Just days after celebrating 15 years of marriage, Jack Roney’s life tragically came to an end in his most familiar territory. For weeks, the sudden death of the former NC State swimmer and coach left more questions than answers. But all his family could initially say was that it had been a “tragic accident.” Now, an autopsy has provided a heartbreaking account of what actually happened.

Roney (39) died on July 5 at a pool in Raleigh, North Carolina. According to the autopsy and investigative report obtained by The News & Observer, he had been swimming at the Hampton Ridge Swim Club that evening and practicing breath-holding exercises.

His wife, Maresa, told emergency responders that she had stepped away to make a phone call. When she returned roughly five minutes later, she found her husband face down and unresponsive in the middle of the L-shaped pool, where the water was about six feet deep.

She pulled him from the water, called 911 and immediately began CPR. Paramedics arrived within minutes and continued resuscitation efforts before taking Roney to WakeMed. He was pronounced dead at 8:53 p.m.

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The circumstances made the tragedy particularly difficult to understand. Roney wasn’t an inexperienced swimmer caught off guard in unfamiliar water. Swimming had been a huge part of his life.

The medical examiner ultimately ruled the death an accidental drowning. The report noted no signs of trauma and said there were no concerns involving suicide, substance abuse or foul play.

Surveillance footage later gave investigators a clearer picture. Roney could be seen swimming before submerging for roughly two minutes and 14 seconds. He briefly surfaced before going underwater again and did not resurface. That detail has led his family to believe they know what happened.

Roney’s father, John, told The News & Observer that he believes his son experienced a shallow water blackout, a sudden loss of consciousness associated with prolonged breath-holding underwater. It can happen without the swimmer showing obvious signs of distress, making it particularly dangerous.

“We want it known that holding one’s breath underwater for extended periods is dangerous,” John said. “We’d like to prevent this from happening to someone else. Jack would too.”

That warning has given Roney’s death a painful significance beyond his own family. Breath-holding and underwater training can carry risks even for experienced swimmers, and an unexpected loss of consciousness can quickly turn fatal.

As per a report published by CFMWS, there are approximately 140,000 deaths annually due to drowning worldwide. And guess what? It’s estimated that shallow water blackout is the sole cause of drowning for up to 20% of all those cases.

Shallow water blackout can also be called “hypoxic blackout” and it’s basically a loss of consciousness caused by cerebral hypoxia during breath-hold submersion. This condition often occurs in water less than 15 ft (5 m) deep. However, it may affect swimmers or divers at greater depths as well.

Interestingly, Roney’s case also arrives amid other recent tragedies involving swimmers.

In April, Brazilian athlete and influencer Mara Flavia Souza Araujo died during the swimming portion of Ironman Texas in The Woodlands. A search was launched after officials reported a missing swimmer, and she was eventually found about 10 feet underwater. Rescue officials cited extremely poor underwater visibility as they worked to locate her.

The tragedy also renewed concerns surrounding open-water race safety after deaths at Ironman 70.3 events in the United States the previous year. But coming back to the former NC State swimming coach…

A glimpse at Jack Roney’s swimming career

Before he became a coach, Roney was one of NC State’s swimmers. A Florida native whose family later moved to Charlotte, he began making a name for himself in the pool at a young age. He eventually earned a scholarship to NC State and left the program as the school’s 200-yard breaststroke record holder.

It was also at NC State that he met Maresa, who was a fellow Wolfpack swimmer. The two eventually married and built a family together, raising five children.

After graduating in 2009, Roney returned to the program as a volunteer assistant coach. He later served as director of operations and an assistant coach from 2014 through 2016 before eventually moving into software sales.

His connection to the Wolfpack never really disappeared. Braden Holloway, who coached at NC State and remained close to Roney, remembered him as someone who made the people around him better. “Jack was one of those rare people who made everyone around him better,” Holloway wrote in an Instagram tribute, remembering him as a devoted husband, father and friend.

The loss has since sparked an effort to preserve Roney’s memory. A GoFundMe established for Maresa and their five children has raised more than $230,000, while plans are also underway for a “Jack Roney Memorial Pavilion” at Lake Johnson Pool.

For a man whose life revolved around the water, the circumstances of Roney’s death are especially painful. But his family’s decision to speak about the dangers of prolonged underwater breath-holding could ensure that his final tragedy becomes a warning for others.

Jack Roney spent much of his life teaching people to become better swimmers. In the aftermath of his death, his family hopes one final lesson might save someone else’s life.