A proven winner and developer of multiple NCAA champions, Tanica (TA-knee-KUH) Jamison was been named the eighth head coach in University of Houston Swimming and Diving history. University of Houston Vice President for Athletics Chris Pezman made the announcement on May 27, 2021.
Jamison, who has served as the associate head coach for the women's program at Texas A&M since 2016 and as an assistant coach since 2011 for the Aggies.
"We are excited to welcome Tanica Jamison as the new head coach of our Swimming and Diving program," Pezman said. "She has proven to be an elite developer of talent but also is committed to providing our student-athletes with outstanding experiences during their time at the University of Houston. In addition, Tanica's achievements as a two-time NCAA Champion and 11-time All-American, along with the respect she has in the swimming community, make her a great fit to lead our program."
Jamison comes to UH after helping the Aggies rise to one of the top women's programs in the country. During her time in College Station, Texas A&M won five conference titles (2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019).
"I am extremely excited and humbled for the opportunity to become the Head Coach of the Women's Swimming & Diving program at the University of Houston," Jamison said. "I would like to thank Vice President for Athletics Chris Pezman, Senior Associate AD Bruce Gregory and Senior Associate AD/SWA DeJuena Chizer for their leadership and trust in my vision for the program.
"The University of Houston has everything in place to provide an elite experience for current and future student-athletes: an athletics department that is committed to building champions both academically and athletically, amazing athletic facilities, an astounding school and a city that provides limitless opportunities. I cannot wait to meet the team, support staff and all former swimmers and divers (both men and women) that have laid the foundation for the future of the program. Go Coogs!"
Jamison helped guide Texas A&M to seven top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, including a pair of top-3 finishes in 2017 and 2018 along with four straight fourth-place finishes. All of Texas A&M's swimming school records have been shattered since Jamison's arrival in College Station.
Jamison trained six Texas A&M student-athletes to NCAA individual titles, 33 SEC champions and 133 NCAA qualifiers since 2012.
Prior to coming to A&M, Jamison worked closely with the sprinter and middle-distance groups for the University of Pittsburgh's swimming and diving teams and also served as the head senior coach of Team Pittsburgh. In 2010-11, Panther swimmers earned five All-Big East awards and broke four school records.
An 11-time All-American and two-time NCAA Champion at the University of Texas under then-head coach Jill Sterkel, Jamison was the 2000 Big 12 Freshman and Newcomer of the Year, earned the program's Leadership Award in 2001 and 2002, was a two-time team captain. She was selected as the team's MVP in 2003.
Jamison has a long-time association with the National Diversity Select Camp, which began when she was a three-time participant in the mid-1990s and continued when she was invited to serve as a National Team athletic representative in 2007 and head coach in 2011.
Born in Monongahela, Penn., Jamison graduated from the University of Texas with a bachelor's degree in applied learning and development in 2003. She earned her master's degree from Texas A&M in 2019 in sports management.
Allan McCallum joined the University of Houston Swimming & Diving program as assistant coach in August 2021.
McCallum comes to Houston from Des Moines, Iowa, where he served as Director of Competitive Swimming since 2019. Before his time with the Des Moines YMCA, he served as head swimming and diving coach at the University of Mary (N.D.).
“We are excited to have Allan join the University of Houston Swimming & Diving program,” Jamison said. “Allan has both the coaching and previous recruiting experience needed to continue to build our program into a championship-caliber program.
Throughout his coaching career he has cultivated an environment where his athletes thrive under his leadership. I am very excited for the future of our program, we now have all of the pieces we need to build a legacy at the University of Houston.”
He led the University of Mary for 3.5 years after being hired in 2016. The program saw tremendous growth, including an overall fifth place conference finish in 2019, earning McCallum the 2019 Northern Sun Swimming Coach of the Year. His student-athletes also saw success in the classroom, posting a 3.0 team GPA.
McCallum previously coached at Bozeman High School in Montana where he led the 2007-08 program to second and fifth-place finishes at the Montana State Swim Meet. He also served as head coach for the Rapid City (S.D.) Racers Swim Club from 2010-12. There, four swimmers qualified for Junior Nationals. The program was recognized as a USA Swimming Bronze Medal Club.
As associate head coach, later head coach, for Central Iowa Aquatics Club, McCallum spent three years working with youth athletes to win five state championships, one women’s sectional title and two acknowledgements as a USA Swimming Bronze Medal Club in 2013 and 2014.
Prior to coaching, the Montana native also had success as a collegiate swimmer at TCU. While competing for the Horned Frogs from 2002-06, he earned multiple accolades and honors. He served as team captain as a senior, was awarded First-Team All-Conference USA in 2003, 2004, and 2005, as well as TCU Freshman Swimmer of the Year in 2003 among other team awards. McCallum went on to serve as the Horned Frogs’ student assistant during the 2006-07 season.
He graduated from TCU with a degree in marketing and minor in communication in 2007. McCallum also earned his master’s in physical education and coaching in 2010 from Northern State University (S.D.).