Head Coach - Mike Moran
Mike Moran has been head coach of Castlewood Barracudas since 2023. He lives in Castlewood with his wife of 30 years, Randi.
Mike was born in California’s San Joaquin Valley and has always enjoyed outdoor activities and competitive sports. In high school Mike found his footing in competitive swimming and water polo. This in turn lead to him attending USC as a water polo player and Aerospace Engineer. A 10-year career as a Marine Corps officer and aviator followed during which Mike flew the AV8B Harrier “Jump Jet”. Mike returned to USC in 1996 after leaving the Marine Corps to pursue and obtain his MBA.
Leveraging his education and leadership skills developed in the military, Mike has enjoyed a long and rewarding career in operations management. He continues to indulge in his passion for outdoor activities and competitive sports including hiking, biking, running, swimming and he looks forward to passing that passion on to the next generation through coaching and mentorship.
Assistant Coach - Desiree Dare
Desiree has been an assistant coach at Castlewood since 2018. She grew up with a love of water which led her to join her high school swim team as a freshman. Desiree swam all four years in high school and moved on to swim and play water polo for Ohlone college. Once graduated from Ohlone she continued her love of swimming and joined the swim team at Cal State University East Bay. In addition to spending most of her time in the pool Desiree has also done the Alcatraz swim three times as well as tried out surfing.
Desiree worked for the American Swim Academy for 17 years in various positions from instructor to director of the Fremont location. It was there she learned to share her own passion for the water with many children and adults. Desiree coached for one of the Fremont summer league teams, the Kennedy Seals, as well as Kennedy High School in Fremont.
These days Desiree is a kindergarten teacher, wife to husband Mike and busy mom to Castlewood swimmers Graeme and Ellie. Over the summer Desiree loves being on the pool deck at Castlewood as well as behind her family’s boat wake surfing!
Assistant Coach – Madilen
Madilen is a Bay Area native currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Nursing with a specialization in Nutrition at San Francisco State University. With a lifelong passion for outdoor activities, she enjoys spending her free time exploring nature, whether carving through fresh snow on her snowboard in the winter or diving in the pool during the summer. A dedicated athlete, Madilen was a varsity swimmer throughout high school and also participated on the wrestling team. Her commitment to these sports later led her to coaching, where she has helped young swimmers develop their skills and confidence in the water. Madilen brings the same level of dedication, leadership, and discipline to both her coaching and daily life. Castlewood Barracudas welcome Madilen to their coaching staff for the 2025 season!!
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