Duke has added Colin Gibson to its coaching staff, the school announced on Wednesday. Gibson joins the Blue Devils after spending the last three seasons as a student assistant at Michigan.
“I am incredibly blessed and honored to have the opportunity to coach at Duke,” said Gibson. “Duke’s elite academic traditions and commitment to developing student-athletes, both in the pool and the classroom, make it truly a special place. I would like to thank head coach Brian Barnes and everyone associated with the Duke swimming and diving program for this opportunity and their trust in me. I also want to express my gratitude for all of the coaches, staff and athletes at the University of Michigan and Club Wolverine for investing in my growth and supporting me throughout this journey. I could not be more excited to be a Blue Devil, to start this next chapter of my life and to get to work. Go Duke!”
Gibson began his collegiate career at Division II McKendree as a student-athlete. He then transferred into Michigan for the 2023-2024 season. He joined the Michigan staff as a student assistant, assisting the coaching staff, director of operations, and student-athletes. He attended practices, aided in administrative activities and facility upkeep, along with helping organize logistics and facilitate areas of team travel. Gibson also assisted with the collection and distribution of film and served as a mentor to the program’s student managers.
In addition to serving as a student assistant for Michigan, Gibson also coached the local club team, Club Wolverine. There he assisted with individual instruction and mentorship for numerous high school swimmers, and also helped the Club Wolverine coaches with strategy, meet and practice setup and facility organization. He also assisted with the Michigan Swim Camp from 2024-2025 as well as the Wolverine Swim Clinics in 2024.
Gibson joins the coaching staff led by head coach Brian Barnes who was hired as head coach in 2023. Riley Boulden and Kate Moore are associate head coaches while Eileen Bringman is an assistant coach.
The Duke women finished 8th out of 15 teams at the 2026 ACC Championships while the men were 14th out of 15 teams. The women went on to finish t-21st at the 2026 NCAA Championships, led by breaststroker Kaelyn Gridley who has since graduated.
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