Jamie McNicholas enters his fifth season as head coach of the Indiana University Northwest women's soccer program in 2026-27. Since his arrival, McNicholas has transformed the RedHawks into a competitive and academically driven program, achieving several program firsts along the way. Beginning with the 2025 season, McNicholas has also served as the CCAC Sport Chair for women's soccer, a conference-appointed role in which he oversees scheduling coordination, rule interpretations, sport-specific governance matters and serves as the primary liaison between member institutions and the conference office on all women's soccer-related issues.
In 2025, IU Northwest finished 5-5-9 overall and 3-3-6 in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play, earning the program's first-ever berth in the CCAC Tournament. The RedHawks fell 3-2 to top-seeded Holy Cross College in the opening round. Standout results included a 7-0 road victory at Indiana University South Bend on Oct. 1, powered by a hat trick from Gabby Maldonado, and a 9-0 road win over Mount Mary University on Oct. 25. Erin Harrison and Madison Polzin earned All-CCAC Second Team honors, while Harrison and Polzin also received College Sports Communicators Academic All-District recognition. Kendal Carrubba, Brooke Chandler, Allison Farmer, Olivia Montes, Dustina Stoner and Gianna Witte were named to the CCAC All-Academic team. Farmer, Chandler, Stoner, Witte and Montes were also named NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athletes.
In 2024, IU Northwest posted its best season in program history with an 8-8-2 overall record and a 5-5-1 mark in CCAC play, marking the program's first .500 season and highest win total to date. Jocelyn Chang-Stroman was named CCAC Newcomer of the Year and earned All-CCAC First Team honors, while Olivia Hansen was named to the All-CCAC Second Team — making Chang-Stroman and Hansen just the second and third players in program history to receive all-conference recognition. The RedHawks recorded eight shutouts on the year. Off the field, Kendal Carrubba, Olivia Hansen, Brynn Nylin, Zoey Wells and Gianna Witte earned CCAC All-Academic honors. Hansen, Nylin, Wells and Witte also received NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete recognition, and Carrubba, Hansen, Nylin, Wells and Witte were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team.
McNicholas made an immediate impact during his first season in 2022, leading the RedHawks to a then-program-best five victories. Under his leadership, Kelly Schaffer set a single-season scoring record with 12 goals. In 2023, graduate forward Kelly Landry became the first IU Northwest women's soccer player named to the All-CCAC Second Team. That same year, Brynn Nylin, Cicily Porter and MacKenzie Rainwater earned NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete honors and CCAC All-Academic recognition alongside Kayla Ziel.
Since taking over the program in 2022, McNicholas has built a strong culture of academic excellence. Over four seasons, IU Northwest student-athletes have combined for 19 CCAC All-Academic honors among 13 unique athletes, 12 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors among eight unique athletes, and 14 NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete awards among nine unique athletes.
Before his tenure at IU Northwest, McNicholas coached the Midwest Select S.A. Muskrats of the Women's Premier Soccer League. He also held coaching roles with the NWI Lions United club program and served as an assistant coach at Valparaiso High School.
A native of Nottingham, England, McNicholas played four seasons of collegiate soccer at Chowan University, where he appeared in 67 career matches and made 66 starts. A defender, he tallied seven assists during his career and helped lead Chowan to the Conference Carolinas Championship match in 2018. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Chowan and a Level 2/UEFA C Coaching License. McNicholas currently resides in Crown Point, Ind., with his wife, Alyssa, and their daughter, Emmie.
