The University of Texas women’s swimming & diving team has promoted Chad Mylin to become the program’s new full-time assistant coach. After the Kansas women and Texas A&M men, the Longhorns become the third program to announce that they are taking advantage of new rules that allow single-gender teams to add an extra full-time assistant to their staffs.
As part of that new rule, the role of volunteer assistant has been eliminated; that’s a role that Mylin held with the Longhorn women for the last two seasons. In each of those seasons, the Texas women finished 2nd at the NCAA Championships, behind only the Virginia Cavaliers. That’s the team’s best two-year stretch since the 1994 and 1995 championships.
“We are beyond excited to promote Chad Mylin to the role of assistant coach,” head coach Carol Capitani said. “His unwavering dedication, attention to detail, and positive impact on our team have been truly outstanding. Chad has demonstrated his ability to form meaningful relationships with our athletes, and he’s built a remarkable level of trust that directly translates into exceptional performances. His infectious energy and unwavering positivity are huge assets to our team culture.
“This promotion recognizes Chad’s talent in coaching both the swimmer and the person, as well as his impact on the personal and athletic growth of our athletes.”
“I’m extremely grateful and ecstatic for the opportunity to coach at The University of Texas,” Mylin said. “I’ve learned so much working with Carol and (Associate Head Coach) Mitch (Dalton), and I’m eager to continue to grow and build off what have been an incredible past two years. Big things coming!”
Mylin has worked primarily with the sprint group, aiding in the growth of Grace Cooper into one of the top sprinters in program history. At the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships, Cooper placed 10th in the 50-meter freestyle and established a program record with a sub-25 second time of 24.90. Last season, Cooper climbed to fourth on the Texas all-time performer list in the 50-yard free with a time of 21.89, while Bridget Semenuk swam a career-best 22.06 to move into the top-10 at number eight all-time.
At the national championships, Texas has seen a dramatic improvement in the 200 free relay. The Horns placed sixth at the 2023 national meet, the best finish for Texas since 2012, with Cooper, Emma Sticklen, Kyla Leibel and Kelly Pash combining for a time of 1:27.11, the third-fastest performance in program history. Cooper opened the relay with a swim of 21.96, tied for the 13th-fastest performance ever for a Longhorn.
The quartet of Cooper, Sticklen, Leibel and Pash also posted the second-fastest 200 free relay mark in UT history, teaming for a time of 1:27.05 against NC State in January. All told, over the last two seasons Texas has tallied six of the top 25 200 free relay performances in program history as well as six of the top 15 400 free relay swims.
“We have complete confidence that Chad will continue to excel in his new position, leveraging his strong connections with our athletes to empower them in reaching new heights,” associate head coach Mitch Dalton said. “His ability to inspire and motivate, combined with his deep commitment to our team’s success, make him an invaluable asset to our coaching staff.
“I just really believe in this coaching staff. Our combined experience and individuality make this a dynamic environment for our student-athletes. Chad’s addition as an assistant coach solidifies that Texas will have one of the best coaching staffs in the country.”
Prior to coaching, Mylin was a four-year letterwinner at Florida State, joining the Seminoles as a walk-on in 2014 and culminating his FSU career as an All-American in 2018. He helped the Noles to a seventh-place finish in the 200 free relay at the 2018 NCAA Championships and earned Honorable Mention All-American honors in 2017 in the 200 free relay while also competing individually in the 50 free.
A three-time ACC Conference medalist, Mylin won bronze in 2017 in the 50 free and twice earned silver as part of the 200 free relay (2017-18). He ranks eighth on Florida State’s all-time performer list in the 50 free (19.32) and is part of three of the top nine 200 free relay performances in program history.
A native of Longwood, Fla., Mylin earned his bachelor’s degree from Florida State in sports management.
A press release from the University of Texas contributed biographical information to this report.
Can someone who REALLY knows how these volunteer coaching roles work please comment on how a young adult WITH a college degree can afford to spend 2 years doing unpaid coaching work? Aside from having a trust fund, or a separate job aside from the hours required for intercollegiate coaching. Did this young man live with his parents in Austin? I’m asking.
It’s kind of moot because they don’t exist anymore.
But there’s not one universal answer that you seem to be looking for. Some of them have family money and/or are supported by their parents. Some of them coach the local club team. Some of them have a spouse who pays the bills. Some are independently wealthy for other reasons.
Not all volunteer jobs are full time. Some volunteers will coach 1 practice a week. Some will treat it like a full-time job.
There’s a million answers to the question.
I coached club full time while being a volunteer assistant for a university. As a coach of a college our volunteers have either done the same or were current students of the university (masters, phd) looking to stay with the sport.
Texas on the move in the right direction!
I believe Kansas was the first to add a coach for a single gender team.
I believe you’re right.