USA Artistic Swimming announced Tuesday that Megan Abarca will take over as head coach of the U.S. senior national team, succeeding Tammy McGregor, who stepped down in August after one season in the role.

Abarca has been head coach at Stanford University since 2018. She first joined the program in September of 2012 as an assistant coach, and has since has helped turn the Cardinal into one of the country’s premier artistic swimming programs.

 

Under her leadership, the Cardinal captured Collegiate National Championships in 2013, 2016, 2021 and 2025 and has never finished lower than second at nationals since 2018, or lower than third since 2013. Most recently, she was also named the 2025 Collegiate Coach of the Year.

Simultaneously, Abarca has been a longtime contributor to USA Artistic Swimming at the age-group levels, leading multiple youth and junior national teams, and assisting on several international squads.

In 2024, she served as an assistant coach to the U.S. duet and silver medal-winning team at the Paris Olympics. This summer, she guided the U.S. junior national team at the Junior Pan American Games to silver in team and bronze in duet.

“We have incredible athletes in our program and they deserve the best coaching staff we can assemble,” said USAAS CEO Adam Andrasko. “That starts with the head coach. We will focus on team culture. The inspiration and results will follow. Later this week we will share our full staff plan and we are thrilled about the future.”

Abarca will depart Stanford to assume the senior national team role based in Los Angeles.  Stanford’s release thanked Abarca for a 13-year affiliation, noting she produced 10 individual national champions during her tenure, and quoted her saying she “leaves The Farm with a full heart.”

ARTICLE BY CHRISTINA MARMET

Headshot courtesy of Stanford University.

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