Coaching Staff
Randy Reese
Head Swimming Coach
Randy Reese leads the Longhorn Aquatics program. Randy is recognized as one of the most outstanding swim coaches in the United States, having coached more than 60 Olympic swimmers whose records include 18 Gold, 8 Silver, and 9 Bronze Medals. In addition, he has developed and coached National Team members, Goodwill Games swimmers, National Junior Team members, and World, American, National Age Group, and State record holders. His teams won numerous NCAA Men's and Women's Championships when he served as head coach at the University of Florida. Overall, Randy's USA Swimming teams have placed in the top five more than 50 times and have won 14 National Team titles.
Whitney Hedgepeth
Master’s Swimming Coach
Whitney Hedgepeth was a 21-time All-American and a three-time NCAA Champion during her collegiate career here at The University of Texas at Austin. She was both a freestyle and backstroke swimmer and won two medals in the 100m and 200m backstroke at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She also competed at the Pan-American Games and the Summer Games in South Korea in 1987 and 1988, respectively. After her achievements in Atlanta, Whitney retired and decided to coach. She now holds the position of head swimming coach of our Master’s program which consists of many triathletes and former professional swimmers. In addition, Whitney was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Honor in 2007.
George Perdue
Head Diving Coach
George Perdue is the head diving coach for Longhorn Aquatics. He has more than sixteen years of coaching experience and is committed to offering a high standard of quality instruction to our diving program. Through his enthusiasm for life and coaching, George fosters an environment conducive to the successful development of skills and techniques in our age-group divers.
George played basketball and dove as a child, and decided to focus his athleticism on diving in high school. An avid basketball fan, George never played on organized teams, but his hard work in diving and his enthusiasm for playing basketball gave him the necessary skills to become a great diving coach.
After graduating high school, George hung up his Speedo and began his coaching career. His first coaching job was as an assistant age-group diving coach for the York Diving Club in Virginia. George has since held head coaching positions in Invergargill, New Zealand and Largo, Florida.
David Kalange
Associate Head Coach
David Kalange has almost 20 years of experience coaching Senior & Age Group swimmers. He has coached all levels of swimmers from Olympic Trials Qualifiers, to beginners. In the Senior II group, Dave coaches Longhorn's 11& older TAGS qualifiers and Senior swimmers preparing to qualify for USA Jr. Nationals, USA Nationals and Olympic Trials.
Dave was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. He began swimming at the age of 4 and made his first USA Senior National cut at the age of 16. He also qualified and competed at the 1992 United States Olympic Trials. As a distance swimmer, he competed in events 200 meter and above; his main events were the 200 butterfly and 1650 freestyle.
Dave began his college swimming career at The University of Georgia under Olympic Coaches Jack Bauerle and Harvey Humphries, before transferring to Ashland University & swimming for William Dorenkott . Dave was a 13 time All -American. Dave began his coaching career as a teenager with his summer league swimming team, and has held coaching positions at the University of Texas Longhorn Swim Camp (1995), Washington College (1997-1998), Grapevine-Colleyville Aquatics Team, (1999-2001), Palo Alto Swim Club (2001-2002), Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics (2002 - 2004), and Longhorn Aquatics (2004 - Present). Dave and his wife Susan live in Round Rock, Texas and have a daughter Sydney Jane(2).
Neil Walker
Assistant Coach
Neil Walker brings years of competitive swimming knowledge to Longhorn Aquatics giving them the tools they need to become accomplished swimmers. He focuses on teaching proper technique mixed with endurance training in order to prepare his athletes for the transition to higher levels of swimming and to establish a successful presence at championship meets.
Neil spent his collegiate swimming career with The University of Texas at Austin, where he was on the 1996 NCAA championship team. Neil became NCAA champion in the 50 free (’97), 100 back (’97 and ’98) and was recognized as the 1997 NCAA Swimmer of the Year, as well as, the 1997 Phillips Performance of the year. After college, Neil continued his success as a professional athlete by becoming the second man in history to qualify in four individual events for the 1997 World Championship team. He currently holds American records in the 50m back and 100m individual medley (both short-course), 400m free relay for long-course and short-course, and the 100y back.
Neil is a two-time U.S. Olympian and holds four Olympic medals. In the 2000 Games, he received a sliver medal in the 400m free relay and gold in the 400m medley relay. In 2004, he added a gold medal in the 400m medley relay and a bronze in the 400m free relay to his achievements. Neil is a four-time World Championship team member (’98, ’01, ’03, and ’05), a two-time member of the Pan-Pacific championship team (’97 and ’99), a former competitor in the Goodwill Games, and a two-time Short Course World Champion (’00 and ’04). He owns eight U.S. National titles.
Tom Andrew
Assistant Coach
Tom Andrew is a recent graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in human development and family sciences. For his practicum, Tom acted as the assistant coach to the national team and trained the Junior Longhorns for Longhorn Aquatics. Prior to 2007, he coached at the Greater Northwest Gators Club and Swim America in San Antonio for four years.
During his time at the university, Tom was co-captain of the UT Water Polo team between 2005 and 2007, on the Texas Division All-Conference Team in 2003-2006 and the Texas Division MVP in 2004. He earned three letters in swimming and water polo in high school at Marshall High School in San Antonio. In the 2001-2002 swim season, he was named District Swimmer of the Year and an All-American in the 100 yard back.
Bridgette Rhoades
Assistant Coach
Bridgette Rhoades comes to Longhorn Aquatics with 18 years of competitive swimming experience. Since starting with Longhorn Aquatics she has coached an array of ages, and groups including Masters; from STAGS qualifiers to National qualifiers. On the Longhorn deck she brings a great deal of spirit and enthusiasm to the team.
Bridgette, a native of Erie, PA, swam and played water polo at Slippery Rock University. A four-time letter winner and co-captain, Bridgette was a 100 and 200 backstroke specialist. She graduated from Slippery Rock in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education for grades K-12, and a minor in Aquatics.
Bridgette began coaching an age group summer league in 1998. She continued coaching throughout college and made her way down to Austin in 2005 via the Longhorn Swim Camp where she was a camp coach/counselor. Since living in Austin, she has become the head coach for Circle C Seals summer league, a multi-faceted instructor through the American Red Cross, and the team liaison with AISD.
Nate Drummond
Assistant Coach
Nate has been coaching swimming for the last eight years beginning with his neighborhood summer league team and most recently as the head coach of the Scituate Harbor Yacht Club swim team in Massachusetts . As a high school swimmer in San Antonio , Nate's favorite strokes were freestyle and butterfly and he still holds the school records in ten events. At UT, he has been a player on the nationally ranked men's water polo team.
Nate is currently a senior communication studies student at UT. He also is a tutor for Biology students. In the fall of 2008, Nate will begin his first year of medical school where he hopes to specialize in pediatrics.
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