CLAREMONT, Calif. - Caileigh Purcell joins the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps swimming and diving program for the 2026-27 season as an assistant coach, after previously serving as an assistant at both Carnegie Mellon and Youngstown State, and as the head coach at Bethany College. 

Purcell spent the past season at Carnegie Mellon, where she served in a dual role as assistant coach and aquatics coordinator. She assisted the Tartans with organizing and planning practices, conducting national recruiting efforts, and managing the pool schedule for varsity and club teams, recreational swimming and other groups.

With Purcell on staff, Carnegie Mellon's men earned a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships this past year. The Tartan women's team also earned a top 20 finish (18th), a marked improvement from 30th place the season before. 

In her two years as an assistant at Division I Youngstown State from 2022-24, Purcell assisted with the organizing and planning of practices for the team's sprinters, as well as in conducting recruiting efforts and coordinating travel. 

Purcell served as the head coach of the swimming and diving program at Bethany College in West Virginia for three seasons from 2019-22, where she was responsible for all aspects of running a Division III program. She took over the Bethany program after serving as an assistant swim coach at the Spencer Family YMCA in Pittsburgh for five years, and as a swim lesson coordinator at Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics.

Purcell graduated from Clarion University of Pennsylvania with degree in liberal studies, with a concentration in athletic coaching, while also minoring in both psychology and nutrition and fitness. She went on to get a master's degree in physical education from the University of Arkansas.