Athletic Director Tanya Vogel named Francisco “Chico” Rego as the new swimming and diving head coach Monday, replacing former Head Coach Brian Thomas after his resignation last month.
Rego previously served as Georgia Tech’s associate head coach last season, where the men’s and women’s teams finished ninth at the ACC championships. Before becoming associate head coach, he served in the program as an assistant coach for four years, with almost 20 years of coaching experience total.
The Revolutionaries dominated in the pool in the past few years, marked by three consecutive men’s and women’s conference championships. Rego said he is confident he will guide the team to continued success.
“Helping the Buff & Blue reach new levels in and out of the water will be an honor and a privilege,” Rego said in a GW Athletics press release Monday.
Plans to demolish the Smith Center swimming pool in September created turbulence on the team, with athletes saying they were not given appropriate warning of the proposed renovation and more than 10 athletes entering the transfer portal. But after officials reversed demolition plans in April, the program will continue to practice and compete in the 25-meter pool, which is half of an Olympic length.
The Revs will still lose a few top swimmers to the transfer portal. Ava Deangelis, a 2024 NCAA qualifier, is transferring to Ohio State and A-10 freestyle champion Toni Dragoja is transferring to Alabama. Ralf Roose will transfer to University of Kentucky and Zoe Schneider to University of Missouri after a year in the program.
During Rego’s Tech tenure, the team produced multiple All-American swimmers including Caio Pumputis, who represented Brazil at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. He was Tech’s recruiting coordinator since 2021, bringing in multiple NCAA-qualifying swimmers to the squad.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Rio De Janeiro, Rego coached a number of club teams before attending Auburn as a graduate assistant and earning his graduate degree in exercise physiology. He also coached at the club level in the U.S., leading Team Greenville in South Carolina to multiple state championships.
Swimming and diving will return many of their top performers from last year, including NCAA qualifier and incoming junior Ava Topolewski and incoming senior Conner Rodgers. The swimmers recently swam at the USA Swimming Olympic Trials in Indianapolis.
Coach Rego will have the summer to prepare his new team for the season, which typically starts in late September and ends in late March.
