects her personal style.
• Alexa thrives in social settings yet equally cherishes working behind the scenes. Embracing challenges and innovative thinking are at the core of her approach, allowing her to continuously push the boundaries of creativity.
• Her favorite aspect of art and fashion is the ability to express herself and instill confidence through what she creates.

Job Experiences

• Associate Director at Student Government Program Board at Florida Atlantic University
• Content Creator/Director for Florida Atlantic University American Marketing Association E-Board
• Marketing Intern for Florida Atlantic University Sports Marketing Team

Industries served

• Marketing
• Digital Marketing/Media
• Planning/Organizing
• Non-profit
• Sales

Personal

• Majoring in Marketing

Rocket Reason

Masters Coach & Lifeguard

"COACH ROCKET"

Career Best Times at FAU

• 100 Free – 52.28 at the Patriot Invitational (11/18/23)
• 200 Free – 1:39.31 at 2024 ASUN Championships (2/22/24)

Junior (2023-24)

• Took fifth place in the 50 free (21.88) versus Nova
• Won the 50 free (21.82) at Florida Gulf Coast
• Posted a pair of fifth place finishes in the 100 free (46.53) and 200 free (1:42.73) against St. Thomas

Sophomore (2022-23)

• Tallied seventh place in the 100 fly (54.06) at the TYR Fall Classic (10/8/22)
• Finished in fifth place in the 100 fly (53.90) against Florida (1/13/23)
• Placed in third in the 100 free (48.06) against St. Thomas (1/21/23)

Freshman (2021-22)

• Finished in 4th place in the 100 Free (45.82) at the Patriot Invitational 
• Tallied 4th place in the 50 Free (21.98) against Princeton
• Placed in 10th in the 100 Fly (50.18) at the Patriot Invitational

High School

• Swam for Kennesaw Mountain HS coached by his father, David Reason
• Recognized as a three-time NISCA All-American
• Honored as the 6A State Champion in the 50 free
• Holds 10 Kennesaw Mountain HS records
• Tabbed as a four-time All-County and two-time All-State Team recipient
• No. 26 ranked swimmer out of Georgia in the class of 2021
• Earned Two-time Scholastic All-American honors
• Also swam club for Stingrays Swimming for Coach Ian Goss
• Qualified for Winter Junior Nationals in the 50 free

Personal

• Born on January 1, 2003 in Georgia
• Undecided on major
• Son of David and Holly Reason
• Hobbies include playing basketball and spikeball, watching football, going to the beach, watching MARVEL movies and cheering for all Atlanta sport teams

Meredith Riegler

Admin (Swimming & Masters)

"COACH MERE"

Lindenwood University (2019-23)

• Qualified for 2022 NCAA Division II Nationals
• 2022 individual scholar all-american,
• Four-time member of the Dean’s List 

High School

• Swam for Bridgewater-Raritan High School under coach Chris Levin
• Member of Scholastic All-America team
• Part of 200 medley relay in the top 100 of the country (2019),
• Four-time state champion 
• Four-time MOC qualifier
• 200 medley relay school record holder 

Personal

• Born in Toledo, Ohio
• Pursuing a masters in exercise physiology
• Daughter of Lori and Steve Riegler 
• Professional goal is to become a strength and conditioning coach
• Hobbies include painting, doing gel-x nails, and working out

Daphne Wils

Admin (Diving & Lessons)

"COACH DAPHNE" comes from the Netherlands, via University of Hawaii and Penn State.

Personal:

• Daughter of Annemieke van Leeuwen and Rob Wils.
• Has two siblings, Berend (18) and Koen (23).
• Graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in sociology.
• Has competed with TeamNL since 2011 with coach Ramon de Meijer, placing third in the European Championships and eighth at World Championships for synchronized diving.
• Named the Dutch National Champion since 2018.

JR Ayers

Lifeguard Instructor

"JR" is our Red Cross Lifeguard Certification Master. 

He has over 40 years of aquatic experience teaching and working. He is a former Beach Lifeguard and Beach Patrol Chief for Sarasota County, Florida. He is currently employed at Florida Atlantic University as the Data Analyst for Research. 

JR has been very active in aquatics, fitness, and martial arts since 1980 and a Fitness Coach for collegiate and professional athletes when he worked for NIKE. For the past 40 plus years he has been a waterman and a Martial Arts Instructor. He holds a black belt in three different martial arts and is a former US Military Karate Champion of Europe. 

You can find JR on the pool deck coaching at lunchtime.