ADDITIONAL CONTACTS:
Chris Jones | Head Coach Masters: coachchris@friscoaquatics.com
Nikki Koch | Swim America Director: Lessons@friscoaquatics.com
OUR STAFF
Meet Our Coaches
Stuart Smith joined Texas Ford Aquatics in May 2012. Prior to his arrival, Stuart coached the North Texas Nadadores, where he coached swimmers to Top 10 rankings and State Championship levels, and won three straight 14 and under state championships. Prior to coaching at the NTN, Smith was head coach for the Wal-Mart Swim Club in Bentonville, Arkansas where he developed senior national qualifiers, junior national champions and earned two “Coach of the Year” awards.
Before Wal-Mart, he was an assistant senior coach at Dynamo Swim Club where he coached several Top-16 qualifiers, junior, and senior national qualifiers. Prior to Dynamo, Smith coached the club team at his alma mater, Longhorn Aquatics where he was an age group assistant coach and produced several TAGS qualifiers and champions, as well as some Top-16 qualifiers.
Originally from Huntington Beach, California, Smith attended the University of Texas – Austin, where he majored in kinesiology and minored in English. While attending university, he swam for all four years and became a NCAA Division I All-American swimmer. In the 1984 Olympic Trials, he was a semi-finalist in the 100 meter breaststroke. Smith is certified by the American Swim Coaches Association as a Level 4 coach.
With over 30 years of coaching experience, Coach McGough is a distinguished American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Level 5 coach—the highest certification attainable in his profession. He holds a Master of Science degree in Exercise Physiology from Auburn University, bringing a deep understanding of athletic performance and training principles to his coaching.
Since joining Texas Ford Aquatics (TFA) in 2021, Coach McGough has played a pivotal role in elevating the program to unprecedented success, culminating in TFA’s first-ever Gold Medal Club Excellence recognition for 2025. Prior to his tenure at TFA, he served as the Head Coach of Clovis Swim Club (2006–2021), where he developed 18 Olympic Trials qualifiers, including five athletes who earned spots on National Junior Teams, Junior Pan Pacific Teams, and World Junior Teams. Under his leadership, Clovis Swim Club achieved Silver Medal Club status and secured a top 50 ranking in USA Swimming’s Virtual Club Championships. Notably, Clovis swimmers recorded the fastest 18 & Under performances in the United States in:
- 2019: Girls 400m Freestyle
- 2020: Girls 200m Breaststroke
- 2021: Boys 200m Freestyle
Before leading Clovis Swim Club, Coach McGough served as the Carroll Independent School District Aquatics Director (2001–2006), where he founded the North Texas Nadadores. His extensive coaching career also includes positions at Auburn University, Fort Smith Tideriders (AR), Gator Swim Club (FL), and Alamo Area Aquatic Association (TX).
At the core of Coach McGough’s philosophy is a commitment to excellence, self-discipline, and personal growth. He emphasizes fostering a healthy self-image, personal accountability, and goal-setting, guiding athletes to reach their fullest potential. “It’s the journey, not just the destination, that matters. Winning isn’t everything, but striving for excellence is.”
Beyond the pool, Coach McGough enjoys spending time with his wife, Julie, and their two sons, Jacob and Caleb. Both followed in their father’s footsteps as competitive swimmers—Jacob at Purdue University and Caleb at Fresno Pacific University.
Texas Ford Aquatics started a Pro level team in January of 2022 and brought on Coach Coley Stickels to both manage and coach the TFA Pro team along with some of the top high school swimmers in the US. Coley’s passion and innovative training style propels athletes to achieve their fullest potential. He has trained numerous high profile swimmers including Olympian Beryl Gastaldello, Abby Weitzeil whom he coached to a gold and silver medal at the 2016 Olympics Games, Santo Condorelli of Italy who came in 4th at the Olympic finals in Rio 2016 and won Silver in the Tokyo Olympics, former World Record holder Roland Schoeman who placed fifth in the 2012 Olympic Games and Japan’s Daiya Seto World Record holder in the 400 IM short course and who formerly held the short course 200 meter butterfly world record.
Coley’s time as a Club and Division 1 College Coach has earned his swimmers World Championship gold, silver, and bronze medals, Pan-Am
Games gold, silver and bronze medals, World University Games gold, silver and bronze medals, Pan-Pacific silver and bronze medals and Short Course World Championships gold and silver medals.
Over the course of his 25 plus year career in swimming, he has coached at Dartmouth University, University of Indiana and University of Alabama. Prior to his college stints he coached at Lake Oswego Swim Club, and was Head Coach at Phoenix Swim Club and Canyons Aquatic Club in California where he was the Southern California Coach of the Year in 2017. Other accolades include USA National team coach, 2021 Olympic Coach, USA coach of the 2014 Short Course World Team in Doha, Qatar and was also named coach to the South African Pac Pacific team in 2010.As a decorated Division 1 athlete, he swam for The University of Arizona where he was a 14-time All-America honoree and
graduated magna cum laude in 2001, and earned a M.S. in Human Performance. He was named a First-Team Academic All-American and First- Team Academic All-Pac 10 . Stickels was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1999-2000 and swam for Team USA at the Short Course World Championships in 1999. He now resides in Frisco, Texas with his wife, Lindsay, and there young son Cub.
Michelle brings a wealth of experience at both the club and collegiate levels, along with a lifelong connection to the sport. She began her swimming career at the age of 8 with Canyons Aquatics Club in Southern California Swimming and went on to compete for California State University, Bakersfield, where she majored in Kinesiology and Exercise Science.
Michelle began her coaching journey as an assistant with Roadrunner Aquatics and the CSU Bakersfield men’s and women’s swim programs, working with distance groups and helping produce conference champions and NCAA qualifiers. In 2016, she became the Head Coach and Executive Director of Roadrunner Aquatics, where she developed athletes who qualified for Sectionals, Futures, Junior Nationals, Nationals, the U.S. Open, and even the Australian National Championships.
Since 2022, Michelle has served as the Head Coach of the North Texas Nadadores (NTN) in Southlake, where she continued to build one of the most competitive age-group and senior-level programs in the region. Her coaching philosophy emphasizes long-term athlete development, character growth, and fostering a team culture centered on excellence and accountability—values that align strongly with the mission and vision of Texas Ford Aquatics.
Outside of the pool, Michelle enjoys strength training and spending time with her husband, Gray Tedder, who is also a swim coach and currently serves as an assistant at Texas Christian University (TCU). Together, they bring an incredible depth of knowledge and love for the sport.
Coach Trent began working at Texas Ford Aquatics in August of 2018, after graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Accounting. He grew up swimming for TFA (then Frisco Aquatics) from 2004 to 2014.
Trent is a firm believer in developing swimmers as young people by equipping them with the skills they will need to be successful in any aspect of life that they choose to pursue. He focuses on promoting technique, pride in performance, and a great attitude about work ethic and competition. He hopes that he can pass on his love for the sport of swimming to anyone he gets to work with, and to give back to the awesome community that he grew up being a part of!
Texas Ford Aquatics is proud to welcome Spencer Penland as our 10 & Under Director. Spencer brings a strong combination of experience, enthusiasm, and proven results to our age group program.
Before joining TFA, Spencer served as Lead Age Group Coach at Club Wolverine in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he led multiple groups including the 10 & Under, 11–12, and 13–14 age brackets. As the lead coach for CW’s top 10 & Under group, Spencer helped double the team’s point total at the Michigan 10 & Under State Meet in just one year. Across his three years with CW, he coached more than 20 athletes who finished a season ranked in the top 50 nationally in their age group.
Prior to his time at CW, Spencer coached at Bloomington-Normal YMCA Waves in Illinois from 2017 to 2022. There, he was instrumental in growing the 10 & Under group from 16 to 31 swimmers in under a year and designed the dryland program for the entire team.
Spencer has also contributed to the sport nationally as a writer and analyst for SwimSwam and remains active in coach development through clinics and zone camps.
Spencer’s leadership, technical knowledge, and commitment to swimmer development make him a valuable addition to the TFA staff as we continue to build one of the premier age group programs in the country.
Former swimmer of 15 years competitively for Metroplex Aquatics, McKinney High School, and then University of Texas at Austin. During my swimming career I was a Sectional, Junior National, and Senior National qualifier. Along with a few accomplishments.
- Named Big 12 Champion in the 200 yard freestyle swim
- Member of the Big 12 Team Champions 2014-2018
- 4A and 5A High School Champion in the 100, 200, and 500 yard freestyle
Graduated with a major in Applied Learning and Development and a minor in Kinesiology.
Started my coaching journey in July of 2018 for Metroplex Aquatics as an age group coach. While still living in Austin I joined the Circle C Select Swim Team, there I worked will all levels age group to senior. Since moving back to McKinney I rejoined Metroplex Auquatics again as an age group in addition to senior dryland coach. Finally finding my new home here at TFA as an age group coach.
Kennedy Lovell brings a dynamic blend of elite athletic achievement, academic excellence, and leadership experience to her coaching role at Texas Ford Aquatics.
Athletic Journey & School Records
A standout freestyle specialist, Kennedy enjoyed a decorated collegiate swimming career at the University of Toledo. She holds school records in both the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle, in addition to contributing to record-breaking relay teams.
Leadership, Honors & Academic Excellence
Kennedy’s commitment extended well beyond the pool. She served as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and represented Toledo at the conference and national levels through leadership councils and forums.
She consistently earned academic distinctions, including Academic All-Conference honors, Academic All-District recognition, and President’s List status with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Kennedy was also selected as Toledo’s nominee for the NCAA Division I Women of the Year Award.
Education & Postgraduate Career
Kennedy graduated Summa Cum Laude in May 2022, earning dual bachelor’s degrees in English and Communication Studies. She went on to complete a master’s degree in Literature in 2024.
Her professional journey includes experience as a graduate assistant in the English Department, editorial and research assistant for a university press, and tutor for student-athletes. She later served as a Student-Athlete Enrichment Postgraduate Fellow, expanding her impact in athletics and higher education.
Why She’s a Great Fit for Texas Ford Aquatics
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Elite Performance & Expertise: Record-setting freestyle swimmer with proven technical mastery.
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Proven Leadership: Experienced leader who inspires and mentors athletes.
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Academic & Holistic Development: Scholar-athlete who emphasizes balance, growth, and discipline.
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Commitment to Athlete Experience: Dedicated to supporting athletes athletically, academically, and personally.