Coaches & Directors

Steve Morsilli

Head Coach

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Steve Morsilli serves as Head Coach and Senior Group Coach. Steve swam competitively and played water polo in the Hayward area for eight years at the High School, Collegiate and AAU (now USA Swimming) levels. He graduated from Golden Gate University with a Bachelors Degree in Accounting in 1975. After working with the Federal Government as a Financial Manager for 11 years, he now owns a construction/property management business in the Hayward/Castro Valley area. He and his wife Julie also own and operate the very successful Tri Valley Swim America lesson program at Foothill High during the summers.  Steve has coached actively since 1969 (Flying Fins 1969-74, Piedmont 1974-75) and has coached in the Pleasanton area since 1975 (Pleasanton Thunderbirds 1975-78, Golden State Aquatics 1978-82, Pleasanton Seahawks 1982-Present). He also served as the Amador High Girls Varsity Coach from 1986 through 1996, winning League Championships in 1988, 1990, 1994, 1995 and 1996. The Amador Boys Team, which trained with Steve, won League Championships in 1988, 1990 and 1991. Steve is certified by the American Swim Coaches as a Level 5 coach (the highest possible), which ranks him in the top 2% in the nation. He is one of the few coaches in the nation to have achieved a Level 5 certification in three different classes, Senior Swimming, Age-Group and High School. As of 1996, only 30 coaches in the nation have earned a Level 5 ranking in three different levels. Steve is also a charter member of the World Swimming Coaches Association and is a Certified Masters Coach. He has developed swimmers at all levels, from novice to world ranked, including Pacific Swimming Record Holders, nationally ranked age group swimmers (including National Champions), Junior National, Senior National and Olympic Trials finalists. His swimmers have gone on to Collegiate success at the Conference and NCAA levels, including American Records by Hailey DeGolia (University of Arizona) in 2007 and 2008.  Masters swimmer Bonnie Bilich swam to a World Record in the 200 meter backstroke in June 2009.  He has coached swimmers to Pacific Swimming Records and National Rankings in all age groups (10-U, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16 & 17-18).  He has been an All-Star coach for Pacific Swimming, has produced many swimmers honored as "Outstanding Pacific Swimming Athletes," and was named to the 1991 and 1994 Olympic Festival Staff by United States Swimming and the 1995 World University Games Staff (Fukuoka, Japan) by the US Olympic Committee. He was once again named to the 2001 World University Games Staff for the meet in Beijing, China in August 2001 and the 2003 World University Games in Daegu, South Korea. He was named to the staff of the very successful 2007 World Championship Team in Melbourne in March 2007. Steve has been selected to run three Elite level camps for USA Swimming at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado, and was nominated for the George Haines Pacific Swimming Senior Coach of the Year Award in 1992, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009; he received the North Coast Section Honor Coach award in 1995 and was included in the 1996 edition of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. He was voted the George Haines Pacific Swimming Senior Coach of the Year in 1996 and 1999. He was also voted Pacific Swimming ’Volunteer of the Year’ in 2002, an honor only once previously granted to a Coach. Steve was a member of the Pacific Swimming Board of Directors, having established the Coaches’ Education Committee and served on the North Coast Swim Management Committee for over 20 years. He served as the Senior Swimming Chairman for Pacific Swimming and has served on the USA Swimming Senior Committee as well. Steve was elected to the Board Of Directors of the American Swimming Coaches Association in September 2009.  He is a member of the USA Swimming National Team Coaches Pool and National Team Managers Pool. He addressed high school and USA coaches from all over California at the Pacific Swim Coaches Association Clinic, in 1981 on Workout Organization, in 1987 on Club Budgeting and Cash Flow, and he instructed the ASCA Level I Foundations of Coaching course at the 1988 Clinic and at the North Texas Swimposium in 2001 for USA Swimming. He addressed Coaches from all over the world at the 2000 American Swim Coaches Association Clinic in Cincinnati on ’Coaching as a Second Profession’ and ’Getting Club Swimmer to Nationals’. Steve is married and lives with his wife in San Ramon, and is the proud father of four adult children and three grandchildren.  

Heather Morsilli

Senior Assistant

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Heather Morsilli is currently the Senior Coach and Senior- Elite Assistant Coach. Heather is a former Seahawk who competed at the National level. After high school, she attended and swam for the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Heather graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and earned her California teaching credential at Cal State, East Bay. She has coaching experience in many different areas. She is a Site Director and teaches swim lessons for Tri Valley Swim America, where she has also been Head Instructor since 2005. At the University of New Mexico, she worked as a fifth year coaching assistant where she helped the team achieve its best dual meet record in 5 seasons. Also in New Mexico, Heather was the Head Coach of the boys' and girls' swim teams at Highland High School for one season where she coached six individual State Qualifiers, including one All-American and State Champion. While coaching for the Seahawks, she has coached National Finalists, Pacific Swimming Record holders, Far Western Record holders and Far Western Champions.  Heather is an ASCA certified Level 4 Coach.

Todd Tucker

Head Age Group Coach/Pre-Senior Group

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Todd Tucker brings over 20 years of coaching experience to the Pleasanton Seahawks having begun his coaching career in 1986. Todd currently serves as Head Age-Group Coach and Pre-Senior Training Group Coach. Todd is certified by the American Swimming Coaches Association as a level 5 coach (the highest possible). As a coach with the Pleasanton Seahawks, his swimmers have achieved multiple individual National Age Group Records, swimmers with individual #1 National rankings, National All Star Relay Record holders, Pacific Swimming Record holders, Far Western Record Holders, Far Western Champions, Sectionals qualifiers, and numerous athletes ranked Top 10 in the Nation and Pacific Swimming. In 2008 Todd was named "Pacific Swimming Age Group Coach of the Year". Todd currently serves on the Pacific Swimming Board of Review. He led the Pacific Swimming All-Star Team at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach in 1993 and coached the Pacific Swimming Blue Ribbon Camp later that year. Todd was selected as Head Coach the Pacific Swimming Junior Elite Camp in 1995, and served as Head Coach of the Pacific Swimming Junior Leadership Camp in 2001. Todd has produced many swimmers honored as Outstanding Pacific Swimming Athletes.

Todd was the Head Coach at Foothill High School in Pleasanton from 1993-1996 and again from 2001-2005. Prior to that, he coached the Junior Varsity Men and Womens’ teams (1990-1992). Todd is certified by the American Swimming Coaches Association as a Level 4 HS coach. Under his leadership, Foothill High School won its first ever Varsity women’s EBAL Championship in 2002 and co-championships in 2001 and 2003. In 2005, Todd was named the "Contra Costa Times Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year", and in 2007 he was named as the "North Coast Section Honor Coach". During his time as coach at Foothill High School, Todd coached NCS Champions, EBAL Champions, and produced many NISCA High School All Americans. The Foothill High School Varsity Men’s team won it’s first EBAL Championship in 2005. Todd currently serves as a member of the North Coast Section Management Committee, a position he has held since 2002.

In addition, Todd served as Head Coach of the Del Prado Swim Team from 1986-1990 winning three league titles (’86,’87, & ’89). Todd is married with two children and lives in Pleasanton.

Joe Loftus

Pre Junior Group Coach

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Joe Loftus is currently working with the Pre-Junior and Junior Groups. Joe is a former Seahawk who made numerous Nationals in distance freestyle, plus had qualifying times for the Olympic Trials in 1996 and 2000. Joe earned his Bachelors Degree and teaching credential from Cal State University, Bakersfield, where he was also a member of their NCAA (2) Championship team. Bringing a wealth of experience as an athlete and coach, he is currently ASCA Level 3 certified.
Joe previously coached in Bakersfield for the Bakersfield Swim Club for two years in 1999-2001.
He assisted with the Livermore High School swim team in 2003.
Joe is currently an elementary school teacher in Livermore, where he was nominated for teacher of the year for the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 school years.
Over the past seven years with the Seahawks staff, Joe has produced swimmers who have been finalists at the Far Western and Western Zone All-Star meets, respectively. He has also produced numerous athletes ranked Top 10 in Pacific Swimming and Top 10 in the Nation.
In 2003 he had a swimmer who broke a Pacific Swimming record and who was also honored as one of Pacific Swimming’s 10 and Under Swimmer of the Year.
In 2006 he produced two of the four 10 & under boy swimmers who broke a national all-star relay record. He has produced several Pacific Swimming record holders and in 2006 was nominated for Pacific swimming age group coach of the year. During the same year Joe coached the fastest 10&under boy in the 200 yard freestyle in the nation.
During the 2006/2007 swim season, Joe had two swimmers recognized in Pacific Swimming as swimmers of the year.
In 2008 three of his swimmers were selected to the Pacific Swimming Zone All-Star team where one swimmer broke a Pacific Swimming All-Star 200 freestyle relay record.

Melanie Ward

Intermediate Group Coach

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Melanie Ward comes to us via Foothill High where she was a Varsity letter winner. She graduated from the University Of the Pacific with a Bachelors Degree in Liberal Studies and multiple teaching credentials. While there, she helped Coach with Tiger Aquatics, received a coaching concentration from UOP’s sports sciences department, and taught swim lessons. She currently works with the Pleasanton Unified School District as a music teacher. She has been coaching and teaching swim lessons since 1995. Before coming to the Seahawks, Melanie was the head coach of the Highland Oaks swim team for eight years. She has also served as Varsity Coach for San Ramon Valley High, where they won three EBAL league titles. In 2006, Melanie was the Varsity Coach at Foothill High School, winning them league titles for both the varsity men and women for the first time in the same season in the school’s history. During her time as a high school coach, Melanie has had several swimmers qualify as High School All Americans. Melanie has ASCA level 2 certification and is currently working on completing level 3 & 4, is married and lives in Dublin.

Jon Pallesen

Intermediate Group Coach

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Jon is coaching our Intermediate I Training Group. He is a former Seahawk who represented Pleasanton as a Finalist at the Far Western level.  He was also a North Coast swimmer for Foothill High School, and a State Championship swimmer for Diablo Valley College, where he earned his AA degree.  He moved back to Pleasanton, after attending San Diego State University, and joined the Seahawks Staff in 2004.  Jon is certified by the American Swim Coaches Association as a Level 4 Coach in High School Swimming (Top 10% in the Nation), and Level 2 in Age Group Swimming.  He has passed ASCA courses in Coaching 8 & Under Swimmers, Fundamentals of Competitive Swimming for 8 & Under Swimmers, and Advanced Freestyle.  He has also passed the National Inter-Scholastic Coaches Association Swimming Coaches Education Program.

Jon is involved in High School swimming, as he is the Head Coach at Amador Valley High School (since Fall ’05), where he also serves as the League Representative for the East Bay Athletic League, and serves on the NCS Meet Management Committee.  Jon’s teams have received NISCA/Keifer Scholar Team Awards every year that he has been with the team, representing some of the highest Team GPA’s in the Nation.  His teams have also been well represented in the NISCA/I.S.T. National Dual Meet Team Rankings, displaying the best High School Swimming & Diving teams in the Nation.  Beginning in March ’08, Jon helped launch Amador Valley’s first-ever Annual Swimming Invitational Meet, the Tom Wilson Memorial Swimming Invitational, named after the former AV Swimmer & PLS Coach.  Through High School Coaching, Jon has worked with All-American Swimmers, League & School Record Breakers, and East Bay Athletic League & North Coast Section Champions.  The student-athletes that he has worked with, have gone on to attend many fantastic colleges: Stanford Univ., UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Clara Univ., Cal Poly, CSU Chico, Univ. of Arizona, Harvard, Penn and M.I.T.  Here with the Pleasanton Seahawks he has coached swimmers on PLS relays at Far Westerns, and those qualifying individually for Junior Olympics & Pacific Swimming All-Star Teams, as well as swimmers ranked in Pacific Swimming & Pleasanton Seahawks’ Top Ten and as Team Record Breakers.

In July ‘05, Jon was an honorary coach at the USS 'Catch the Spirit' Jr. Leadership Camp, and in March ’06, ’07 & ’08 he coached the 8&Unders at the Pacific Swimming Zone All-Star Meet.  In ’09 & ’10, as Head Coach & 13-14’s Coach, he led the Zone 2 All-Stars to their 2nd & 3rd straight Zone All-Star Championships.  In January ’07 & ’08, Jon led the Pacific Swimming All-Stars into Vancouver, Canada & Carson City, NV, as Head Coach for the Pacific Coast All-Star Meets.  In August ’07, ’08 & ’09, Jon coached the 15-16 Girls to glory at the Western Zones All-Star Meet in Farmington, NM and as Head Coach of the North American Challenge Cup Teams in Edmonton, Canada (’08) & La Mirada, California (’09).  Beginning in September ’09, Jon sits on the Pacific Swimming Board of Directors as the Age Group Swimming Vice Chairman, the Head of the Pacific Swimming Age Group Committee.  He served the prior two years as the Coaches Representative.

Jon is just about finished with another degree in Mathematics from Cal-State East Bay, and is planning on beginning a teaching career.  He is single and lives in Pleasanton.

Allen Long

Novice Group Coach

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Allen Long serves as the Novice Group Coach.  He has swum virtually every day since he was five. As a teen, he swam competitively in his home town of Arlington, Virginia.  In 2007, Allen gave up a successful business career for a new one in aquatics.  He joined Happy Fish Swim School as an instructor in January 2008.  He teaches children from the ages of 3 to 12 and adults.  He frequently teaches the school’s “Gold” class in which students refine their four competitive strokes as well as their diving, streamlining, and turning skills in preparation for joining a swim team.  In December 2008, Allen won an award for teaching excellence.  During the summer of 2008, he coached 10- to 12-year-old swimmers for the Fremont Area Swim Team (FAST).  His swimmers achieved first place in over 60% of the events at the final meet.  Allen joined the Seahawks in September 2008 as a Fall Coach and became a permanent member of the Seahawks’ coaching staff in January 2009.  He is an ASCA certified Level 1 Age Group Coach.  Allen is married with four grown children.  He and his wife live in Pleasanton.

Katy Rath

Pre-Novice Group Coach

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Katy Rath currently serves as our Pre-Novice Group Coach.  Katy has worked with the Seahawks since 2007, assisting with various fall swim programs.  Katy began swimming in a rec league the summer before high school and fell in love with the sport.  She swam all four years at Foothill High School, where she attained her Varsity letter (from Coach Todd)!  After high school, Katy attended California State University, Chico where she earned her Bachelors degree in Marketing.  While in Chico, Katy joined her first Masters swimming group at the Chico Sports Club.  Since moving back to the Bay Area, she swims with the Tri-Valley Masters and Club Sport Masters groups regularly. 
For many summers, Katy would teach private instruction out of her backyard pool.  She has experience teaching swimmers of all ages and is especially fond of working with young beginners.