By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
Auburn has announced the hiring of Arilson Silva as the program’s new associate head coach, effective at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year. He spent the last two years at Georgia Tech, and is expected to take over the spot of the retiring Mike Simpson.
“I’m so excited to join the Auburn Swimming and Diving program,” said Silva. “I want to thank head coach Ryan Wochomurka for offering me this incredible opportunity. As a Brazilian coach, I’ve built my career knowing that Auburn is a reference of excellence, and for years I have been watching some of our best Brazilian swimmers train here and move on to great careers. I am ready to collaborate with this staff and look forward to what we can accomplish. War Eagle!”
Silva’s jump from Georgia Tech, which qualified three men individually for the NCAA Championships, came after the Yellowjackets announced head diving coach John Ames as the new swimming & diving head coach. Silva was publicly considered to be a front-runner for that position.
This year’s Georgia Tech team at NCAAs includes Mert Kilavuz who enters NCAAs with the 12th-fastest time in the country in the 1650 free, as well as freshman Uros Zivanovic and senior Berke Saka.
“I am thrilled to welcome Ari to the Auburn Family,” said Wochomurka. “His proven track record of developing athletes on the collegiate and international levels will be a major asset to our program. He is an accomplished and published expert in the biomechanics and physiology of our sport, but more importantly, the passion and positive energy he brings to the pool deck every day is contagious! I look forward to partnering with Ari as we share a common mission and passion for recruiting and mentoring student-athletes from around the country and the globe to compete at the highest level on the NCAA and world stage. War Eagle!”
While Silva is a new face at Auburn, he has long ties to the program. He was a late-career coach of former Auburn Tiger Cesar Cielo, the current World Record holder in the 50 free.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Auburn Announces Arilson Silva (Georgia Tech) as New Associate Head Coach