Nathan Lavery - Head Swimming and Diving Coach - Men's Swimming & Diving Coaches

Nathan Lavery

Title:
Head Swimming and Diving Coach
Email:
npl32@drexel.edu

Nathan Lavery was named the head men's and women's swimming and diving coach at Drexel University on Sept. 9, 2020. Lavery is the 11th coach to lead men's swimming and diving and the seventh for the women.

In the 2024–25 season, Lavery guided the men’s team to an undefeated 8-0 dual meet record and a third-place finish at the CAA Championships, earning CAA Men’s Co-Coach of the Year honors. The women’s team went 6-1 in dual meets and placed sixth at the conference championships. Academically, both programs earned CSCAA Spring Team Scholar All-America recognition. The men’s team tied Harvard for the second-highest GPA in Division I, while the women’s team recorded the second-highest GPA in the CAA. Five student-athletes were honored as CSCAA Scholar All-Americans, including Theo Andreopoulos, Kacper Karnik, Jakub Kwasny, and Sebastian Smith on the men’s side, and Federica Nocera on the women’s side.

In the 2023-24 season, Lavery continued producing standout performances by coaching Chelsea Gravereaux to the Most Outstanding Swimmer award at the CAA Championships and also the CAA Swimmer of the Year award after winning three gold and one bronze medal at the championship meet. In the classroom, Lavery's women's team finished seventh in the nation on the CSCAA Spring Team Scholar All-America list. In addition, two Dragons were named CSCAA Scholar All-America Second Team.

Lavery third season saw the production of the CAA Rookie Swimmer of the Year in Sebastian Smith. In addition, the Dragons captured a total of 14 medals between both teams at the conference's four-day championship meet. After the season, four Dragons were named CSCAA Scholar All-Americans, and Lavery coached the program's first male swimmer to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

His second season in Philadelphia was no different than the first. Lavery coached the CAA's Co-Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet in the CAA Championships, Kacper Karnik. The Dragons won 10 medals on the men's side and the women's team added 16 medals. The Dragons also has a silver medal at the CSCAA Championships. Lavery also produced the CAA's Co-Rookie Swimmer of the Year and three CSCAA Scholar All-Americans.

In his first season, Lavery coached both programs to a total of eight medals at the CAA Championships. The Dragons also won rookie diver of the year, a CSCAA Scholar All-America Honorable Mention and also had both teams named to the CSCAA Scholar All-America Teams list.

Lavery completed two seasons as an assistant coach at TCU under head coach James Winchester. He was the lead coach for the sprint and stroke events for the Horned Frogs. The men’s and women's teams turned in third-place finishes at the Big 12 Championships in the 2019-20 season. While at TCU, Lavery gained a seat on the Women's CSCAA Top-25 poll committee, to which he still holds.

He was an assistant coach at Georgia Tech and was in charge of the mid-distance group and helped send two swimmers to the NCAA Championships.

The South Africa native spent five seasons at Villanova as an assistant coach. He was the direct coach for the hybrid sprint and stroke groups. During his tenure, the Wildcat swim coaches won the Big East Coaching Staff of the Year award and won four consecutive women's Big East conference titles.

His coaching career began while he was an undergraduate at his alma mater, Texas A&M. Lavery coached the West Houston Aquatics Team in Houston, Texas. He was the administrative lead for the swim club and the head coach for ages seven through 15.

As a student-athlete, Lavery competed for Texas A&M from 2008-11. In his sophomore campaign, Lavery earned All-America honors with his performances in the 200 and 400 medley relays and helped set school records in those events at the NCAA Championships. In his third year, Lavery made two NCAA Championships "B" cuts after scoring 41 points at the Big 12 Championships. In the 2011 Big 12 Championships, Lavery placed second in the 400 medley relay and finished with third-place in the 200 medley relay and the 100 breast.

An American Swim Coaches Association Level 3 coach, Lavery is a native of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He graduated from Texas A&M in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. Lavery currently resides with his wife Amy in Philadelphia.