Mariah Denigan’s coach

Image Credit: @mariahdenigan (Instagram)

Mariah Denigan, born May 3, 2003, is an American swimmer known for her prowess in open water and freestyle events. At the 2022 FINA World Swimming Championships in Budapest, Denigan competed in the 10km open water, finishing 15th, and contributed to a 7th place finish in the USA Mixed Team Relay. Her earlier achievements include winning the silver medal in the women's 800-meter freestyle at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. She also competed in the 400-meter and 1500-meter freestyle events, ranking 5th in the women's 400-meter individual medley final.

Quick facts on Mariah Denigan Coach

Mariah Denigan's coach

Mariah Denigan is a part of Indiana University's swim team where she is coached by Cory Chitwood, who serves as head coach of open water swimming for Team USA.

Cory Chitwood Parents

Cory Chitwood is the son of Mike Chitwood and Karen Turner Chitwood.

From the information available on the social handles, Karen Turner Chitwood, Mother of Cory Chitwood, worked as a professional swimming coach until she retired in 2018.

As of May 2024, information about Cory’s father, Mike Chitwood, is unavailable in the public domain.

Cory Chitwood Wife

Cory Chitwood is married to Beth Botsford Chitwood.

Beth Botsford Chitwood is a former American swimmer who excelled in the backstroke. At the young age of 15, she triumphed at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, winning two gold medals. One medal came in the 100-meter backstroke, and the other she shared with her teammates in the women's 4x100-meter medley relay.

On October 3, 2020, Cory and Beth got married. As of May 2024, Beth and Cory are the parents of two children.

Cory Chitwood Physical Attributes

Cory Chitwood is 5 ft 11 inches tall and is 35 years old as of May 2024.

Cory Chitwood Coaching Career

Cory Chitwood is entering his fifth season on Indiana University’s coaching staff, serving as associate head coach under Ray Looze with a focus on IU’s rapidly advancing distance group. His expertise has also led him to serve as the head coach of the U.S. Open Water national team at the 2022 and 2024 World Championships.

During Chitwood’s tenure at Indiana, the men’s team secured two Big Ten Championships while the women’s team consistently finished in the top three over four seasons. Indiana swimmers have won the Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships title five out of eight times. IU swimmers have amassed an impressive 42 conference titles in the past four seasons. This success has solidified Indiana’s status as a powerhouse with the men’s team consistently finishing in the top six nationally alongside Cal, Texas, and Florida. The women’s team has also achieved a program-record seventh-place finish in both 2016 and 2023.

At the 2023 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, IU’s distance swimmers made two podium finishes. Singaporean national record holder Ching Hwee Gan placed second in the 1,650-yard freestyle clocking a time of 15:46.28, the second-fastest in IU history. Gan also set a program record in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a split of 9:30.71. Mariah Denigan finished seventh in the same event with a time of 15:52.18. Both Gan and Denigan have competed internationally with Denigan in the 10K event at the World Championships earning a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Chitwood joined IU from the University of Arizona where he was an associate head coach for two seasons. Before that, he spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Virginia and one season at LSU. At Virginia, Chitwood coached swimmers to three NCAA records, four ACC records, and 26 UVA top-10 times. He mentored Leah Smith to four NCAA titles and multiple ACC titles, guiding her to an Olympic appearance in 2016 where she won gold in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay and bronze in the 400-meter freestyle.

Chitwood’s journey began at LSU working with middle-distance and specialty-stroke swimmers. His career took off with the Northern Kentucky Clippers where he developed young talents in the elite 11-12 and 13-14 age groups.

Cory Chitwood Awards & Achievement

• Cory is a 14-time collegiate All-American and secured three NCAA individual championships.

• Cory holds the second-fastest times in the 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, and 200 individual medley (I.M.) in Arizona school history.

• During his tenure, Cory coached Cavalier swimmers to remarkable achievements:

• Three NCAA records

• Four ACC records

• Seven Virginia records

• 26 UVA all-time top-10 times