"Our experience on UNC’s swimming and diving teams was disturbing. We felt we had gained a higher status than non-athletic regular people, or as we referred to them — NARPs. Despite this “status,” we often felt worthless outside our dedicated purpose to compete. Eventually, our struggle with mental health didn't matter, nor did any diseases, injuries or anything else really. No matter what, we were going to practice in the morning. Between 2020 and 2022, chlorine singed swimmers’ eyebrows, hair and skin for months at a time. During those times, many athletes complained. Since the pool would have to be closed for a week to fix it, our performance took primary concern over our health. Issues like this unsettled us. But leaving didn't seem possible. Athletes seek approval from coaches and quitting was looked down on by everyone involved. So we didn't say anything when we were injured or struggling. We sucked it up and went to 6 a.m. practice. We lost our eyebrows. We avoided hot showers because our skin burned. We practiced over the NCAA’s 20 hours of training per week limit, consistently dedicating well over 22 hours to the sport. Even if we felt nothing, struggled mentally, were suicidal - it did not matter because we thought it made us special. We were told that it made us special, that we were going above and beyond dedicating ourselves to a cause. No, we were brainwashed. And now, years into retirement, we lay in bed wide awake wondering why the hell we bought into a program that jeopardized our health. As ex-swimmers of the UNC swimming and diving teams, we want to tell other athletes. You are more important than your performance. If you are suffering as a result of your relationship with your program, something needs to change. From our point of view, the University’s athletic revenue machine mandated that programs had to meet high expectations, especially those that didn’t make a lot of money. Oftentimes, we witnessed those who failed to perform be ignored and stonewalled. Similarly, we knew key point scorers who were denied legitimate claims of injury and illness to maximize training time. The NCAA should classify these behaviors as abuse. They stretch the “splendors” of collegiate athletics into a nearly unattainable goal. The NCAA says its core mission is to “provide a world-class athletics and academic experience for student-athletes that fosters lifelong well-being”. But the current dynamic risks the safety of everyone involved. If this win-at-all-costs attitude isn’t reversed, we will witness the complete degradation of the meaning of sport at UNC. The exploitation of athletes, who put their bodies and minds on the line to be part of what they are taught makes them important, is unacceptable."

"My time as a swimmer for UNC-Chapel Hill was a constant struggle in terms of trying to connect with the staff that I had to work with. Being on A relay and leading by example in the pool and weight room brought me to believe that I would be looked at as a great role model for others in the program, I could not have been more wrong. Mark is the type of person where if you don't say and do exactly what he wants, then you are no use to him. He had a meeting with the non-NCAA swimmers stating how his job is to get top three at ACCs and the top ten at NCAAs. This meeting was held at 6 a.m. during the third week of mandatory morning practice after the conference in which he made it clear how little value this group fo athletes had when compared to his NCAA group. He flaunts a women team that is led by a single diver and is helped by fifth years and transfers. On the men's side it is hardly staying afloat thanks to international students (and the good ones, not ones that are taking up nearly full scholarships and can not make a conference team). He constantly emphasizes how the team needs to be more of a family while his actions go in the completely opposite direction as he makes athletes turn on each other and has his favorites that will lie straight to the face of their teammates to stay on good terms with Mark. He is an extremely unfair coach in the sense that if you are sick and injured you are no use to him. I have seen athletes who are on the verge of medical retirement be screamed at for extended periods of time for not being healthy enough and love to use the transfer portal as a way to get rid of athletes that are not improving. Mark is getting bullied in the ACC by every other head coach and going into the 2024 season will only get worse as Cal and Stanford are going to be joining. He should be removed as head coach of the program if the AD wants to see swimming and diving return to the Frank Comfort glory days otherwise it will be a long time before any improvement is shown by the Tar Heels in the water. "

"Mark Gangloff bullies the athletes to the point of where they are ready to quit. Mark definitely is not fit to be a coach. On top of it he lies with a strait face!"

"If you want a coach that treat individuals like statistics then Mark is your guy. H does not recognize his slower swimmers as representatives of the team and will be quick to blame poor performances on the attitude of his swimmers—not his coaching or planning. He’s rude, disrespectful, and unable to communicate or lead a group of college swimmers. He’ll make it obvious that he is not fond of certain swimmers, will treat them differently/awkwardly, and will try to make swimmers quit before throwing them away. Loves his transfer portal threats, so be careful if start caring too much about school and slightly losing focus on swimming. Swimming is his life, if it’s not yours then go somewhere else. Mark could also care less about the mental health of some of his swimmers. UNC athletics loves outliers and will easily defend mark with them—outliers are either good and suddenly represent the team or the outlier is bad and affects the majority of the team. He has no consciousness of balance or the results of his actions. . "

"Terrible Coach Unfit for Training"

"No communication skills at all. Make very hard for Swimmer’s get motivated and keep liking the sport of swimming. Doesn’t understand how to talk to team members making swimmers feeling like they are not worth. Disrespectful. Absolutely doesn’t care about team members in or out of the pool. Pick favorites and only give attention and training to those swimmers. Shouldn’t be coaching a high level swimming team as UNC Chapel Hill. Very unfortunate. "

"Sadly I could not find but one tag to describe him. He’s, in my opinion, a terrible coach! Poor coaching style which leads to poor team culture. "

"He is someone who discriminates between swimmers and exhibits biased behavior towards certain individuals or groups, based on race, gender, ethnicity, or ability is what I witnessed and experienced. His discriminatory behavior can manifest in various ways, such as providing unequal training opportunities, showing favoritism and using derogatory language towards certain swimmers. He sure had created a toxic environment for the athletes, undermine their confidence and potential, and ultimately harm their performance. As an NCAA coach, he knows better that he needs to be inclusive and treat all his athletes with respect, fairness, and equality, and provide them with equal opportunities to reach their full potential."

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