One of the most decorated figures in Florida swimming, Anthony Nesty leads both the Gators’ men’s and women’s swimming & diving programs. The 2024–25 season marks his seventh year as men’s head coach, his fourth in charge of the women, and his 27th year on staff in Gainesville. Under Nesty, Florida has sustained elite national form: the men have placed top-three at NCAAs multiple times (including 2021, 2022, 2024), while the women surged to third at the 2024 NCAA Championships—their best finish in 14 years. Florida also extended its conference success with 12 straight SEC men’s titles through 2024 and back-to-back SEC crowns for the women, part of a combined resurgence that positioned UF among the nation’s premier dual-programs.
Nesty’s individual-development track record is equally strong. Since 2018, Gator men have amassed more than 200 All-America honors and 15 NCAA event titles, and the women have produced NCAA champions and SEC award winners under his guidance. His leadership has been recognized repeatedly with SEC Coach of the Year honors for both men and women in 2022–23 and 2023–24—an unprecedented back-to-back sweep. Internationally, Nesty served as U.S. men’s head coach for the Paris 2024 Olympics, becoming the first Black U.S. Olympic head swim coach; he previously led the U.S. men at the 2022 World Championships and was an assistant at Tokyo 2020. A former Gator great himself, Nesty won four NCAA titles and later entered UF’s Athletic Hall of Fame, bringing a champion’s perspective to today’s athletes.
