By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois has announced the hiring of Mario McDonald as a new assistant coach with the program. This is the start of McDonald’s coaching career after swimming five years on the varsity at Big Ten rivals Ohio State.
McDonald was a three-time NCAA Championship qualifier. In 2023 as a junior and 2024 as a senior, he swam as a member of Ohio State relays, while in 2025 he broke through to qualify individually in the 50 and 100 freestyles. He placed 62nd and 41st in those events, respectively, at the meet.
A sprinter by trade, McDonald graduated from Ohio State with lifetime bests of 18.97 in the 50 free and 42.48 in the 100 free. His time in the 50 free ranks him 4th all-time in program history behind only Matt Klinge (18.78), U.S. Olympian Hunter Armstrong (18.93), and Daniel Baltes (18.96). Three of those four swam their best times last season.
McDonald was a five-time OSU Scholar-Athlete, four-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient, a 2023 and 2025 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, and a five-time CSCAA Honorable Mention All-American on relays.
The Northwestern men scored 29 points in the 50 free and 17 points in the 100 free at last year’s Big Ten Championships. Those 46 combined points ranked them tied-for-5th among Big Ten programs at the meet, which is better than their 7th place overall performance.
The women’s team punched above their weight class in the sprints as well. They scored 53 Big Ten points, which was 6th out of 14 teams – they placed 9th overall as a team.
McDonald joins a staff led by head coach Rachel Stratton-Mills. Returning assistants include Margaret Howe, Jacob Siar, and Eddie Larios.
McDonald replaces Joe Bonk, another former top-end NCAA sprinter, who spent one season as an assistant at Northwestern.
“We’re excited to welcome Mario to our staff,” Stratton-Mills said. “Coming off an accomplished career in the Big Ten, he brings a firsthand understanding of what it takes to succeed at the highest level of our conference. His perspective, energy, and passion for the sport will be a great asset as we continue to elevate our program.”
He earned his M.S. in Kinesiology at Ohio State.
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