In an Instagram post, the Texas Ford Aquatics formally announced the welcoming of a swimming icon, Coley Stickles as he formally signs with the Frisco team. According to the post, the addition of Coley Stickles will dramatically improve the capacity and potential of the Frisco team.

An introduction to Stickles’ journey and achievements was posted in a Swim Swam article from January 24 where it says, 

“From 2019-2020, he was the head coach of Alabama’s swim team, and during his tenure Alabama swimmers broke 23 school and 9 SEC records, TFA noted. Stickels resigned mid-season in 2020 without public explanation, though he did say he wanted to prioritize training swimmers for the Tokyo Olympics and other national and international competitions. Many of his athletes, however, like Margo Geer and Ian Finnerty, retired prior to Olympic Trials. Geer ultimately took over his position at Alabama.

Prior to his time at Alabama, he was an associate coach at Indiana, an assistant coach at Dartmouth, and was the head coach of a number of clubs, including Phoenix Swim Club.

Stickels himself swam during college at the University of Arizona, where he was a 14-time All American.

Stickels has trained several high-profile professional swimmers, including Daiya Seto, who came to America to train with him, and Beryl Gastaldello, who will be moving to Frisco to train with the new pro team. Other swimmers he has coached in the past include Olympic gold medalist Abbey Weitzeil, during her time at the Rio Olympics; and Roland Schoeman, a former world record holder in the LCM 50 butterfly, SCM 50 freestyle, SCM 100 freestyle, SCM 100 IM, and the LCM 4×100 free relay.”

The addition of Stickles is part of the massive rebranding and reorganization of the Texas Ford Aquatics as it continues to aim to be part of the national club. Its powerhouse development doesn’t just include the new addition of the iconic coach but it also includes the 30,000 square foot aquatic center.