The Texas A&M women have announced the promotion of Nicole McConnell to assistant coach for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year after previously on the staff as a volunteer assistant.
Head coach Steve Bultman spoke of the promotion saying “I am very pleased to be able to elevate Nicole from volunteer to our new full-time assistant coach position. She had done a great job in her three previous seasons with us as the volunteer assistant. She is very well-liked and respected by everyone on the team and she does a great job building relationships with them. Nicole first came to College Station to work swim camp a year before she started working with us and I noticed that she was doing an awesome job there. She paid attention to details, gave a lot of feedback to the campers and seemed to really align with the things we do on our staff on a daily basis, and I have really seen that carry over to her time as the volunteer coach. Thankfully, we had an opening when she was done grad school and we are excited to keep her on staff and in Aggieland.”
McConnell expressed her gratitude saying, “I’m extremely grateful and excited to continue my coaching career at Texas A&M University. The past three years have been a great experience. I’m excited to use the knowledge and skills I’ve gained to take our program to the next level. I would also like to thank Steve Bultman for giving me this incredible opportunity. Gig ‘Em Aggies!”
McConnell began as a volunteer coach with the program in August 2020. In addition to her duties with the collegiate program, she also coached the club team Aggie Swim Club as their senior club coach.
Before arriving at Texas A&M, McConnell was a graduate assistant at the University of Evansville in Indiana. She spent two years there, serving as interim head coach twice. While at Evansville, she earned her master’s in leadership.
McConnell graduated from LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas in 2018 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies. Prior to graduation, McConnell began her coaching career at nearby Longview Swim Club.
The Texas A&M women are the latest program to bring in another assistant coach to their program as the NCAA has changed the volunteer assistant and countable paid coaches. Under the new rules, single-gendered swimming and diving programs such as Texas A&M can add another paid coach to their staff.
Notable single-gendered programs that have already added to their staff include the Texas women as well as the Texas A&M men. Other SEC programs (combined) that have added a coach (and are allowed an additional two paid coaches) include Florida, Auburn, and Tennessee.
The Aggie women finished ninth out of 12 teams this past season at the SEC Championships. The team was only three points behind eighth-place team South Carolina.
So honored to have THE Nicole McConnell on our staff!!!
Very well deserved. Glad to see Nicole rewarded for all of her hard work.
Let’s gooooo! WHOOP!