Head Coach James Winchester has announced the addition of Alice McCall to the coaching staff at Texas Christian University. McCall will join the staff as an assistant coach.
She fills the position vacated when Nathan Lavery left in the fall to become the new head coach at Drexel. The program ran through the COVID-season with one open assistant coaching spot.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Alice to Fort Worth,” Winchester stated in a press release. “Amongst a deep candidate pool, it became evident quickly that Alice was the best fit for the vision of our program here at TCU. The way she recruits, connects with student-athletes and administration, and teaches the life lessons that come with our sport came across very strongly. We have a shared vision of how to lead and serve at TCU.”
McCall comes to Fort Worth, Texas, after spending the last 5 years as an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic University, where she led recruiting efforts on the men’s side as well as international recruiting efforts.
In addition to her recruiting efforts at FAU, McCall helped the women’s team move from being ranked 6th place to 3rd place in the Conference USA.
Before FAU, McCall was an assistant coach at the University of Toledo, where she led the middle-distance and distance groups to great success in the pool, highlighted by 95 percent of the team establishing personal bests during her time there.
An accomplished swimmer, McCall represented Great Britain internationally in the open water events, competing in the FINA World Cup series, European Cup series and European Junior Championships throughout her swimming career. She also qualified for the World Championships in 2007.
“I’m excited to have accepted the position at TCU and to be a part of the Horned Frog family in Fort Worth,” said McCall. “The leadership shown throughout the department is unmatched and it is embraced by hard work and loyalty. I really look forward to being a part of this environment.”
The hiring of McCall means that there will now be 3 male and 3 female full-time coaches on staff at TCU. In addition, much of the swimming and diving support staff at TCU – including volunteer assistants, graduate assistants, and trainers – is female, both of which are rare to find in college swimming.
You can read the full press release below:
FORT WORTH — Alice McCall is joining TCU’s swimming & diving staff as an assistant coach, head coach James Winchester announced today.
“I’m excited to have accepted the position at TCU and to be a part of the Horned Frog family in Fort Worth,” McCall said. “The leadership shown throughout the department is unmatched and it is embraced by hard work and loyalty. I really look forward to being a part of this environment.”
McCall spent the past five years at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) as an assistant coach where she was the lead male recruiter. She recruited three male athletes who broke school records in their first appearances for FAU in the past two years.
Prior to FAU, McCall was an assistant coach at Toledo from 2014-16 where she was responsible for leading the mid-distance and distance groups, resulting in 95 percent of the squad swimming personal-best times.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Alice to Fort Worth,” Winchester said. “Amongst a deep candidate pool, it became evident quickly that Alice was the best fit for the vision of our program here at TCU. The way she recruits, connects with student-athletes and administration, and teaches the life lessons that come with our sport came across very strongly. We have a shared vision of how to lead and serve at TCU.”
During her time in Boca Raton, Florida, she was an exceptional international recruiter. Her team increased from two to 10 international student-athletes over four years.
As the FAU distance group coach she oversaw 18 individual conference medals and a 1650 free school record in the past three years. During that time FAU’s women propelled from sixth to third in the Conference USA standings.
She is one of six nationwide WeCOACH Coaches Council Members and was a member of the Great Britain Open Water National Team.
This past year she was a Global Forum of Education and Learning Top 100 Visionaries in Education Nominee. In 2019 she won the CSCAA Jean Freeman Scholarship and was a WeCOACH ARMS Software Coach of The Month.
Prior to her time with the Rockets, McCall started her U.S. swimming career in Dallas where she was a standout distance swimmer at Southern Methodist University for four years. She was a consistent scorer and medal-earner for the Mustangs and was named a team captain for her senior season.
McCall was a member of the C-USA championship-winning 800 free relay team as a junior, and in her first year with the program, she earned a bronze medal in the 200 free, runner-up honors in the 500 free and took home the gold and C-USA Title in the 1650 free. In addition to great athletic results, McCall also earned Scholar Baller Honors for showing progression in academics over the course of her four years at SMU.
A native of Wigan, Great Britain, McCall was a senior swimmer and international representative for her hometown squad. She was a nationally-ranked junior, having first represented Great Britain as a 16-year-old. She was also a member of the Great Britain Open Water squad in a number of international competitions including the FINA World Cup series, European Cup series and European Junior Championships, gaining numerous top-5 and top-10 finishes. She was also a 2007 World Championships qualifier.
McCall earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from SMU in 2014 and her MBA in Sport Management from Florida Atlantic in 2020.
Coaching Experience:
University of Toledo 2014-2016 (Asst. Coach)
Florida Atlantic University 2016-2021 (Asst. Coach)