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December 9, 2024
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.”
“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).
