Niagara University is searching for a new swimming and diving coach and assistant coach. The search comes less than three weeks after coach Ben Nigro was named in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by three female team members.
The school cited the lawsuit in declining to reveal on Tuesday whether Nigro, 47, resigned, was fired or was re-assigned.
Nigro coached both the men's and women's teams over the past 13 seasons. His biography on the college website cites multiple recordbreaking performances in 2018-19, including at the MAAC Swimming & Diving Championships, as well as in 2013-14.
Last month, one current swimmer and two former women's team members filed a lawsuit in Buffalo district court. They said they were subjected to gender-based harassment, including being body shamed during joint practices, ranked by physical appearance and called vulgar names over the past three years. They also alleged that Nigro made sexual remarks, ridiculed them for lodging complaints and failed to take appropriate action.
The private Catholic school in Lewiston said it has hired a national law firm to investigate the allegations.
