BURLINGTON, Vt. - University of Vermont Swimming and Diving Head Coach Gerry Cournoyer announced this morning that he has promoted Brian Keats to assistant coach. Keats has served as a volunteer assistant coach for the last four seasons and replaces Associate Head Coach Jen Cournoyer who recently completed her 16th season at UVM and was named Head Swimming and Diving Coach at Norwich University.
 
"I am thrilled that Brian Keats will be joining our staff full time," said Gerry Cournoyer. "As a volunteer coach these past four years, Brian has made a significant impact with the student-athletes he has worked with. I look forward to him helping us to continue to build on the success that this program has achieved."
 
"I'm grateful for this opportunity and excited to start working with the team in this new capacity this upcoming season," said Keats. "This program has always set high levels of excellence, both in the classroom and in the pool and I am eager to be a part of this process and continue building upon the successes of this team."
 
Keats joined the UVM Swimming and Diving program prior to the 2015-16 season. He has worked closely with sprinters over the last four years. He helped develop 12 America East All-Conference performers and was honored along with his UVM colleagues as America East Coaching Staff of the Year in 2016.
 
Before Vermont he served as the head age group coach at the Etobicoke Swim Club in Etobicoke, Ontario. Before working at the club, he earned a Masters in exercise physiology from the University of Texas and was an assistant coach at the Longhorn Swim Camp.
 
Keats was also the head assistant swim coach at MIT from 2008-10 while also serving as aquatics director and head coach at Brookline Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts from 2009-10. He was also a volunteer assistant swim coach at Boston University during the 2008-09 season.

Keats was a Division I swimmer at the University of Denver from 1999-2002. He was selected as team MVP and named an NCAA Academic All-American in 2001 and 2002. He was also ranked at the national level in Canada leading up to the 2004 Olympic Trials.