Brown Names Niko Fantakis As New Women’s Assistant Coach

Brown women’s swimming and diving head coach Kate Kovenock announced Thursday the hiring of Niko Fantakis as the new women’s assistant coach.

Fantakis previously worked at Duke for two seasons as an assistant, where he helped lead the Blue Devil women to their best performance ever (points wise) at the 2018 ACC Championships.

“I am incredibly appreciative and enthusiastic about this amazing opportunity to join the Brown swimming and diving family,” Fantakis said. “It became clear early on in the process that coach Kovenock and I share many of the same values which made this a perfect fit as we move the program forward to new heights. I will always cherish these last two years and the mentorship of Dan Colella, Dawn Kane, and Doak Finch. The future is bright in Providence and I can’t wait to begin this journey with such an impressive group of student-athletes!”

Prior to Duke, Fantakis completed his collegiate career at Connecticut College, swimming three years before acting as a student assistant coach in his senior year.

“I am thrilled to welcome Niko to our coaching staff,” Kovenock said. “Without question, his time coaching and recruiting in the ACC will serve him well as he makes the move to Brown women’s swimming & diving and the Ivy League.  But what I’m most excited about is the type of coach Niko is on a daily basis. Thoughtful, caring, and purpose-driven, he has a first-hand understanding of what it takes to mentor bright student-athletes while moving a team forward in a competitive conference.”