**Former Auburn Head Coach Gary Taylor Joins Virginia Staff As Associate Head Coach**
The University of Virginia has hired Gary Taylor as the new associate head coach for its swimming program, filling the vacancy left by Blaire Anderson, who moved to Texas A&M University as the Director of Swimming.
Taylor’s return to college swimming comes after a three-year break. He was previously the head coach at Auburn for three seasons but parted ways with the Tigers after a disappointing performance at the 2021 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships, where neither the men’s nor women’s teams scored. Following his departure from Auburn, Taylor became the head coach of the Cavalier Aquatics club team in Charlottesville, where Virginia is located.
Taylor has a history with Virginia head coach Todd DeSorbo, as both served as assistant coaches at NC State. DeSorbo was with the Wolfpack from 2011 to 2017, while Taylor was there from 2012 to 2018.
At NC State, Taylor earned a reputation as a successful distance coach. Over six seasons, he coached 11 swimmers to school records and 97 to all-time top 10 performances. In the 2017-2018 season, NC State was the only school to have top three finishers in both the men’s and women’s 1650 freestyle events at the NCAA D1 Swimming & Diving Championships, including men’s champion Anton Ipsen.
Taylor’s tenure at Auburn did not yield the same level of success, but he found greater achievements at the club level with Cavalier Aquatics. Notably, he coached US National Team member Thomas Heilman, who won a gold medal in the 400 medley relay at the 2023 World Championships and placed 16th in the 100 fly and 4th in the 200 fly at just 16 years old. While Heilman was already a promising talent before Taylor’s arrival, Taylor has significantly enhanced his versatility and performance.
It remains uncertain whether Taylor will continue coaching Heilman during his senior year of high school, but he is expected to maintain some involvement with the Cavalier Aquatics program. Heilman has verbally committed to swim at Virginia starting in fall 2025, as part of their top-ranked recruiting class.
Before his time at NC State, Taylor spent four years as the distance coach at Florida State, coaching 2012 ACC Freshman of the Year Juan Sequera. He also coached for three years with the Dynamo Swim Club in Atlanta and six years with the Twin Cities Swim Team in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Taylor swam collegiately at Minnesota, where he was part of the 1998 Big Ten Championship team and graduated in 2001.
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