Down-Jenkins Joins Carolina Diving Staff

Chapel Hill, N.C. – The University of North Carolina diving program has hired its most decorated alum Anton Down-Jenkins to serve as an assistant coach alongside head coach Yadiel Gamboa, the program announced on Wednesday. An eight-time All-American and Tokyo 2020 Olympic finalist, Down-Jenkins joins the staff after serving as a volunteer assistant for the previous two seasons.

"We thrilled to have Anton join the program on a full-time basis," said head coach Mark Gangloff. "He's done an excellent job over the past two seasons in his volunteer role and we expect that to continue moving forward. Anton brings great personality to the pool deck, and when you combine that with his experiences as a competitor, a Tar Heel, and now a coach, we think he's the perfect fit for our diving program."

Down-Jenkins has a proven track record of developing young talent to the national level, having spent the past four years coaching with North Carolina Diving Club. In his role with the club, Down-Jenkins most recently coached six divers to the 2025 USA Diving Junior National Championships, the most in the club's history. At the National Championships, his athletes went on to secure four Top 12 finishes.

As an athlete, Down-Jenkins enjoyed success on the collegiate, national, and international stage. The Wellington, New Zealand native qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games representing his home country, becoming the first male diver from New Zealand in four decades to qualify for the Games. Down-Jenkins finished eighth in the men's 3-meter event, again making history for New Zealand as the first ever diver from New Zealand to qualify for an Olympic final. Down-Jenkins also competed at three World Championships, two Diving World Cup events, and the Canadian leg of the 2020 Diving World Series.

"I've known Anton for a long time and I'm excited to have him working alongside me with our diving program," said diving head coach Yadiel Gamboa. "He's very gifted at communicating with young athletes and works extremely hard to get the best out of them. He's taken the same path as our current student-athletes, so he's an excellent resource for them, both in and out of the pool. I believe Anton's skill set will continue to be an asset for our program and I'm very happy that he's joining us full time."

In college, diving under Head Diving Coach Yaidel Gamboa, Down-Jenkins became UNC's most successful male diver ever, finishing his collegiate career as an eight-time All-American, three-time ACC Champion, and was the 2020-21 and 2021-22 ACC Men's Diver of the Year. Down-Jenkins was also named ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2021-22 season.

"I've worked really hard after my competitive career to make an impact as a coach," Down-Jenkins said. "I'm so grateful that I'll be able to continue that journey alongside Coach Gamboa, and that I get to contribute to the legacy of the diving program that he has created. I love Chapel Hill and the program that Coach Gangloff has developed here, and I look forward to making a positive impact. This is a special place with special people and I'm excited for what's to come."

Down-Jenkins graduated from Carolina's graduate school in 2025 with a master's degree in Exercise and Sports Science. He also graduated from Carolina in 2023 with a degree in Media and Journalism.

For up-to-date information on UNC Swimming & Diving, visit GoHeels.com/Swimming-and-Diving and follow on X (@uncswimdive), Instagram (@uncswimdive) and Facebook (Facebook.com/UNCswimdive).

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