Rick Battistini
Head Coach

Coach "Batt" has been coaching all levels of competitive swimming in the Merrimack Valley for over 25 years. As Haverhill YMCA head coach from 1978-1985 his team won several New England YMCA championship titles and had more All-Americans than any other team in the state. His accomplishments with that club included several New England Age Group and Senior champions. In one year coaching with the Lowell YMCA in 1986, Rick had several YMCA and New England Age Group and Senior champions, including a New England Team Division champion and Lowell YMCA's first All-American. Rick was the founding coach of the Merrimack Valley Pirates, which included three Junior Olympic All-Americans. Coach Batt recently recorded his 200th dual meet victory as head coach of the Haverhill High School girls varsity team, and is also the head coach of the Lowell High School boys varsity team. He graduated from Bridgewater State College in 1977 with a B.S. in Physical Education, with an emphasis in aquatics. He was a varsity record holder there while being named Collegiate All-East in the 200 Meter Individual Medley. Some of his awards include the 1985 National Coaches Excellence Award, the 1992 Boston Globe Coach of the Year, and the 1993 New England Swimming Age Group Coach of the Year. Coach Batt is a three event National Masters Champion, and he has earned a Level 4 American Swim Coaches Association ranking, putting him in the top 10% of swim coaches nationwide. - From "New Wave Swim Team website"

Will Wright
Assistant Coach

Coach Will is an active US Master's swimmer who is certified as a US Swimming Stroke and Turn Official and a Level 2 YMCA Official. Will is a member of ASCA and has obtained his Level 1 ASCA Coaching Certification and he's on the staff of the Charles White Pool in Haverhill, MA. Coach Will works mostly with the Blue and Black squads, spending most of his time working on stroke technique. This is a passage right out of the American Swim Coaches Association Training Manual that Coach Will lives by; "Perfect skills are the result of practicing as perfectly as possible. If skills are practiced incorrectly, then practice has only developed incorrect skills." Drill and equipment work are always a highlight of Coach Will's workouts. Coach Will feels the physical work is important but equally important is the mental work. Coach Will stresses the gains to be made and fun to be had by keeping focus away from the negative. Swimming is a life long sport and Coach Will's hope is for each athlete to enjoy the sport of swimming for a lifetime. - From "New Wave Swim Team website"

Michele Fox
Assistant Coach

Coach Michele has been a competitive swimmer since age 6. She started her swimming career in Wisconsin and moved on to Andover/North Andover YMCA Hurricanes from 12-17. Coach Michele started her coaching career as a summer league swim coach in Andover. In 1991, Coach Michele started swimming in the Masters program at ANA and at the Beverly YMCA. Coach Michele has been working with the ANA Masters team as coach since 2004. Consistently ranked in the USMS and New England Masters top ten, her specialties are backstroke and distance freestyle. In the summer months, Coach Michele competes in open water swimming events and triathlons. When not swimming, Coach Michele is a physical therapist and professor at Hesser College in the PTA program.