Women's Swimming and Diving

Swimming and Diving at Duke
Photo by: Northwestern Athletics
Rachel Stratton-Mills
Rachel Stratton-Mills
  • Title:
    Director of Swimming & Diving
  • Email:
    rachel.strattonmills@northwestern.edu
Rachel Stratton-Mills is in her second season as Director of Swimming & Diving at Northwestern University.  Stratton-Mills, who oversees both the men's and women's programs, joined the Wildcats after spending six seasons at Arizona State University, where she served as associate head coach.
 
In her first season in Evanston, the program reset four school records and boasted one of the best improvement rates in the NCAA.
 
Stratton-Mills' arrival at Arizona State in 2017 coincided with one of the most successful eras for the Arizona State swimming & diving program, a run that saw her mentor 11 Sun Devil women to All-American honors. The highlight of that group was Cierra Runge, a First Team All-American who claimed a Gold Medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Four Sun Devils laid claim to Pac-12 Conference titles under the tutelage of Stratton-Mills, with Lindsay Looney taking home the conference's 500 freestyle crown.
 
Stratton-Mills' influence has also been evident in Arizona State's team success at the NCAA Championships. The Sun Devils improved their finish in each of Mills' first three years on staff, a stretch that concluded with a 20th-place finish in 2019 that marked the program's top team showing since 2012.
 
Prior to her stay at Arizona State, Stratton-Mills, who also has coaching stops at the University of Maryland and Dartmouth College, served as head coach of Asphalt Green United Aquatics from 2010-15. During her stay at the club, Stratton-Mills saw an athlete earn a spot on the 2012 United States Olympic Team, while a pair of athletes were named to the U.S. National Junior Team. She also served on staff for Team USA at both the Short Course World Championships and Junior World Championships.
 
Apart from her time on the collegiate and club levels, Stratton-Mills boasts coaching experience on the professional level, having spent the 2019 season with the D.C. Trident of the International Swim League, where she was part of one of the first all-female professional sport staffs.
 
A native of Los Gatos, Calif. who competed collegiately at UCLA, Stratton-Mills is president-elect for the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA). She also serves on USA Swimming's Rules & Regulations Committee.

Stratton-Mills holds a bachelor's in sociology from UCLA and a master's in liberal studies from Arizona State.
 
She and her husband, Glenn Mills, are parents to a daughter, Madison.