The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Nigro named Women’s Swimming Associate Head Coach
05.18.2026 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Former Army West Point Men’s and Women’s Head Coach joins Capitani’s staff at Texas.
AUSTIN, Texas — Brandt Nigro has been named Associate Head Coach for The University of Texas Women's Swimming & Diving program, Head Women's Swimming Coach Carol Capitani announced Monday. Nigro joins the Texas staff with 13 years of collegiate coaching experience, including the last seven years as the Head Coach for Army West Point's Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving programs.
Nigro arrives on the Forty Acres after a seven-year stint at Army West Point (2019-26), where he served as the Head Coach for the Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving programs. Since June 2024, his title at Army has been Director of Swimming & Diving.
During Nigro's time with the Black Knights, the program saw its first NCAA Championship qualifier in over 30 seasons and recorded its first dual-meet victory over Navy in over 30 years. The Army men's and women's teams posted a combined 72-36-1 dual meet record in his seven seasons, including a 34-12 mark in Patriot League competition. Nigro earned Patriot League Men's Coach of the Year honors in 2023 and 2025.
"Brandt is an exceptional fit for Texas," said Texas Women's Swimming Head Coach Carol Capitani. "His most recent experience as Head Coach at Army West Point and at NC State brings immediate depth and credibility to our staff. Brandt's energy, investment in his athletes, and his clear understanding of what it means to compete and succeed at this level made him a standout throughout this process. I'm looking forward to working together and continuing the sustained excellence that is Texas Swimming and Diving."
In the recently completed 2025-26 season, the trio of Catriana Gilmore, Molly Webber and Angie McKane made history by becoming the first women swimmers to compete at the NCAA Championship since Army's program joined Division I in 1991. Nigro led the Black Knights' women to a 9-1 dual-meet record and a second-place finish at the Patriot League Championship meet.
On the men's side, Johnny Crush registered a fifth-place finish at the 2026 NCAA Championship in the 100 backstroke with a school-record time of 43.84 and became just the second Black Knight in program history to earn back-to-back All-America honors in the 100 backstroke since Peter Witteried accomplished the feat in 1952, 1953 and 1954. Kohen Rankin also placed 13th in the 100 breaststroke (51.47) to earn second-team All-America honors. Nigro paced the Black Nights' men to a 6-2 dual-meet record and a second-place finish at the Patriot League Championship meet.
During the 2024-25 campaign, Army claimed their first sweep over Navy since 1988 and the men claimed its first Patriot League title in 24 years with 19 first-place finishes at the championship meet. The men's and women's programs posted a combined 12-4 record in dual meets, including a perfect 8-0 mark in conference action. Webber claimed co-Women's Highest Point Scorer at the Patriot League championship meet, and Crush earned Rookie and Men's Swimmer of the Meet. Nigro earned 2025 SwimSwam Coach of the Year honorable mention recognition and was named the Patriot League Men's Coach of the Year. Army placed a record-setting 14 athletes on the All-Patriot League first team, and 22 athletes earned all-conference awards.
The Army program registered one of its most successful campaigns in history in 2023-24, setting program records in 26 of a possible 44 events during the season. Kohen Rankin qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, becoming the first Army swimmer to qualify for the national meet since 1987. The Black Knights had 13 athletes named to the All-Patriot League first team, and 20 athletes earned all-conference awards.
Both Army teams finished second at the Patriot League Championship meet while setting a combined 14 program records and 15 first-place performances. Webber was named Women's Swimmer of the Meet and Highest Point Scorer after claiming three individual titles and two relay golds. Wes Tate claimed Men's Highest Point Scorer honors. Nigro was a finalist for the 2024 Mike Krzyzewski Teaching Character Through Sport Award, which recognizes West Point cadet-athletes, coaches, officers in charge and sport educators for their outstanding commitment to the development of noble character through athletic participation and leadership.
In 2022-23, Nigro earned Patriot League Men's Coach of the Year honors, as the Black Knights posted the program's first victory over Navy since 1990. Army earned a 189-111 victory over the Midshipmen in the dual meet, snapping a 30-plus year drought without a win over its service academy rival.
Prior to his time at West Point, Nigro served as an assistant coach at NC State for two years (2017-19). His primary responsibilities included working with the sprint freestyle and stroke events, and he also assisted in recruiting.
The NC State men's and women's teams swept the ACC Championship crowns in 2018-19. The Wolfpack women won 11 event titles at the league meet, setting a program record for most conference titles in a season. The men claimed 17 total podium finishes, including five titles. Coleman Stewart was selected as ACC Meet co-MVP after claiming two individual crowns and breaking a pair of league records.
At the 2019 ACC Women's Swimming & Diving Championship, Nigro helped direct the 200 freestyle relay squad to the league title while setting an ACC meet record and the second-fastest time in the nation (1:26.15), as each member of the relay split 21-second times for the Wolfpack.
Both teams went on to tie program-best finishes at the 2019 NCAA Championships. The men secured its fourth-consecutive podium result with a fourth-place effort at the national meet while the women placed seventh. Andreas Vazaios paced the men with an individual NCAA championship in the 200 butterfly. On the women's side, sprinter Kylee Perry advanced to a pair of A finals in the 50 and 100 freestyle, a first for a Wolfpack female sprinter. In addition, Nigro coached several relays to program records and all-time best finishes in the 200 freestyle and 200 medley relays.
In the summer following the 2018-19 season, Perry earned a gold medal in the 50-meter (long-course) freestyle at the World University Games in Italy. Additionally, Nigro's swimmers competed internationally at the World Championships, Pan American Games, Pan Pacific Games and Central American Games.
During the 2017-18 season, Stewart captured the individual NCAA title in the 100 back to mark the program's first individual national swimming champion since 2006. Anton Ipsen (1,650 freestyle) and Vazaios (200 butterfly) also won individual NCAA crowns, giving the Wolfpack three individual titles for the first time in program history. In addition, NC State's relay teams set NCAA, U.S. Open and American records to win both the 800 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay. The program-record five total NCAA titles and 31 All-America performances helped the Wolfpack men post a fourth-place finish at the national meet.
NC State also won the 2018 ACC title for the fourth-consecutive season, led by ACC Most Valuable Swimmer Ryan Held and ACC Men's Swimmer of the Year Andreas Vazaios. The Wolfpack won four of the five relays and 10 of the 13 individual events at the ACC Championship meet.
During his time in Raleigh, Nigro also played a coaching role with Wolfpack Elite, the post-grad professional group training at NC State. Nigro had the opportunity in this role to work with some of the biggest names in the sport, including Cullen Jones, Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, Simonas Bilis, and Christopher Reid.
Prior to his time at NC State, Nigro worked for one season (2016-17) as Head Assistant Coach at Marshall University and helped the Thundering Herd to its most successful season in program history. Marshall's women's team posted a third-place finish at the 2017 Conference USA Championship meet with a program-record 724 points. He served as the primary coach for the sprint and backstroke groups and tutored Sirena Rowe to earn 2017 C-USA Freshman of the Year accolades and advance to compete at the NCAA Championship meet. Rowe became the first Marshall swimmer to qualify for the NCAA Championships since 2005. During the season, Marshall athletes set 11 school records, six pool records and recorded 10 NCAA B standards and earned the nation's fifth-highest team GPA.
Nigro worked for two years (2014-16) on the staff with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). While at UMBC, Nigro coached the club team, Retriever Aquatic Club (RAC), and was an Assistant Aquatics Director. He guided the club through USA Swimming's Club Recognition Program, helping it claim Level 4 Recognition, the highest level for an American swim club. Nigro coached multiple Junior National/Futures qualifiers, Academic All-Americans and Maryland Swimming senior champions. During this time window, he worked on the staff of USA Swimming's Eastern Zone Select Camp.
Nigro began his collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Wesleyan University (Middletown, Conn.) for one season in 2013-14. He primarily worked with the sprint group while assisting with team practices and dryland sessions.
Nigro previously served as the Head Junior Coach with the Cheshire YMCA Sea Dog Swim Club. He also worked as head coach at Brookfield High School, where he led the girls' swimming and diving team to a Southwest Conference title in 2012, and coached at Joel Barlow/Immaculate High School and Bristol Eastern High School. An ASCA Level 4 certified coach, he was selected to the ASCA Fellows Class of 2016 and interned at the Sprint Salo Swim Camp at the University of Southern California.
A native of Bristol, Conn., Nigro swam for one year at the University of Connecticut before transferring to College of Charleston. While at Charleston, he won a conference title as a member of the 200 and 400 medley relay teams and was named to the Southern State all-conference and all-academic teams.
Nigro graduated from College of Charleston in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in political science. He later completed the master's program along with a Sixth-Year Certificate in professional school psychology and graduated with honors from the University of Hartford in 2009. Nigro and his wife, Ginger, have two children, Sophia and Hank.
