Houghton University Athletics

Recreational sports were always a part of Alicia Campbell Mucher’s childhood. The daughter of a pastor, she was active in the church youth group, and activities always seemed to gravitate toward competitions involving volleyball, bowling, basketball, ping pong and more.
 
The recreational gave way to team sports as Mucher got involved in softball when her family moved to Greene, New York when she was in fifth grade, and soon added youth soccer and basketball to the mix. “I was a physical education junkie,” says Mucher. “I loved playing and competing in anything. I loved to improve my skills and grow in my level of competition.”
 
Her parents encouraged and supported her competitive passion. They enjoyed watching tennis and Olympic sports, as well as basketball. Her father, who played baseball and soccer in college, was a big influence. “I wanted to be like him in a lot of areas, so naturally wanted to make him proud,” she says. “He never played basketball, but it quickly became my favorite sport.”
 
That draw to basketball only grew as Mucher honed her skills on Saturday mornings, learned the fundamentals, worked hard and got better. By the time she was a senior, she had developed into a top player in the Binghamton area and colleges became interested.
 
Going to a Christian college was important to Mucher. “I wanted to play on a team where I could use the game of basketball far beyond the court,” says Mucher. “I wanted to play with teammates who had the same values as I did.”
 
Her interaction with staff and counselors at Delta Lake Bible Conference Center introduced her to Houghton and it was there she learned about the possibility of continuing her basketball career at the college.
 
She arrived at Houghton in the fall of 1998 and stepped in as an immediate contributor on a team that finished 24-6, won a conference title and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament. A three-year captain, Mucher is one of only a handful of Houghton players to average double figures scoring all four seasons, including a career-high 15.3 as a junior. She was also part of three teams that won conference titles and made three national championship appearances.
 
She wrapped up her career as the third all-time scorer in Houghton history (1,353 points), finished second in career steals (279), third in assists (359) and fourth in threes (161). She was a second team all-conference selection as a freshman and sophomore, honorable mention as a junior, and first team as a senior.
 
“Sports ministry trips to the Czech Republic, beating Roberts Wesleyan, packed gyms, doing basketball together, traveling to nationals, being together in class, in chapel, in practice, with my friends. These were the best memories,” says Mucher. “It’s what we accomplished together that mattered most. It’s always about relationship.”
 
The mentorship of Coach Lord, Charles and Darlene Bressler, Bill Swanson, Dea Hand and others continue to influence Mucher to this day.
 
Following Houghton, Mucher served as an assistant coach under Lord before moving on to high school coaching and teaching positions in Colorado and Indiana. She went on to earn a master’s degree in sport administration from the University of Central Missouri. She returned to Houghton in 2012 and served as head coach of her alma mater for eight seasons before transitioning back to high school teaching in 2020. “The thing I enjoy most is having influence on the people I live with, work with, and spend time around. I love working with people and around people,” says Mucher.
 
She also enjoys home projects, spending time with her family, running and working out, reading and beach vacations.