Peter Verhoef
Head Swimming and Diving Coach and Aquatics Director
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Peter Verhoef was named Head Swim Coach and Aquatics Director for The Bolles School on November 26, 2018. He has continued Bolles' dominance in state competition with the boys' and girls' program's their continuing state title winning streaks and he led the 2021 boys' team to the program's ninth national title. He has been named Class 1A Coach of the Year five times.

Verhoef brings with him a wealth of experience in national, international and Olympic competitions. For three years prior to Bolles, he earned acclaim as a Senior Coach and High Performance Director for SwimMAC , a globally competitive swimming program in Charlotte, N.C. There, he worked with the Senior 1 program – a group that includes the highest performing 15-18 year-olds – and also directed the program’s age 15 and over programs from state to national levels. Senior athletes from SwimMAC have achieved positions on the USA National Junior Team, won Junior National Championships, and recorded the highest number of scholastic All-Americans of any program in the country. Prior to that, Verhoef assisted in coaching SwimMAC's Team Elite program for Olympic level athletes from 2010-16. During this time, Team Elite athletes combined for a total of nine gold, four silver and one bronze. Throughout his tenure at SwimMAC, Verhoef helped guide strategic decisions including staff development, growth, team culture, member relationships and more.

Prior to SwimMAC, Verhoef was the Assistant Head Coach for Men’s and Women’s swimming at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina, coaching elite swimmers from 2013-15. In this role, he experienced all facets of leadership from the pool deck--including coaching, recruiting, scheduling, compliance, administration, travel and outreach. During his tenure there, Verhoef greatly contributed in assisting the team to win the 2015 NCAA DII Championships for both the men’s and women’s teams.

As a student-athlete, Verhoef found success in the pool and classroom at the University of Georgia where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration and double majored in Management and Management Information Systems in 2007 from the Terry College of Business. While at Georgia, he was a finalist at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Trials and represented the United States at the World Championships in 2007 where he also served as the Team USA Team Captain and earned a Silver medal at the World University Games in 2005. He was also the recipient of UGA’s Jeff Poppell Leadership Award in 2006, among many other honors.

Jake Gibbons '15
Varsity Head Coach
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Jake Gibbons ’15 returned to his high school alma mater in 2021 to help with the swimming program in a part-time capacity. His joy of coaching and connecting with current swimmers led to his taking on a full-time role at the school and Sharks club programs, earning a promotion to head coach of the varsity team in 2024. He also served on the Bolles Resident Life staff from 2024-25 and participated in the School's Leadership Development Program in the 2023-24 school year.

Gibbons’ experience as a talented swimmer, successful student and proven leader translates well into coaching acumen. He understands time management and the balance of academics and athletics, while also encouraging the right mix of hard work, fun and team bonding.

Following a successful two years as a student-athlete at Bolles, Gibbons went on to swim at Texas A&M University. He earned the Distinguished Letterman Award, the highest award presented to a student-athlete once a year by the A&M athletics department. The individual is someone who displays extraordinary talents in the areas of athletics, scholarship, leadership and service. Gibbons also served as a team captain during his junior and senior seasons as well as the Chair of the SEC Student-athlete Advisory Council and as a member of the NCAA Division I SAAC. Gibbons was a two-time College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America Scholar All-American and a recipient of the Brad Davis Scholarship. Gibbons was also a member of the SEC Community Service Team.

Gibbons earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and master’s degree in Public Administration and Service with a specialization in Education Policy, both from Texas A&M. He spent a season as a volunteer coach with the Aggies following his swimming career. He returned to Jacksonville to work with Xtra Point Group, an organizational development company devoted to enhancing the effectiveness and success rate of people within an organization. Gibbons specialized in the company’s workforce development services for athletes to translate the unique skills and qualities of the athlete into advantages within the workplace.