The Northeastern University women's swimming and diving team debuted in the Fall of 1978 under the coaching staff of NU hall of fame member Janet Swanson.

Under Coates, the team built a solid foundation to set the tone for America East Conference dominance in the early 2000s.

The team won the AE conference championship in 2000 and successfully defended the title 5 years in a row until the University of New Hampshire narrowly broke its streak.

[2] During this time period NU was bolstered by a large group of versatile swimmers that eventually broke an unprecedented 13 of the 15 school swimming records between 2002-2005.

These athletes included Katie Schmaling (50 Free, 100-200 Back), Sarah Reddick (100 Free, 100 Fly, 100-200 IM), Kelly McIsaac (200 Freestyle), Jesse Coxson (500 Freestyle), Emily White (200 Butterfly), Katie Kane (100 Breaststroke), Kristen Kane (200 Breaststroke), and Kerby Lewis (400 IM).