Jamie McNicholas enters his fourth season as head coach of the Indiana University Northwest women’s soccer program in 2025–26. Since his arrival, McNicholas has transformed the RedHawks into a competitive and academically driven program, achieving several program firsts along the way.
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 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) play. It marked the RedHawks’ first .500 season and the highest win total to date. Midfielder Olivia Hansen and defender Jocelyn Chang-Stroman were both named to the All-CCAC Second Team, becoming just the second and third players in program history to receive the honor. The RedHawks recorded eight shutouts on the year, showing continued growth on both sides of the field.
Off the pitch, McNicholas continues to emphasize academic achievement. Five student-athletes—Kendal Carrubba, Olivia Hansen, Brynn Nylin, Zoey Wells, and Gianna Witte—earned CCAC Academic All-Conference honors and were also named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) 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 to be named to the All-CCAC Second Team. That same year, Nylin, Cicily Porter, and MacKenzie Rainwater earned NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete honors and Academic All-Conference recognition alongside Zayla Ziel.
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 both a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Chowan. He also holds a Level 2/UEFA C Coaching License.
McNicholas currently resides in Crown Point, Ind. with his wife, Alyssa, and are expecting their first child in October.
