Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech director of swimming and diving Sergio Lopez Miro announced recently the hiring of Reka Gyorgy as director of operations, Antonio Nuñez Alvarez as an assistant swim coach and Ryan Hawkins as an assistant dive coach.
Gyorgy is very familiar with the Virginia Tech swim and dive programs because she was a member from 2017-2022.
"I'm very excited to have Reka on board now as our director of operations," Lopez Miro said. "She is a great person who loves to be a Hokie and will be great for the team. She is very organized, and being a student-athlete with us and a school record holder gives her credibility with the student-athletes. So we are excited to have her here with us, and I'm looking forward to working with her for many years."
During her time on the team, Gyorgy was a two-time ACC champion and a two-time NCAA Division I All-American. While she found success at Virginia Tech, she also found it internationally as part of the Hungary national team. Gyorgy represented Hungary at multiple European Championships and at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
"I would like to thank Sergio Lopez Miro and everyone who was part of the hiring process, it is an honor to be part of the Virginia Tech staff," Gyorgy said. "Virginia Tech helped me to grow and develop as a person in and out of the pool, while I was a student-athlete, and I am extremely excited to be part of this team again. I look forward to contributing all that I can to help make this team have a great season!"
Alvarez brings his coaching experience from Delta State University to his new position as an assistant coach.
"I'm excited to have Antonio as part of our team," Lopez Miro said. "I met Antonio many years ago at a meet, and once he found out we were looking for coaches he contacted me and wanted to work with us from day one. For seven to eight months, he kept emailing me and keeping me up to date with what he was doing, and I thought he would be a great candidate to work with us here at Virginia Tech. He's passionate about the sport, very knowledgeable and has great experience coaching college and club swimming."
As a graduate assistant at DSU from 2021-2023, Alvarez proved to be an asset to the team. During his stint at DSU, Alvarez helped the men's team win their fifth and sixth NSISC conference titles and helped several of his athletes earn Division II All-America status. As an age group coach at Gulliver Swim Club in Miami, he led the 11-12-year-old girls to win the South Florida Age Group Championships by a 71-point difference.
"I am very excited to join Virginia Tech's swimming program," Alvarez said. "I want to thank Coach Sergio for giving me this opportunity to learn from world-caliber athletes and coaches to take my career to the next level and help develop this team to higher NCAA finishes, as well as having international success."
Hawkins is also a former Hokie and knows what it takes to succeed within the swim and dive programs.
"Having Ryan Hawkins be part of our staff directly working with our divers is a great advantage," head diving coach Rio Ramirez said. "Being a former Hokie diver, Ryan brings great energy, coaching experience and a strong work ethic to the team. I am excited to work with him and continue VT diving success."
While at Virginia Tech, Hawkins was a four-time NCAA All-American and was the 2014 VT Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was also a member of Team USA in 2012, 2015 and 2017. In January of 2021, Hawkins became the club director of New River diving. This year he joins Virginia Tech as an assistant dive coach.
"I am extremely grateful and excited to continue working alongside such an elite coaching staff at Virginia Tech," Hawkins said. As an alum of the program, I have a lot of pride in the success of the team. Coach Sergio has really developed the team into something special since arriving in Blacksburg, and I believe this group of student-athletes will only continue to break records and propel the program to new heights. As a support to Coach Rio, I plan to push the student-athletes in the classroom and on the diving boards to reach their full potential. It's a great time to be a Hokie!"