Florida Gators

One of the most decorated swimmers in Florida history, Anthony Nesty enters his seventh season as the men’s swimming & diving head coach and 27th as a member of the Gators’ coaching staff in 2024-25. The 24-25 campaign also marks the fourth season in which Nesty serves at the helm of the women’s swimming & diving program.

Nesty has continued to lead the Gators’ dynasty, as Florida became the best men’s and women’s Swimming & Diving college program in the Nation after both teams finished third at their 2024 NCAA Championships. No other swimming and diving program in the country had both teams finish in the top five.
 
Nesty’s Coaching Career at Florida:
In the program’s eight NCAA Championships coached under Nesty, Florida has finished in the top-10 seven times. The men have earned third in 2021, 22, 24 and sixth in 2019 and 2023. The Gator women finished third at the 2024 NCAA Championships, marking their best finish in 14 years. In his first NCAA Championships as the women’s head coach, the Gators finished 13th at the 2022 NCAA Championships, which was the highest finish for the Florida women since the 2014-15 season before the following year when they finished ninth at the 2023 NCAA Championships.
 
In his first six seasons at the helm of the men’s program, Nesty pushed UF’s conference championship streak to 12 in a row (2013-24). In his third season as the women’s head coach, he guided the women to their second-consecutive SEC Championships Title en route to their 19th conference title in school history.

For his efforts, Nesty was named the 2022-23 and 2023-24 SEC Men’s and Women’s Coach of the year, becoming the first Gators coach to win both honors back-to-back. It also marks the first coach in the SEC to win both Swimming Coach of the Year award two years in a row. He has earned six-straight SEC Men’s Swimming & Diving Coach of the Year titles. He became the first men’s swimming and diving coach in UF history to take home the honor in each of their first six seasons.
 
Since 2018, 42 Florida men have collected 232 NCAA Championship All-American Honors. Nine Gators have claimed 15 NCAA event titles – Bobby Finke (2021, 1650 Free & 400 IM; 2022, 1650 Free), Kieran Smith (2021, 200 Free; 2022, 200 Free Relay), Eric Friese (2022, 200 Medley Relay & 200 Free Relay; 2023, 200 Free Relay), Will Davis (2022, 200 Medley Relay & 200 Free Relay) Dillon Hillis (2022, 200 Medley Relay; 2023, 400 Medley Relay), Adam Chaney (2022, 200 Medley Relay & 200 Free Relay; 2023, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay; 2024, 200 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay), Macguire McDuff (2023, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay; 2024, 200 Free Relay and 200 Medley Relay), Julian Smith (2023, 400 medley Relay; 2024, 200 Free Relay and 200 Medley Relay) Josh Liendo (2023, 100 Free, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay; 2024, 50 Free, 100 Free, 100 Fly, 200 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay). Additionally, the Gators have taken home 48 SEC Championship event titles, while earning seven SEC Postseason Awards – Kieran Smith and Bobby Finke, both earned SEC Male Freshman Swimmer of the Year in 2019, with Josh Liendo receiving the accolade in 2023. Jonny Marshall continued the trend, being named the 2024 SEC Freshman Swimmer of the Year, while Conor Gesing was named the 2024 SEC Male Freshman Diver of the Year. Liendo was also named the 2024 SEC Male Swimmer of the Year.
 
Since becoming the women’s head coach in 2022, 19 Gators have earned 73 NCAA Championship All-American Honors. Four Gators have claimed 3 NCAA event titles – Bella Sims (2024 NCAA 200 Freestyle and 500 Freestyle) and the 800 Freestyle Relay Team of Bella Sims, Isabel Ivey, Emma Weyant and Micayla Cronk. Additionally, Florida has taken home 15 SEC event titles, while racking up five SEC Postseason awards – Maha Amer (2022 SEC Female Diver of the Year), Zoe Dixon (2023 SEC Female Freshman of the Year), Bella Sims (2024 SEC Female Freshman of the Year and Female Swimmer of the Year). Sims was also awarded the Women’s Commissioners Trophy at the 2024 SEC Championships for scoring the most points, 96.
 
During the 2023-24 season, the women set 12 of the 18 possible swim records, while the men set seven.

In the classroom, the Gators have placed a totally of 105 individuals on the SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll from 2018. The women hold a team’s cumulative 3.69 grade point average for the spring 2024, while the men hold a cumulative 3.30 grade point average. In 2023, the men’s 28 selection for SEC Academic Honor Roll resets the program record of 23 from 2017-18. Diver Skip Donald received a $5,000 postgraduate scholarship as the 2024 Brad David SEC Community Service Award winner.

As Assistance Coach:
Nesty made his return to Gainesville on June 1, 1998, to assume duties on the pool deck. Prior to that, he served as a club level coach for three years with Swim Florida in Sarasota.

Making the coaching stop at Florida has not only allowed Nesty to reach a career goal, but his post on the Gators’ deck has allowed him to be reunited with a close friend in former Gator swimming head coach Gregg Troy, for whom Nesty swam for high school at The Bolles School in Jacksonville. Following Nesty’s illustrious collegiate career, he served as one of Troy’s assistants at Bolles, while also holding the head coaching position at Jacksonville’s Nease High School.

Prior to becoming head coach, Nesty has played a key role in guiding the UF men to the six previous Southeastern Conference Championships and a fifth-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Championships. Prior to 2013, the Gators had not won a conference title in 20 years. UF’s SEC title in 2018 represented the program’s 39th overall. This past season’s fifth-place finish extended UF’s streak of top-10 national finishes to 19 seasons. Florida had 11 student-athletes total 33 All-American honors over the three-day meet.

In the 2017-18 campaign, Nesty coached Caeleb Dressel to his seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth National Championships in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 fly, and 200 free relay. Dressel set a new American, NCAA, US Open and UF record in the 100 free with a mark of 39.90 which surpassed the mark of 40.00 he set in the previous year. Dressel was named the SEC Swimmer of the Year and the CSCAA Swimmer of the Year, both for the third straight season. Under Nesty’s guidance, the Gators totaled 33 All-American honors from 11 different athletes. Under the tutelage of Nesty, Florida collected 10 First-Team All-SEC accolades as well as two second-team nods.

In the 2016-17 season, Nesty coached Caeleb Dressel to his fourth, fifth and sixth National Championships in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 butterfly. His mark of 40.00 set UF, NCAA, American and U.S. Open records. Dressel took home his second-straight Co-CSCAA Male Swimmer of the Year award as well. Along with Dressel, Mark Szaranek won the 200 IM National Championship, the first of his career. Newcomer Maxime Rooney became Nesty’s 10th SEC Male Freshman of the Year after his performance in the pool. A total of eight athletes took home 31 All-American honors. Nesty also coached 11 of the women’s swimmers and two divers into qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Seven of those 13 were making their NCAA debut and 11 of the 13 will return for competition this coming season. Under his direction, Autumn Finke was named All-SEC Second Team and Emma Ball earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team.

In 2015-16, Nesty helped the Gators take another step forward as the Florida men matched their highest finish ever at the NCAA Championships. Behind two national titles from the NCAA Co-Swimmer of the Year, Caeleb Dressel, the Gators claimed a third-place finish for the second time in 20 seasons. In SEC competition, the Orange and Blue brought home their fourth straight Southeastern Conference Championship on the men’s side while 11 Gators were crowned individual champions. Senior Kahlia Warner led the Florida women with a pair of titles in the diving well while Dressel shined once again, claiming six (3 individual, 3 relays).   

In 2015, Nesty coached Caeleb Dressel to UF’s first-ever 50-yard freestyle (18.67) NCAA Championship, which he achieved on day one of the NCAA meet. Dressel became the ninth Gator swimmer under Nesty and Head Coach Gregg Troy’s tutelage to win SEC Male Freshman of the Year. At the conference meet, Dressel won the 100-yard butterfly title in an outstanding time of 45.28 seconds. That mark not only ranked him second all-time in school history but it was the second-quickest in the U.S. 17-18 year old age group.

During the 2014-15 season, the Florida men set seven of a possible 18 school records.

In 2014, the Gators finished third at the NCAA meet which was the highest finish in program history since 1991.During that season, the Florida men set 12 school records in 2014, including Brad deBorde in the 50 and 100-yard free, Dan Wallace in the 500 free, Arthur Frayler in the mile, Eduardo Solaeche-Gomez in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and Marcin Cieslak in the 100 and 200 butterfly races. In addition, four of five relay teams set UF records as well. Cieslak won a pair of NCAA titles, becoming the first Gator since Nesty to bring home three consecutive national titles in the 100 butterfly (1990-92). Cieslak also captured UF’s eighth 200 IM national championship. Sebastien Rousseau was named the SEC Swimmer of the Year and earned the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy after he won a trio of SEC titles.

“Anthony is one of the most revered coaches in college swimming, and one of the few who is considered both a great athlete and a great coach,” Troy said. “He’s got a great work ethic and a tremendous ability to get results. His experience at the Olympics as an athlete is instrumental in his ability to relate to our current athletes. His reputation for getting the most out of them speaks for itself.”

Over the last 26 seasons at UF, Nesty has shown the ability to transfer his penchant for fast times in the water to the Gator swimmers he has coached. In 2006-07, he helped Shaune Fraser, a 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympian from the Cayman Islands, develop into a top-five finisher in the 200 fly at the NCAA Championships in his first collegiate season. His work with the Gators’ middle-distance and distance freestylers during that campaign also came to fruition at the 2007 NCAA Championships, as he tutored Grant Johnson and Tobias Work to earn a combined five All-America honors and record four career-best times.

Fraser returned to the NCAA Championships in 2008 to collect seven All-American honors and finally reached the highest collegiate achievement under Nesty in 2009, when he brought home his first two individual national championships in the 200 free and 200 fly (NCAA record). Fraser became the first Gator to win the 200-yard fly since Nesty did so in 1990. Fraser wrapped up his career in 2010 with seven All-America honors, giving him 27 accolades for his career, the most for a single men’s swimmer or diver in school history.

At the 2000 NCAA Championships, Nesty saw his pupil, Duncan Sherrard, break his 10-year old school record, which he set at the 1990 SEC Championships, in the 200 fly. In 2006, he was on the pool deck when Ryan Lochte set the school records in the 100 and 200 fly at the SEC Championships. Another Nesty protégé, Ricardo Monasterio, collected four All-America honors during his career at UF and swam in the 1996, 2000, 2004 & 2008 Olympic Games for his home country of Venezuela.

In 2015, Dressel earned seven All-American honors and became the first UF freshman to earn seven tributes since Shaune Fraser in 2007. In 2014, Cieslak finished his career with 25 All-America honors and three NCAA Championships, the third-most All-America honors and the 10th most NCAA titles in school history.
 
International Expereince:
In addition to his success at the collegiate level, Nesty brings experience at the highest levels of international swimming to the Florida staff. At the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, he won the first-ever Olympic medal for his native country of Suriname when he edged seven-time medalist Matt Biondi of the United States by .01 to bring home the gold in the 100-meter fly. Nesty also won the gold medal in the 100 fly at the 1990 Goodwill Games and captured a world championship in the same event in 1991. Nesty concluded his swimming career at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where he earned the bronze in the 100 fly.

Nesty began his international coaching career as an assistant coach for Suriname at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. He then continued his Olympic tradition as the head coach for Suriname at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2012 Olympics in London. On the 20th anniversary of Nesty’s Olympic gold medal in the 100-meter fly, not only was Nesty honored as head coach of his country’s team, but he was recognized as the Suriname flag bearer at the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Games. Nesty served as assistant coaches with the U.S. team at the Tokyo Olympics, where the Americans won a total of 30 medals. Nesty’s swimmers included Finke, who captured a pair of golds, and Kieran Smith, who earned a bronze. Most recent, in September of 2023, Nesty was named the U.S. Men’s Olympic Head Swim Coach for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, becoming the first black US head swimming coach at the Olympics.
 
Outside of the Olympics, Nesty coached internationally during the summer of 2009, when he traveled to Rome as the coach for the 2009 Cayman National Team at the 2009 FINA World Championships. At the Championships, Nesty tutored then-current Gators Brett and Shaune Fraser. In the summer of 2010, Nesty coached the Cayman National Team at the2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships, the largest international meet of the year. In 2011, Nesty served on deck as an assistant coach for the U.S. men’s team at the World University Games, which was his first time coaching for the United States. In 2014, Nesty coached the Venezuelan team at the Pan Pacific games, where he tutored Olympian Andreina Pinto, who trains with the Gator swim club in Gainesville. In 2022, Nesty became the first Black coach to lead a U.S. team at the world championships in Budapest. The Americans captured 45 medals in the pool, surpassing the previous record of 38 by an individual country.

Throughout 2021-23, Nesty became a coach of four swimmers who combined to own at least one gold medal in every freestyle event from 50 meters through 1,500 meters: Caeleb Dressel, Bobby Finke and Kieran Smith. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Dressel cemented his place in Olympic history as only the fifth swimmer to win five golds at a single Games. His Tokyo resume: five gold medals, two world records, two Olympic records, and a seat next to Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz as just the third American male swimmer to win three individual golds in a single Summer Games. He earned wins in the 4x100m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 50m freestyle and 4x100m medley races. Finke went from fourth at 750 meters to win the 800m freestyle, becoming the first U.S. man to win an Olympic distance event since 1984. Finke came from nowhere in the pool and on paper, going into the Games with a personal best five seconds slower than the favorites and ranked ninth in the world for the year. Finke won the 1500m free with another late charge on the final day of pool swimming at the Games. Kieran Smith earned a spot on the podium in the 400 meter freestyle after finishing in 3:43.94 for bronze. 

After winning seven gold medals at the Olympics, Katie Ledecky moved to Florida to train with Anthony Nesty in 2022. After moving to Florida, Ledecky's timings improved significantly, as she created two world records, including 7:57:42 in 800m freestyle at the FINA World Cup on November 5, 2022, in Indianapolis, and 15:08:42 in 1500m freestyle at the FINA World Cup on October 29, 2022, in Toronto. Katie Ledecky cruised to her sixth consecutive women’s 800-metre freestyle world title, with victory at the World Aquatics Championships 2023 in a time of in 8:08.87 in Fukuoka, Japan. The streak is the longest ever in a single event in championships history. She also surpassed Michael Phelps' number of swimming world titles by netting her 16th individual gold medal, having equaled her fellow American's haul.

2024 Paris Olympic Games:
As the head coach for the men's U.S. Olympic swim team, Nesty guided the men's team to three golds, four silvers and three bronze medals, while setting two new world records. The USA came away with the most gold medals (8) and the most overall medals (28), 10 ahead of Australia’s 18 to remain their dominance in the sport. 

Two of those gold medals were thanks to Katie Ledecky, who cemented her title in Paris as the most decorated U.S. female Olympian after winning four total medals in Paris: gold in the women's 1500m freestyle and 800m freestyle, silver in the 4x200m freestyle relay and bronze in the 400m freestyle. Additionally, her winning 1500m time of 15:30.02 set an Olympic record. With 14 total Olympic medals, Ledecky is the fifth-most decorated athlete in the history of the competition, and her nine gold medals makes her the most decorated American female. 

Bobby Finke was the one and only male swimmer to win gold, keeping alive the U.S. streak of at least one individual men’s gold medal in the pool since 1900. He defended his Olympic title in the 1500m, setting a world record in the process at 14:30.67. Finke became only the fourth swimmer to defend the men’s title in the longest event at the pool, and the first since Australia’s Grant Hackett in 2004. He also won silver in the 800m, losing out to Ireland's Daniel Wiffen, who set an Olympic record in the event.

Caeleb Dressel added three Olympic medals to his seven gold-medal count, taking home two gold medals in the men's 4x100m free relay and mixed 4x100m medley relay. In addition, the nine-time gold medalist added one silver to his collection after the men's 4x100m medley relay finished second. He recorded the fastest butterfly leg after cruising to  a 49.41. His nine gold medals ranks third overall in USA men's swimming history. 

Kieran Smith was part of Team USA's men's 4x200m freestyle relay team that swam to a second-place finish after posting an overall time of 7:00.78. Though not a part of the team that swam the preliminary heat earlier in the day, Smith was given the honor of swimming the anchor leg of the relay. His 1:44.80 leg was the fastest of any of the American swimmers in the final. Smith finished 11th in the men's 400m free, finishing in 3:46.47. 

Emma Weyant earned a bronze medal in the 400m individual medley with a time of 4:34.93. It’s her second overall Olympic medal after she earned silver in the same event at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. 

In total, 13 swimmers with Gator connections represented seven countries at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Including Canada's Josh Liendo. He became the first Black Canadian to win an Olympic swimming medal after taking silver in the men's 100m butterfly. Liendo became the first swimmer in history to post a sub-50 time after touching the wall in 49.99. 

The full list of Gator swimmers who competed in Paris include: Julie Brousseau, Josh Liendo, Jonny Marshall, Nicole Maier, Aleksas Savickas, Emma Weyant, Luke Whitlock. Amro Al-Wir, Maha Amer, Caeleb Dressel, Bobby Finke, Alberto Mestre, Alfonso Mestre and Kieran Smith.
 
Nesty’s Collegiate Career:
During his collegiate career at UF, Nesty won his aforementioned three consecutive NCAA crowns in the 100 fly from 1990-92. In addition, at the NCAA Championships, Nesty won the 200 fly in 1990 and he was a member of Florida’s 1991 NCAA champion 400 medley relay team. He held the school records for NCAA titles until 2006, when former Gator Ryan Lochte finished his illustrious career with seven such honors. For his accomplishments as a Gator, Nesty was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in April 2002.
 
The Anthony Nesty File
Hometown: Paramaribo, Suriname
Education: B.A. in Communications, University of Florida, 1994
 
Olympic Career:

• Head Coach, USA Men's Olympic Swim Team, 2024 Paris Olympics – Becoming the first Black U.S head swimming coach at the Olympics  
• Assistant Coach, USA Swimming, 2020 Tokyo Olympics
• Olympic Gold Medalist in 100-meter fly, 1988
• Olympic Gold Medalist in 100-meter fly, 1988
• Olympic Bronze Medalist in 100-meter fly, 1992
• Celebrated the 20th anniversary of his Olympic gold medal as Suriname’s flag bearer at the 2008 Olympic Games

• Men's Head Coach, University of Florida, 2018-Present
• Women’s Head Coach, University of Florida, 2021-Present
• Associate Head Coach, University of Florida, 2006-2018
• Assistant Coach, USA Swimming, 2023 Fukuoka World Aquatics Championships
• Head Coach, USA Swimming, FINA World Championships, 2022
• Head Coach, Suriname Summer Olympic Team, 2016
• Head Coach, Suriname Summer Olympic Team, 2012
• Assistant Coach, United States National Team, 2011 World University Games
• Assistant Coach, Cayman Islands National Team, 2010
• Assistant Coach, Cayman Islands National Team, 2009
• Head Coach, Suriname Summer Olympic Team, 2008
• Assistant Coach, University of Florida, 1999-2006
• Assistant Coach, Suriname National Swim Team, 2004
• Club Coach, Swim Florida, 1996-98

• Named as the USA Men’s Swimming Head Coach for the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first black US Olympic head coach
• Named the 2022-23 and 2023-24 SEC Men’s and Women’s Coach of the year, becoming first Gators coach to win both honors back-to-back. It also marks the first coach in the SEC to win both Swimming Coach of the Year award two years in a row.
• Six-time SEC Men’s Swim Coach of the Year (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024), the first coach in program history to take home the honor in the first six season’s served as head coach 
• Named as the USA Men’s Swimming coaching staff for the 2023 Fukuoka World Aquatics Championships
• Became just the second Gator to win a SEC championship as both a coach and student-athlete
• 2022 Golden Goggles Coach of the Year
• Named as the USA Men’s Swimming Head Coach for the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest
• Served as an Assistant Coach for the USA Men at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics
• Named as the men's swimming and diving representative on the SEC Council on Racial Equity and Social Justice, 2020
• Assistant Coach, United States National Team, 2011 World University Games

• Inducted into University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, 2002
• All-American
• Three-time NCAA Champion in 100-yard fly, 1990-92
• NCAA champion in 200-yard fly, 1990
• Member of NCAA champion 400-yard MR team, 1991
• Back-to-back SEC Champion in the 200-Yard Fly (1990-91)
• SEC Champion in the 100-Yard Fly (1990)
• SEC Champion in the 100-Meter Fly (1992)
• Three-time Men’s All-SEC Team Honoree, 1990-92

• World Champion in 100-meter fly, 1991
• Goodwill Games Gold Medalist in 100-meter fly, 1990