Florida has added Chelsea Piper (née Bailey) to its staff as an assistant coach, head coach Anthony Nesty announced on Monday. Piper arrives after spending the last seven years at Vanderbilt.
Chelsea’s passion for the sport and building relationships will continue to propel our student athletes forward in every measurable way,” Nesty said. “She brings experience coaching in the SEC and a drive to work with world class athletes. Her humility and work ethic will fit in seamlessly with our staff and we look forward to the future of Florida Swimming & Diving with her addition.”
Piper arrived at Vanderbilt as an assistant coach and rose to serve as recruiting coordinator and was promoted to associate head coach for the last two seasons. During her time at Vanderbilt, the women swam to 15 different school records and set new school records in all five relays as well. The team’s 194 points at the 2024 SEC Championships was their most since 2007. The team also sent Kailia Utley to the 2024 NCAA Championships that season, marking their first swimmer at NCAAs in 30 years.
Piper spent her collegiate career at San Diego State and was an NCAA relay All-American during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. She helped San Diego State’s 200 free relay to a 14th place finish in 2014 as well as a 16th place finish in 2015. She graduated in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in social science with an emphasis in psychology. She finished her career at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.
She began her coaching career at Seattle University where she primarily coached the sprint group. She earned a master’s degree in secondary education with an emphasis in psychology from Grand Canyon in 2019 while coaching at Seattle.
The Florida men finished 2nd while the women finished 3rd at the 2026 SEC Championships. The men went on to finish 2nd at the 2026 NCAA Championships with 416 points, finishing just behind Texas who earned the NCAA title with 445.5 points. The Florida women finished 10th with 125.5 points.
