NC State Hires Gary Taylor Jr. as Assistant Coach

RALEIGH, North Carolina, June 11. THE NC State swimming and diving program announced Monday that it has added distance specialist Gary Taylor, Jr., to its program as an assistant coach. Taylor brings a wealth of experience to the Wolfpack program, as he spent the previous four years as the distance coach and recruiting coordinator at Florida State.

“I'm very excited to announce the addition of Gary to our staff,” head coach Braden Holloway said. “When we knew that we were going to have an opening on our staff, we thought of different people who would fit in with what we are hoping to accomplish. We knew that Gary was someone who would come in and make an immediate impact in our program.

“He is a very hard working individual with a great reputation in the swimming community.”

The distance program at Florida State flourished under Taylor's tutelage. Eight school records were broken during his stint with the program, and 43 all-time top-10 marks were achieved.

Taylor guided four athletes to individual crowns at the ACC Championships while at Florida State, including Juan Sequear, who was named Freshman of the Year this past season, and Mateo De Angulo, who took home Swimmer of the Year and Performer of the Championships honors. Taylor guided seven individuals to the NCAA Championships over the course of the last four seasons, including De Angulo, who earned first team All-America honors in 2012.

Aside from coaching the distance program, Taylor was also a valuable recruiter for the Seminoles, and played a key role in signing several top national recruits, as well as top classes. Last season's incoming class at Florida State was ranked No. 19 in the country.

“Not only does Gary provide additional credibility to the distance area of our program, but he was also the recruiting coordinator at Florida State,” said associate head coach Todd DeSorbo. “We now have twice as many recruiters, which is a great thing for us.”

Prior to taking the reigns of the distance program at Florida State, Taylor spent three years coaching for the Dynamo Swim Club in Atlanta, Ga. He coached multiple age sectional and state record holders, as well as age group sectional and state champions. He was named the Georgia Age Group Coach of the Year in 2007.

Before coaching with the Dynamo, Taylor spent six years with the Twin Cities Swim Team. He was the lead site coach in Minnetonka, Minn., and gained experience in both the business and coaching aspects of the sport through the program.

Taylor was a former student-athlete at the University of Minnesota, and was a member of the 1998 Big Ten Championship swimming team. He graduated in 2001 with a B.S. in sport management.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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