Ben Nigro begins his 14th year with Niagara swimming and diving program.
Niagara once again led the team to multiple record-breaking performances in 2018-19, including exceptional performances at the MAAC Championships. On the third day of the MAAC Championships, Hayley Tasselmyer won the 100 breast with a record-breaking time of 1:03.75. On the final day of the MAAC Championships, Andreas Rintel broke the 200 breast record in the prelimary round with a time of 2:05.56. The record was last broken in 2004 and was the longest-held program record. The women finished in fifth place overall at the MAAC Championships and the men finished in eighth.
Nigro led the team to record-breaking performances at the 2018 MAAC Swimming & Diving Championships. Julia Casolo broke the 50 free record with a time of 23.72 and finished fourth overall in the event. She also set a record in the 100 fly with a time of 56.17. Hannah Charlton broke the 200 IM record, finishing the event in 2:09.08. The relay team of Casolo, Isabella DeSimone, Kristen Suarez and Hayley Tasselmyer set a school record in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:36.17. Nicolas Winograd broke the 100 breast record, finishing the event in 56.90.
During the 2013-14 season, Nigro guided the Purple Eagles to eight medals totals during the 2014 MAAC Championships. Junior Shane Baxter earned a pair of conference titles in the 100 and 200 backstroke. Robert Brown medaled in a trio of events, grabbing first in the 100 freestyle, second in the 50 freestyle and third in 200 freestyle, and Shawn Warner contributed to the medal count with a second-place time in the 400 individual medley event. In relay events, the men’s 200 medley relay of Baxter, Warner, Brown and Carl Roycroft placed second, and Warner, Baxter and Brown combined with Jason Ellis in the 800 freestyle relay with a third-place time. This was the first time since the 1997 MAAC Championships, and the first time under the guidance of head coaches Ben and Brooke Nigro, that the Purple Eagles earned a trio of titles during the conference championships. The men’s 6th place finish during the conference tournament was the best outing by the Purple Eagles since the 2009 season when the squad placed 5th.
The Purple and White also swam their way into the record books during the 2013-14 season, breaking 23 Niagara records throughout the season.
In his second year, the Purple Eagles men’s team finished fourth and the women’s team finished fifth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Confernece, the program’s best finish in over seven years. Nigro also had the pleasure to coach swimmer Pat Garvey as he won two individual MAAC titles and became the first Purple Eagle to win an ECAC Championship. Under Nigro’s guidance, the Purple Eagles set 16 school records during the 2007-08 season, and 17 records during the 2011-12 season, including then-freshman Shane Baxter claiming nine in the short distance events.
Nigro’s first year donning the purple and white saw Niagara set six school records and both teams improved over 50 points at the MAAC Championships. Nigro also recently earned his master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies in 2009 from Niagara.
Before Niagara, Nigro gained coaching experience at the University of New Hampshire, University of Vermont and the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. While at Vermont, Nigro was the men’s recruiting coordinator, where he doubled the number of early applications and increased the overall number of applicants by 25 percent. At New Hampshire, Nigro was the assistant coach, in charge of recruiting and the distance program. Nigro was part of the America East Coaching Staff of the Year as UNH women won the conference title for a third time.
Before his stint at UNH, Nigro directed programs at the USA level in clubs in North Carolina, South Carolina and Vermont from 1997-2002.
A 1993 graduate of the University of North Carolina-Wilmington with a bachelor of science in geology, Nigro began his coaching career at his alma mater. After graduating as a four-year breaststroke and butterfly swimmer, Nigro was the graduate assistant for the Seahawk program for four years. He was involved in recruiting and assisted the distance program, while coaching elite athletes like Turkish National Champion Burak Erdem.
During his last season at UNCW, Nigro helped the women’s program take the 1997 ECAC Championship.
Ben and his wife Brooke currently reside in Niagara Falls, N.Y., along with their children Bennett and Beck.
