Niko Fantakis was named an assistant coach for the Harvard Women’s Swimming and Diving program in July 2026. The 2026-27 campaign will mark his first with the Crimson.
Fantakis arrived in Cambridge from Brown, where he served as a women’s assistant coach and recruiting coordinator (2019-23) before being elevated to associate head coach (2023-26). During his time in Providence, Rhode Island, Fantakis made an immediate impact in his first season as the Bears posted its best Ivy League Championship finish in 14 years. Three seasons later, in 2022, Fantakis developed Brown’s first NCAA Championship qualifier since 2005.
In his final three years, meanwhile, Fantakis helped Brown make a splash at both the national and international level. The Bears boasted a bronze medalist at the 2024 European Championship, two athletes at the 2024 US Olympic Trials (first since 2004), and two more at the 2024 Olympic Games. This past season, Brown had two swimmers qualify for NCAAs after it earned four victories at the Ivy League Championships. One of the Bears’ conference champions, their 800 free relay, posted the 16th-best time in the country, which was the highest ranking by any Ivy relay since 2020.
Before his successful stint at Brown, Fantakis served as an assistant coach for Duke Women’s Swimming and Diving. During a two-year stint in Durham, North Carolina, the Blue Devils secured the No. 10 recruiting class in 2018 and saw a program-record seven athletes qualify for the 2018 NCAA Championships. Fantakis also mentored student-athletes to 129 NCAA B-cuts, 40 school records and two All-America swimming performances. He also was a volunteer assistant coach in the Summer of 2015 and the head masters swim coach for Duke’s Physical Education and Recreation: Aquatics (2016-17).
In between his volunteer and full-time stint at Duke, Fantakis was a student assistant coach at Connecticut College for the 2015-16 campaign. During his time in New London, Fantakis navigated the demands of a full-time co-ed coaching role and a full-time academic course load. In the pool, the Camel men finished in the top-3 at the NESCAC Championship, which was their best effort in school history, both programs finished in the top 20 at nationals, and all nine of their NCAA qualifiers earned All-America honors. The experience at CC was fruitful as the team was the recipient of the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year Award and Fantakis was named the winner of The Andrew Chait ’82 Service Award, which is given annually to an individual who has shown outstanding service and commitment to CC athletics.
Fantakis is a graduate of Connecticut College and double-majored in economics and sociology.
