Swimcloud
James Sica

James Sica

Head Coach

James Sica, who was instrumental in the success of the MIT swimming & diving programs for the past six years, was named the head swimming & diving coach at Boston University on May 25, 2023. Sica served as the Engineers' associate head coach for the past two seasons, including a semester as acting head coach, after joining the staff in 2017. In his six years, the Engineers won every men's and women's team conference championship contested and never finished outside of the top 10 at the NCAA Championships. Prior to MIT, Sica was an assistant at Carnegie Mellon, Harvard and his alma mater, Ithaca College. "We are excited to welcome James to the BU Athletics family," said Drew Marrochello, BU's director of athletics. "His coaching career is filled with stops at prestigious institutions, and it's clear he's driven to develop true scholar-athletes. He has enjoyed a strong run during his tenure at MIT and as we got to learn more about him and his coaching philosophy, it's apparent that one of his top strengths is his ability to connect with and mentor athletes. We look forward to James guiding a new era for our swimming & diving programs." "It is a tremendous honor to be named the next head coach for swimming & diving at Boston University," said Sica. "Throughout the entire search process it was clear that BU Athletics emphasizes excellence in all aspects of the student-athlete experience. I am excited to contribute to the swim & dive program's future success while creating a student-athlete experience that enriches the world-class academic opportunities that Boston University has to offer. "I want to thank Drew Marrochello and the entire search committee for trusting me to step in and add to the legacy of BU Swimming & Diving. I cannot wait to get to work with the amazing young adults who make this program and the BU community so special." Sica replaces Bill Smyth, who retired from coaching in February after serving as head coach at BU for the past 18 years. While serving as acting head coach for the second half of the 2021-22 season, Sica led the Engineers to men's and women's NEWMAC titles, two top-10 NCAA finishes and four NCAA champions, the most MIT has won in a single season in program history. He went on to earn NEWMAC Men's Swimming & Diving Coach of the Year honors for his efforts. This past season, the MIT men had the highest team GPA in the country in the fall (3.82) and went on to earn their highest finish at NCAAs (fifth) since the 2017-18 season. The women finished eighth in the nation and had their highest point total in program history at both the NCAA Championships (222 points) and NEWMAC Championships (1,441). In 2018-19, the men's team posted the top GPA in the country for both the fall (3.78) and spring (3.76) semesters, and also had 17 individuals named to the Scholar All-America team, tying for most in the country across all divisions. In his first season with the Engineers, both teams had top-six finishes at the NCAAs with the women earning their highest point total to date (211). Sica came to MIT from Carnegie Mellon, where he served as an assistant coach from 2015-17. Prior to his time with the Tartans, Sica was a volunteer assistant coach for Harvard's women's program for the 2014-15 season in addition to being the associate head coach of the Cambridge Masters Swim Club. A 2012 graduate from Ithaca as a double major in writing and English, Sica was a member of the Bombers' back-to-back UNYSSCA championships in 2011 and 2012 and was voted as team captain as a senior. He stayed on as an assistant coach at Ithaca from 2012-14 while completing a master's degree in sport and exercise science with a concentration in sport psychology.
Steve Andersen

Steve Andersen

Assistant Coach

Stephen Andersen is in his second full year on the swimming & diving coaching staff. Andersen spent the 2022-23 season as a volunteer assistant with the Terriers, working with all groups. In August 2023, he transitioned into the role of full-time assistant. Prior to his time with Boston University, Andersen spent six years coaching with Commonwealth Swimming and was a two-time silver medal USA Swimming club excellence award winner (2020, 2022). Andersen has helped coach athletes who have represented Team USA on the Junior National Team, as well as attended both the Junior World Championships and Junior Pan Pacific Games. In addition, he has helped coach three U.S. Olympic Trials qualifiers, eight Summer Junior National Qualifiers and numerous Winter Junior National Qualifiers. Since he began coaching with Commonwealth Swimming, his athletes have set 12 LSC records. As a coach for Commonwealth Swimming, Andersen was able to travel to the United States OTC to attend the USA Swimming Girls National Select Camp, designed for the top USA Swimming member athletes in the nation. He was also awarded a 30 Under 30 grant to attend the American Swim Coaches Association World Clinic in 2023 as one of the top young coaches in the nation. Andersen graduated from Saint Michaels College in 2017 with a degree in economics. He swam all four years and was named captain his senior season.