Northwestern University

11/05/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 11/05/2024 14:31

Swimming and diving builds a foundation for the future

Swimming and diving builds a foundation for the future

Coming from powerhouse Arizona State, director Rachel Stratton-Mills is now in her second year at Northwestern
November 5, 2024 | By Northwestern Now Staff
Now in her second full year at the helm, Rachel Stratton-Mills took over both Northwestern men's and women's teams before the start of the 2023 season.

When it comes to Northwestern swimming and diving, a driving thought is "show people the work you've put in."

"I ask them, 'What are you doing every day when you show up here to make yourself better - to make this team better?'" said Rachel Stratton-Mills, director of swimming and diving.

Now in her second full year at the helm, Stratton-Mills took over both the men's and women's teams before the start of the 2023 season. She is focused on building the Northwestern program with the lessons she's learned through previous posts at Arizona State, as well as Maryland and Dartmouth, among others.

In life, the best thing we can do is learn from everybody - good and bad."

Rachel Stratton-Mills

"In life, the best thing we can do is learn from everybody - good and bad," she said. "I've been exposed to so much on my journey. I'm trying to bring it all together with the approach that every student-athlete is an individual. There is no one set of coaching tools that can help everyone."

Stratton-Mills' arrival at Arizona State in 2017 coincided with one of the most successful eras yet for the university's swimming and diving program. During that period, four Sun Devils laid claim to Pac 12 conference titles, and Stratton-Mills mentored 11 Sun Devil women to All-American honors. The highlight of that group was Cierra Runge, a first team All-American and gold medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

In her first season in Evanston, Stratton-Mills' team reset four school records and boasted one of the best improvement rates in the NCAA.

Asked about her Northwestern experience so far, Stratton-Mills pointed to the way the Wildcat coaches across 19 varsity sports uplift and push each other. "I really feel the love from everyone in the department," she said, "and that goes a long way to keeping you going through good times and bad."

Things are looking good at the moment.

The teams have jumped out to a fast start this season with dominating wins over Miami (Ohio) and Cincinnati. Both the women and the men emerged victorious versus Miami with identical scores of 203-97 - a rare result - winning nearly every event on the slate. The team moved to 2-0 on the season after beating Cincinnati in a dual meet at Norris Aquatics Center. Both the women's and men's teams won handily, 188.5-110.5 and 188-111, respectively. First-year diver Kyle Ly set a school record in the 3-meter dive (384.30) and won the 1-meter competition (328.43).

In her first season in Evanston, Rachel Stratton-Mills' team reset four school records and boasted one of the best improvement rates in the NCAA.

Next up, the Wildcats travel this weekend (Nov. 8-9) to take on Duke as they approach the Big Ten conference schedule.

"The meet against Duke will offer us a great opportunity to race on back-to-back days," Stratton-Mills said. "Duke has a strong team on both the men and women's side, and we expect some great races. This weekend will also give our divers a two-day competition, competing on all the boards, which usually doesn't happen until the end of the season. This will be a great tune-up."

Northwestern Now sat down with Stratton-Mills to discuss team training, her outlook for the season ahead, Northwestern values and more.

In a sport that frequently celebrates pool records, what is your thought on setting goals?

I think whenever we focus on a time, it's kind of an act in futility. I always tell them, unless you have some magic power, we can't slow down that clock. We have to focus on the plan, technique and execution. How did you execute that race? Didn't do as well as you could have? Why? So, you work on that.

Who should we be looking out for this season?

On the women's side, I'd highlight Nikki Venema, Sophie Martin and Zoe Nordmann. On the men's team I'd recommend keeping an eye on Diego Nosack, Cade Duncan, Stuart Seymour and Josh Staples.

Both the women and the men jumped out to fast starts this season with dominating home wins over Miami (Ohio) and Cincinnati. Photo by Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics

How do you approach training?

In trying to explain it to the student-athletes, I start by showing them the why, and I find that when they know the why, it's easy to come in every day and sink your teeth into it. There's a purpose. It's not grinding for the sake of the grind.

What do Northwestern values mean to you?

Taking care of the student-athlete. I think the thing here is you can excel at several things at once. You want to be a serious student and a committed athlete? Well, here we're going to set it up so you can do just that.

What's your outlook for this season?

We're on an upward trajectory, and I think this is a program that not only is going to continue to build and be relevant at the NCAA level, but one focused on international competition as well.

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