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Florida to Combine Men’s and Women’s Programs Under Anthony Nesty

The University of Florida is combining its women’s and men’s swimming & diving programs into one, with Anthony Nesty to become the head coach for the combined program. This comes shortly after the announcement that the University of Florida women’s head coach Jeff Poppell would be leaving to take over as head coach of the University of South Carolina.

Nesty has spent the last three seasons as the Florida men’s head coach, and the Olympic champion and UF standout has been on the Florida staff for the last 23 years.

Florida was a combined program under longtime coach Gregg Troy, who retired from collegiate coaching in spring 2018 following the 2017-18 NCAA season. Following Troy’s departure, the program split, and former Florida associate head coaches Nesty and Poppell were tapped to lead the men’s and women’s programs as head coaches, respectively.

The Florida men and women each had several strong seasons since Troy’s departure.

Nesty helped the Florida men to a third-place finish at 2021 NCAAs, up from sixth in 2019 and fifth in 2018 (Caeleb Dressel‘s senior year). He’s continued the Florida men’s SEC dominance, extending their conference win streak through to 2021– no other team has won since 2013. The last couple of seasons, Kieran Smith and Bobby Finke have set American records, and the Gator men have been a national force, also excelling in sprints even after Dressel’s graduation.

Poppell, meanwhile, pushed the Florida women from a scoreless NCAAs in 2017, their first scoreless NCAAs in history, up to 17th place in 2021 with 84.5 points. Florida jumped from seventh at 2018 SECs, the season before Poppell took over the newly split women’s program, to SEC runners-up in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

With Florida becoming a combined program again, that leaves Texas A&M and Tennessee (unofficially, as Matt Kredich is the head coach of men and women but coaches dedicate their time mostly to either the men or women) as the only teams to split by gender in the SEC (Arkansas and Vanderbilt only have women’s teams.)

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Thomas
3 years ago

Honestly, pretty awesome news from an academic view. My college team was combined (under the same coach), but we practiced separately. This gave you a little bit of leniency with classes. If you had a class conflict, important review session, or a club meeting that interfered with practice, you were able to make it up with the women’s (or men’s) practice.

Ryan Woodruff
3 years ago

Congratulations, Nesty! Nobody bleeds orange and blue more than him! Great decision by the A.D.

Austinpoolboy
3 years ago

Probably explains Poppel’s move to South Carolina

He had inside scoop of plans to combine & he wasn’t going to be offered. Just a guess

tallanasty
Reply to  Austinpoolboy
3 years ago

or he took a job/new opp he wanted and florida had to fill the opening? really think they would’ve fired him or asked him to step down in position and salary? lmfao

swimgeek
Reply to  Austinpoolboy
3 years ago

Or… they combined BECAUSE he left.

DCSwim
Reply to  swimgeek
3 years ago

No no no, that makes too much sense

Fly 100
Reply to  Austinpoolboy
3 years ago

Next stop UGA !

Wetness
3 years ago

This is a bold move, considering the women didn’t score at NCAA’s the last time Nesty coached them. And a big slap in the face to Holly Bonewit-Cron, HBC should have been begged to take this job with no expenses spared to get her. She would take UF Women’s Swimming back to where it belongs, at the top of not only the SEC, but also the NCAA. Best of luck to Coach Nesty and the lady gators, maybe HBC would be humble enough to accept an Associate Head Coach or similar role directing the women’s team under Coach Nesty.

Math
Reply to  Wetness
3 years ago

Who? And Nesty was in charge on the Men’s team.

applesandoranges
Reply to  Math
3 years ago

Who? HBC? Amazing head coach of the Miami University Redhawks. Was on UF staff at some point. Brought along the Nova Southeastern program from nothing to a D2 powerhouse.

Last edited 3 years ago by applesandoranges
Saw Guerra
Reply to  applesandoranges
3 years ago

HBC is peaking at Miami. She goes thru assistants worse than Ray Looze.

NC Fan
Reply to  Saw Guerra
3 years ago

Love the screen name to go with the reference.

Clown
Reply to  Saw Guerra
3 years ago

She has had 2 assistants leave in the last 4 years. One left college coaching completely. She employs 3 assistants each year. So that’s 2/12 over 4 years. Stop spreading lies.

Last edited 3 years ago by Clown
Daddy
Reply to  applesandoranges
3 years ago

Clown
Reply to  applesandoranges
3 years ago

Not sure why all the downvotes. Nothing in this comment is incorrect

MACDADDY
Reply to  Wetness
3 years ago

HBC has had success with the men at Miami but not with the women so far!

Takes Thermometer
Reply to  Wetness
3 years ago

Bruh, this take is ICE COLD

rectal thermometer
Reply to  Takes Thermometer
3 years ago

bruh think about this

Coach Cwik
Reply to  Wetness
3 years ago

Sorry, but you just don’t know the back ground.

JimCorbeau
3 years ago

Ja, jongen! Gefeliciteerd!

Aquajosh
3 years ago

Great choice. Great coach, even better person. Everybody loves Nesty.

I wonder who they’ll bring on as an assistant though. That spot would still need to be filled.

Fred Lewis
3 years ago

Did I hear that Anthony’s daughter committed to the Gators this morning????? Congrats Coach Nesty.

applesandoranges
Reply to  Fred Lewis
3 years ago

Isn’t she 14 years old?

William Wallace
Reply to  applesandoranges
3 years ago

Bro it’s a joke it’s not that deep.

applesandoranges
Reply to  William Wallace
3 years ago

Bro, I knew that. You fell for it.

William Wallace
Reply to  applesandoranges
3 years ago

Yo my bad bro

VFL
3 years ago

Asti has stepped down at Tennessee

JCO
Reply to  VFL
3 years ago

What head coaching jobs are open right now that he may be looking at?

Swimmer2
Reply to  JCO
3 years ago

TEXAS, lol

Top is too Rocky
Reply to  JCO
3 years ago

landscaping business

SwimFani
Reply to  Top is too Rocky
3 years ago

mowing lawns

wkkd
Reply to  JCO
3 years ago

landscape architecture

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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