Kit Raulerson	Head Coach	kit.raulerson@swimrsa.org	National & Senior Sprint
Raz Cuparencu	Head Age Group Coach	raz.cuparencu@swimrsa.org	Dolphin, Wahoos, & Barracudas
Andrew DeSorbo	Age Group Coach	andrew.desorbo@swimrsa.org	Pre-National
Keri Arsenault	Age Group Coach	keri.arsenault@swimrsa.org	Novas, Dolphins, MSHP Prep

Kit Raulerson was named Head Coach at RSA in August of 2006.  Kit is extremely excited about working with the athletes and parents at RSA and continuing the RSA standard of excellence.    In April 2008, Kit Raulerson was named Senior Coach of the Year by North Carolina Swimming.  He was also nominated for Senior Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2010.

Coach Kit’s fourth season at RSA continued the trend of improvement and achievement, highlighted by Henriette Stenkvist’s Silver medal 400 medley relay for Sweden at European Seniors in Hungary.  RSA finished with all-time-high Virtual Club Championship (VCC) points both scy and LCM and led the Triangle in placing in the VCC.  Eight different athletes earned finals swims at the Austin Grand Prix, including Henriette’s 200 backstroke victory. Tucker Dupree set the World S12 100fly Record scm and brought home five medals from the World Champs LCM in Holland.  Torrey Bussey was the NC High School Swimmer of the year. Andrew and Sarah Henry were High Point Winners/brother and sister at LCM SR Champs.  RSA was second at the LCM NCS SR Champs.  Most importantly, the senior athletes at RSA actually improved in the 2009-2010 season despite the new suit regulations – nearly every senior team  in the country struggled to regain 2008-2009 performance while RSA’s senior athletes continue to progress. RSA Senior athletes set sixteen NCS Records and thirty-nine RSA records in 2009-2010.

Coach Raulerson’s third season saw tremendous team and individual athlete achievements as RSA broke over 100 team records and over 30 North Carolina Swimming records.  The Senior team finished 2nd at both the Short Course and Long Course Senior Championships. Individually, Sarah Henry finaled in Guam at the Pan Pacific Junior Champs.  Henriette Stenkvist finaled at the European Junior Championships in Prague.  Tucker Dupree medaled at the 2009 Short Course World Championships in Brazil.  Andrew Henry and Jose Chavez attended the USA-Swimming Zone Select Camp in Louisville.

Raulerson's second season with RSA was extremely productive. RSA athletes broke 70 team records and 7 North Carolina Swimming records.  Highlighting the season was RSA's successful placement of an athlete on the US Paralympic Team - Tucker Dupree competed in China in the water cube in early September of 2008.  Also a highlight was Sarah Henry's 13th-place finish and a semi-final swim at the 2008 US Olympic Team Trials in Omaha.  The RSA women earned 2nd-place finishes in the 400 medley relay and the 800 free relay at the 2008 Spring Junior Nationals.  

Coach Raulerson’s first season at RSA was an exciting year of achievement.  RSA captured the 2007 short course North Carolina Swimming Senior Championship for the first time ever; becoming only the second team in history to win that meet.  RSA was also 6th at the 2007 short course Junior Nationals, with the women placing 2nd.  RSA was 7th at the 2007 Long Course Sectional meet.  Two female RSA athletes were crowned Junior National Champions and one RSA female was the High Point winner at the 2007 short course Junior Nationals.  RSA also placed one female on the USA National Team which competed in the Japan International Grand Prix in August of 2007.  Another RSA female qualified for the USA National Junior Team and will compete in Melbourne, Australia in January of 2008.  RSA had a male athlete set five National and Pan-American records on his way to making the USA National Paralympic Team.  Coach Raulerson’s athletes set 10 North Carolina Swimming records in 2006-2007 and broke over 50 RSA team records.

Prior to his arrival in North Carolina, Kit was the Associate Head Coach at Longhorn Aquatics in Austin, Texas from 2002-2006.  Longhorn Aquatics received the USA-Swimming Gold Medal as the Top Club in America for three consecutive years.   Kit was responsible for coaching, program development, communication, practice schedules, dryland and weight training, and parent volunteer activities.  During his time in Austin, Longhorn Aquatics placed over fifty athletes on USA-Swimming National teams.  Coach Raulerson has produced over 35 Junior National and 19 Senior National qualifiers and has placed over 60 athletes on the National Reportable Top-16 lists.  Coach Raulerson’s athletes have set or currently hold 99 Texas State Records and 191 South Texas LSC Records.  Most recently Longhorn Aquatics won their first Texas Age-Group Swimming title (14& under) in July of 2006.

From 2000-2002 Coach Raulerson was an Assistant Coach at the Georgia Institute of Technology.  At Tech, Coach Raulerson produced the school’s first NCAA qualifiers since 1989 and helped lead the men’s team to a 2nd-place finish at the 2002 ACC Championships.   Coach Raulerson produced seven NCAA qualifiers and three NCAA All-Americans in his two seasons at Georgia Tech.

Coach Raulerson worked as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan from 1998-2000, helping the men to a Big Ten Title in 2000.   Additionally, Michigan placed eleven athletes on the 2000 Olympic Team.

Coach Raulerson began his career down US 1 in Southern Pines, NC with the Sandhills Sandsharks from 1995-1998.  Coach Raulerson served as Head Age-Group coach and Senior Assistant and also taught physics, biology, and chemistry at The O’Neal School in Southern Pines.

Coach Raulerson also taught at the American International School in Mallorca, Spain from 1994-1995 while also playing semi-professional water polo.   Kit graduated from The Johns Hopkins University in 1994.

Kit, his wife Maggie and their five-year old daughter, Warner, and 6-month old son, Hayes, reside in Cary.

Raz Cuparencu is the Head Age Group Coach of the RSA staff. Coach Raz arrived in Raleigh in August of 2010 from the Brownsburg Swim Club (Indianapolis, IN), where he was Head Age Group Coach and Assistant Head Coach. In his first season, RSA won the North Carolina Age Group State Short Course (JO) Championships and was second at the North Carolina Age Group State Long Course (JO) Championships.  Raz has produced numerous NC State Champions and NCS Zone Team and NCS Select Camp Qualifiers.  In 2010, Raz coached both the female and male 10 & High Point winners at the NC Age Group State Long Course (JO) Championships and NC state record holder, Rebecca Ssengonzi.    Raz is beginning his tenth year as a professional coach and thrilled to be working with our 12&under athletes and the entire team. He will be leading the Wahoo and Barracuda groups and assist with the Pre-National and National groups. Coach Raz started his coaching career at Terre Haute Torpedoes Swim Club where he coached all four levels ranging from the developmental program to the most advanced swimmers. During Raz’s five year tenure, Raz coached numerous Divisional and State qualifiers. He also coached 12 time state champion, Indiana age group high point winner, zone champion, T16 times, Junior National Qualifier and also developed an Olympic Trial Qualifier. Raz was the Assistant Coach for Terre Haute North High School for 3 years where The Patriots won 3 straight sectional titles. After leaving Terre Haute, Raz continued down the path of success and went to the Brownsburg Swim Club in Brownsburg, Indiana where he was the Assistant Head Coach/Head Age Group coach. Raz helped grow and managed the club from 50 to 150 swimmers and also helped run most of the administrative aspects of the club. While at BBSC, Coach Raz coached numerous age group state medalists, Zone and Sectionals qualifiers and an open water state champion. Off the pool deck, Coach Raz is an avid golfer, devoted husband to his wife Samantha and together they have a 3 year old Boxer named Bentley.

Andrew DeSorbo joined RSA in December 2007 and became Lead Coach for the Pre-National Group in August of 2008. Since then, swimmers in the group have broken 13 Team Records, won 9 individual and relay NCS Age Group Championship events, swum to an NCS Open Water championship, and achieved numerous National Top-20 rankings. Andrew has produced swimmers who have been selected for the US Zone Select Camp, NCS Zone team, NCS All-Stars, and NCS Select Camp. Andrew swam for Rowan Aquatic Club as an age group swimmer. Andrew attended George Washington University in Washington, DC where he swam all four years, was an A-10 All-Conference Team designee, and was also Men's Team Captain. Andrew has coached throughout his swimming career and this is his first coaching position in the Triangle Area. Andrew and his wife, Charity, live in Cary.

A senior at NCSU majoring in psychology, Rob has been involved in swimming since the age of 6. He first started swimming competitivelywhen he joined the Lochmere Swim team and continued swimming there until he graduated from Woodberry Forest School in 2001. He swam competitively for RSA since the fall after his first summer with Lochmere at age 6. He lettered all 4 years at Woodberry and was the team captain his senior year. He helped lead the Woodberry Forest tigers to 3 State High School championships and a second place finish his 9th grade year. He swam at Middlebury College in Vermont before transferring back to NCSU and helped them win the NESCAC championship his freshman year in college. Each year during the summer when Rob returned home from Woodberry or Middlebury College he always came back and practiced with RSA.

Coach Rob worked as an assistant coach with the Regency Riptides for 2 year and also has coached for MacGregor County Club. He is very excited about being a part of RSA, and looks forward to sharing his love and enthusiasm for the sport of swimming with the RSA family!