Coaches

Coach Keary Sullivan

Sully is entering her 24th year as a social studies teacher at Dakota Ridge, having taught World History, AP European History, World Geography, and Student Government over the course of her career. Sully grew up as a life-long, multi-sport athlete and is a proud Jeffco graduate herself. She has played soccer since the age of five, swam for 14 years of her childhood, ran varsity cross country all four years of high school, played basketball and volleyball growing up, and ran distance track in college to stay in shape for her soccer season. Sully played soccer competitively for Club Columbine and Colorado Elite, as well as Columbine High School, before playing four years at Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, IN, where she set a record for most minutes played in a career. Upon graduating from college, she started coaching a group of neighborhood girls on a Colorado Rush club team from the age of 9 until they were 17 years old, paying forward her love of the game. She has coached with the Dakota Ridge girls’ soccer program since she started her teaching career at Dakota in the fall of 2002. Having been a fan supporter of the boys’ program since she started at Dakota, she joined the boys’ soccer coaching staff in the summer of 2019 as the varsity assistant coach before transitioning to the JV head coach in the fall of 2024. After having coached summer club swim teams in South Jeffco since she was 19, she decided to step into the high school swimming and diving world in the fall of 2018 and has been the head swimming coach at Dakota since 2020. Her favorite events were the breaststroke and IM. She enjoys working with athletes across a variety of sports and levels of ability and can't wait for the current season to begin.

Coach Paige

Paige Perricone is excited to be joining the team as an assistant coach this season! She is a recent graduate of Colorado State University, where she earned a double bachelor's degree in Clinical Psychology and Spanish Language. Paige brings to the team over a decade of competitive swimming experience, along with three years (2019-2021) managing the Dakota Ridge Women's Swimming and Diving Team, and two years (2018-2019) assistant coaching a local youth swim club! During that time, she worked closely with new swimmers, helping them build confidence by focusing on fundamental form and technique, as well as integrating them with our veteran athletes. After her time as a competitive swimmer, she began playing rugby, snowboarding, and exploring her creative side through photography. She is passionate about combining her athletic background with her coaching & leadership experience to help swimmers reach their full potential while fostering a fun and supportive team environment.

Coach Lauren

Lauren Morell started diving as a freshman at Columbine High School and has had a love for the sport ever since. Coach Lauren has been coaching in Jeffco for the last 10 years and loves helping athletes grow in confidence, skill, and passion for diving. Last season, Lauren was honored as the Jeffco Assistant Coach of the Year for Girls Athletics in the 5A League. Lauren earned a degree in International Business and Marketing from the University of Denver, and when she is not coaching, she manages a customer service team for a pharmaceutical manufacturer. In her free time, she loves to explore and travel the world with her favorite place being Ireland. (Feel free to ask her all about it!) Coach Lauren is all about creating a positive, supportive environment where divers can challenge themselves and have fun along the way!

Coach Mercedes

Mercedes Clements dove competitively for 10 years with multiple clubs in the Denver area (Mile High Dive Club, Altitude Diving, and Sagebrush Diving). She dove all four years for Columbing High School, lettering each year and competing in three State Meets. She placed 6th overall her junior year and 13th in the state her senior year, being awarded Diver of the Year and Honorable Mention All Conference Honors. She then had a short career at the University of Wyoming before an injury sidelined her. She has been coaching for 13 years now and has coached for a CARA dive team, Fossil Ridge HS, Fort Collins HS, Adams 12 School District, Altitude Dive Club, and Glenmoor Country Club. Mercedes has a bachelor's degree in Human Services with a concentration in Mental Health Counseling and works full time as a case manager. She has two little girls who you may see at some meets. She also owns and coaches her own dive club, Aldenair Dive Club, and assists Coach Lauren with coaching for Chatfield, Columbine, Dakota Ridge, and D'Evelyn High Schools.

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