Head Coach

Lynn Williams

Lynn has been the head coach of the Stingray Swimming since its beginning in 1988.  Prior to that time, she was the Aquatics Director and Head Swim Coach at the Leroy Springs Recreation Complex in Fort Mill.  She began her coaching career in Kershaw, S.C. as a summer league coach.   Lynn’s experience includes 1992 S.C. Swimming Age Group Coach of the Year, 2 time S.C. Swimming Zone Team Assistant Coach, and one time S.C. Swimming Head Zone Coach.  Lynn has coached and taught at all levels of swimming from beginners to Junior National Qualifiers and Zone finalists.  She works with all levels of our program.  Lynn is a native of Kershaw, S.C. and lives in Fort Mill with her husband Tom and their children, C.C. and Griffen, who are former members of the RAYS team and are now college students at Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland.

Head Senior Coach

Merv Faassen De Heer

Merv has provided his expertise as a coach for the RAYS since 1998.  He assumed the role of head senior coach in 2005.  He is also currently the director of the Rock Hill Aquatics Center.  Merv is a former member of the Scottish National team and Olympic team qualifier for the Netherlands.  Merv competed on the collegiate level at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas where he was a four-year All American.  After his college career, Merv returned to Scotland where he coached the City of Edinburgh swim team for several years before returning to the U.S.  During Merv’s stay in Edinburgh, he coached three Scottish National Champions. Merv led the 2001 Rock Hill YMCA Summer swim team to winning the Blue Ridge Cluster Summer Championship meet and the 2002 team to second place.  Merv lives in Fort Mill with his dog and cat.

Assistant Coach

Susan McClary Snyder

Since 2002, Sue has been coaching the Silver Group of the RAYS and is also the head coach for the Northwestern High School swim team.  She is also the head coach for the Rock Hill Country Club swim team in the summer Metrolina Swim League.  Sue is a Greenville native and Clemson University graduate where she was a member of the crew team.  Sue is a science teacher at Northwestern High School.  She lives in Rock Hill with her husband, Zach, a teacher and coach at South Pointe High School, and their cats.

Assistant Coach

Linda Piedt

Linda joined the RAYS staff in 2003 as a dry land coach for the younger swimmers and stepped on deck as a swim coach in 2004.  She has also previously been an assistant coach for the Tega Cay Breakers in the Metrolina swim league.  Linda competed at the collegiate level at Virginia Tech where she was an NCAA Division I qualifier and team record holder.  She was also a Pennsylvania state champion, Jr. National finalist, and Sr. National qualifier.  Linda lives in Fort Mill with her husband, Ray, and three children, Lindsey, Jared, and Zachary.

Assistant Coach

Cindy VanBuskirk

Cindy joined the RAYS coaching staff in 2005 and has been the head coach for the Tega Cay Breakers in the summer Metrolina Swim League since 2001.  She swam competitively from the age of 8 thru high school in Waterloo, Iowa participating in YMCA, AAU, and high school swimming. Cindy is a graduate of Iowa State University where she majored in Elementary Education.  Cindy is a competitive tennis player but her number one sports love is swimming! Cindy and her husband, Jamie, are the parents of three children, Alex and twins Sam and Julia, who swim with the RAYS.  The VanBuskirk family lives in Tega Cay.

Assistant Coach

Tasha Speights

Tasha joined the coaching staff in 2007.  In addition to working with the Minis I and II groups, she is the coordinator of the school district swim program and the Assistant Head Swim Instructor with the YMCA.  She lives in Rock Hill with her husband Gregory and their two children, Sascha (who is a swimmer with the RAYS) and Zariya.

Assistant Coach

Joanne Baker

Joann joined our coaching staff in the summer of 2007 and she is now working with the Junior I and II, Minis I and II and RAYS 101 groups.  In addition to coaching, she helps with the youth swimming lessons and teaches Level 3 school district swimming at the Aquatics Center.  She is also a certified USA Swimming start, stroke and turn official.  Her son Zac is a swimmer with the RAYS.