George Washington University (GWU) announced that former Georgia Tech associate head coach Chico Lego He will be the program's next head coach. Former George Washington University head coach Brian Thomas He left the program in May and said he was “retiring from coaching.”
“First, I want to thank Tanya Vogel and Andrew Rand for this opportunity. It has been my goal to lead a collegiate team, and George Washington University is one of the most attractive programs in the country!” said Rego. “Located in the heart of the nation's capital, the university has an international reputation for top-notch academic education and is a no-brainer for student-athletes from all over the world. It will be an honor and privilege to help the Buff and Blue reach new levels in and above the water, and I am confident the program will continue to elevate its reputation for swimming and diving excellence. Kat, Juliana, and I are excited to be a part of this incredible team at George Washington University!”
Rego most recently served as the associate head coach at ACC Georgia Tech. He joined Georgia Tech as an assistant coach in 2019 and was promoted to associate head coach this past season. The Georgia Tech men's and women's programs finished ninth out of 11 teams in the ACC this February.
Prior to arriving at Georgia Tech, Rego coached the Greenville, South Carolina, team at the club level, leading the team to multiple state championships during his two-year tenure.
Rego began his coaching career in the United States at Auburn University, where he spent two-plus years with the collegiate program and the professional team Tiger Elite. Kevin Cordes, Marcelo Chierighiniand Felipe Lima.
A native of Brazil, he graduated from the Estacio de Sa University in Rio de Janeiro in 2009. He then moved to the United States and earned a master's degree in exercise physiology from Auburn University in 2017. His wife, Kat McKinney, grew up in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
Rego takes up his post at George Washington University fresh off a successful season that included sweeping Atlantic 10 Conference titles and sending three players to the NCAA Championship in women's Ava DeAngelis and Ava Topolewski and men's Djurje Matic, who just completed her redshirt senior season, while DeAngelis will not be returning, having announced her transfer to Ohio State.
The team has been fighting to keep its on-campus pool open for the next school year since school officials announced in February that it would fill the on-campus pool where the team practices to make way for additional practice facilities for men's and women's basketball, which will force the swimming and diving program to move off-campus. A petition to keep the pool open was started by juniors in March. Julia Knox and,
At the end of April, the school announced that it would not proceed with any construction plans for the time being after it was discovered that renovation work could cause problems with the building's structure.
