Tim Baker

Head Coach

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Parents and Terra Linda Orcas,

I am ecstatic to be back on deck coaching the TL Orcas this season! I joined the Orcas when I was nine, and I continued swimming as an Orca until I was eighteen. Then I swam at the collegiate level and coached the Orcas for 4 seasons. Believe me, this season is shaping up to be one of the best seasons ever, due to the strong coaching staff and the dedication and enthusiasm of the TL Orca swimmers and parents. So all of you Orcas get pumped up for another exciting and fun-filled year of swimming!

Andy Benoit

Coach

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I am thrilled to have the opportunity to come back for a Third year as an assistant coach with the Terra Linda Orcas.  I truly enjoy helping kids achieve their potential in the pool.  As an alumnus who swam with Coach Tim as an Orca, it truly is an honor and a privilege to be an Orca coach.  I swam for the Orcas for eight years and for four years was a member of both the Terra Linda High School water polo and swim teams.  I graduated UCSC with a bachelor’s degree in Politics and am now pursuing a combined credential and masters in early childhood education at SFSU.  When not at the pool I am usually tinkering with my aging ninja 250 motorcycle or making sure my cat IO is getting plenty of attention.

Gina Castagnola

Coach

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We are very excited to add Gina's coaching skills to the Orca pool deck!  You may recognize her from our pool where she has been a lifeguard for 4 years.  Or you may have heard about her amazing tenure as a Marinwood Waterdevil where she competed for 15 years.  As a Waterdevil she was the perennial high point winner, perennial All Star swimmer, and was voted Most Inspirational Swimmer and Most Valuable Swimmer!  How about being Team Captain and Coaches Award winner for the Saint Ignatius Swim Team?  Or being Team Captain of the Saint Ignatius Water Polo team, where she made the CCS Senior All Star Team and WCAL First Team All League?  Or competing in the Junior Olympics with Marin Water Polo?  She's graduating this year from Loyola Marymount University where she's had 2 NCAA Division I appearances.  She even made the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches All-Academic Team last year!  How about being the Head of Student Athlete Mentors at Loyola Maymount?   As you can see, we are very excited to have her coaching for the Orcas!

Francesca Lollini

Coach

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Francesca Lollini joins the Orca swim team with over 15 years of competitive swimming experience at the regional & national level. Growing up swimming on the Swimarin MSL team she joined the Orcas for her last & final year in the MSL circuit in 2005. During her tenure at Saint Ignatius College Prep she achieved All-American status for Freestyle, broke many team & pool records, as well as received several team leadership accolades. At the college level she joined the University of Michigan Club Water Polo team that went on to win the Big Ten Championship in 2008. Now that she's back in California & unable to stay far from the water, she joins the Orca swim team back on the Terra Linda pool deck, where just 6 years ago she was providing some of the Orca swimmers with their very first swim lesson. She looks forward to a fun & exciting season with the Orcas coaching alongside long time friends Tim, Andy and Gina.