LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State Swimming & Diving added Michael Licon to its staff, Head Coach Rick Pratt announced. Licon, who most recently assisted at The University of Akron, brings several years of experience to the Aggie staff, including multiple stops with nearby programs. With the program joining the MPSF this summer, the new coach hopes to guide NM State to similar success it found in the WAC for twenty seasons.
Michael Licon, on joining the staff: "I am extremely grateful to Coach Pratt for offering me the opportunity to coach at an excellent program like New Mexico State. For me, being in Las Cruces and close to my hometown of El Paso was too good of an opportunity to pass on. We have an outstanding group of ladies and staff in this program, and I know we can make great strides this season towards our end goal of winning MPSF conference championships."
Licon most recently served as an assistant coach for Akron, doing so for two seasons. There, he helped guide the Zips to a pair of MAC championships, leading the program to its fourth consecutive crown in 2024-25. During his two-year stay, the squad took home MAC gold in 18 different events, including four relay crowns this past March.
Three superlative honors went to the program in 2025 as Licon's bunch took the Freshman Swimmer of the Year, Most Outstanding Swimmer and Most Outstanding Senior of the Year awards from the MAC to highlight three of the league's 16 First-Team selections.
Before his time at Akron, Licon spent a season with New Mexico. During his year in the Duke City, he assumed head coaching duties during the fall semester following the departure of the previous head coach. The Lobos competed against Rick Pratt and NM State that Spring, falling 171-124 in Albuquerque.
The year prior (2021-22), Licon served as a volunteer assistant at Auburn, overseeing practices and team data. That season, the Tiger roster boasted NCAA Honorable Mention All-Americans, SEC finalists and Olympic Trial Qualifiers en route to a sixth-place men's finish and a seventh-place women's finish at the conference championships.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, he has also coached club swimming for the Opelika Swim Team in Alabama with Olympic gold-medalist Tyler McGill and Lobo Aquatics in Albuquerque. The El Paso native graduated from UTEP in 2020 with a bachelor's degree in biology.
Head Coach Rick Pratt, on the addition of Licon: "We are very fortunate to have Michael join our staff. As an El Paso native with a high level of knowledge in swimming, he is already making a positive impact. He is a kind, passionate individual with a strong eye for technique and has been involved with swimming at the highest level. His connection to the area will lend itself perfectly in recruiting and he is a hard-working coach that will help take our program to the next level."
The Aggies will return to action this weekend, doing so from the comfort of their home pool in Las Cruces. The Crimson & White will square off against Northern Colorado in a conference dual meet on Saturday, Oct. 18. The swimmers will first hit the NM State Swimming & Diving Complex pool at 10:00 AM.
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