By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
Several former and one current swimmer at Marymount University in Arlington have accused head coach Chris Natoli of fostering a “dangerous and toxic environment” since he took over as the leader of the program in 2021.
According to WUSA9, the swimmers anonymously came forward accusing Natoli of abusive behavior after the school failed to take action despite filing formal complaints.
“I’ve been through a history of tough coaches. I’ve been on several swim teams with several different coaches at every different level,” one swimmer told WUSA9. “None of them would call us ‘worthless, clueless f**king students, retarded.'”
Another swimmer said: “Tough coaching is pushing you to the best of your ability, pushing you to limits you didn’t think you could go. Tough coaching isn’t swearing at you and making somebody quit on the spot.”
Marymount University is a Division III school in Arlington, Virginia. The men’s swim team is coming off winning their third consecutive Atlantic East conference title in February, while the women finished as the runner-ups.
Early in the 2024-25 season in October, attorneys representing six Marymount swimmers sent a letter to school administrators, outlining various accusations against Natoli and demanding a formal investigation, according to WUSA9.
The letter reportedly described a “culture of fear, anxiety and isolation” within the swim team. Natoli allegedly “threw whiteboard markers” at one swimmer and became “enraged and slammed his hands on his desk” in another incident.
He was also accused of forcing swimmers to continue competing “against doctors’ orders,” including one time forcing a team member to practice while they were dealing with a heart issue.
“He created this culture of, if you miss, you’re a (expletive),” one swimmer said, according to WUSA9, while another described the culture as “militaristic slavery.”
The school released the following statement in response to the accusations, according to WUSA9:
“Marymount University is committed to fostering a safe, supportive, and respectful environment for all students. We take all allegations of misconduct seriously and understand the concerns they raise. The university follows a thorough, impartial review process in accordance with university policies, and after a comprehensive review found no merit to the allegations. An independent third-party investigation reached the same conclusion, and the coach remains in good standing with the university. Out of respect for all parties involved, we will not comment further on individual cases beyond affirming our commitment to a thorough and fair process.”
WUSA9 spoke to four of the swimmers who raised the accusations, and only one is currently on the team, with one graduating, one transferring, and one quitting the sport.
Natoli remains the head coach and has not responded to a request for comment on the allegations, according to WUSA9.
After joining Marymount prior to the 2021-22 season, Natoli led the Saints to their first-ever conference titles in 2023, winning the Atlantic East Championships for both men and women. They repeated in 2024 before the men made it three in a row this past season.
Prior to Marymount, Natoli served as an assistant coach at George Mason University for four seasons.
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