Courtesy of Noah Millard

Noah Millard ’26, an Australian Ivy League Champion, didn’t first splash into the pool with championship aspirations in mind. Instead, he grew up swimming for safety.

“Everyone learns to swim in Australia just for safety,” Millard told the News. “So I guess I started doing swimming lessons when I was probably … two, three, four, very young … purely from a safety standpoint. My parents didn’t expect that to be my sport.”

After being born in New York to two Australian parents, Millard’s family lived in Hong Kong for much of his early life. Still, swimming remained a hobby. It was an enjoyable part of his typical school routine; however, when Millard moved to Australia at age 12 — his parents’ home country — swimming took on a new meaning, becoming more than a pastime and transforming into a career prospect.

“It wasn’t probably until I was 13, 14, racing in a proper club structure in Australia that I was like ‘I could maybe be good at this and do it sort of long term,’” Millard said to the News. 

Although Millard tried other sports, like basketball and baseball, swimming was the one that stood out to him. He liked the “aerobic” and mental aspects of swimming. He told the News that the feeling as his body propels itself through the water in clean strokes was where he felt most in control. 

“I think just the nature of the sport … you’re responsible for your outcomes … you’re the one responsible for wins and losses … I guess I like that added pressure,” Millard said.

While swimming is an individual sport, one of the main factors influencing Millard’s decision to attend college in the United States as a collegiate swimmer stemmed from the balance of high-level academics and athletics with the community of a strongly-knit team. 

“There’s nowhere else in the world where your identity is tied so strongly to a team. I think in Australia, you race for a club, but it’s by yourself at the end of the day.”

Millard’s decision to attend Yale was an easy one, and he “couldn’t have been happier” with his choice. He instantly felt the welcoming community when he stepped on Yale’s campus and first met his future coaches and teammates. 

“Straight away after my Yale trip, I texted the coach and asked ‘when can I commit?’” Millard told the News. “At other places, I felt like I was either strictly a student or strictly an athlete, whereas here, I felt like I was just part of the community straight away … it felt like they appreciated what I had to offer in multiple different areas versus just swimming … it was a very easy choice. I’ve never looked back on it.”

Since becoming a Bulldog, Millard has found the community he sought amongst his teammates. From training, team breakfasts, classes, and hangouts, to cheering for each other on the pool deck, the Yale team has a unique bond unlike other schools Millard contemplated, he said. 

“Nobody knows you more than your teammates … you just get to bond with them at a level that I don’t think even normal friends at school get to.”

The Yale men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams train together under the same coaches, further fostering the “familial culture.” For Millard, whose mom and three younger sisters live in Australia, this strong team culture makes him feel at home. 

One of Millard’s favorite memories from his time on the team so far was seeing former captain Joseph Page ’23 conclude his collegiate career with strong performances at the 2023 Ivy League Championships. Page, who hosted Millard during his recruiting trip, hails from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The two bonded over their shared international student status, and with three younger sisters, Millard describes Page as “the brother that I never had.”

Millard proudly watched as Page secured the gold in the 100-meter freestyle on the last night of the championships and then swam with him in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, the final event.

Page reflected on his close friendship with Millard, commenting that Millard is “a great friend and a very natural leader.” Although Page has since graduated from Yale, the two have remained in close contact, and Page admires Millard’s accomplishments from a distance.  

“Noah is the backbone of the team. Since arriving at Yale, he’s always been respected for his talent as a swimmer, and it is clear that irrespective of his individual successes, what he cares about most is his teammates, friends, and family, the success of the team, and the trajectory of the program,” Page wrote to the News. “I think his story is pretty inspiring, and the way he’s evolved over the last few years has been awesome, with his performance at NCAA’s this year being a clear example of that.”

Èle Donegan ’26, a member of the women’s team, shared with the News that her favorite memory with Noah was when he broke the pool record in the 400-meter individual medley. 

“It was right before finals, during a tough block of training and not a huge meet for us. But he set a goal for himself and achieved that. He made that day memorable with the energy, passion and excitement he brought to the pool deck. And I’ve never seen [Coach] Kyle Schack so happy. Noah brings that mindset everyday for the team and it’s something I’m always grateful for” Donegan wrote.

After the 2022-23 school year concluded, Millard took a gap year to train for the 2024 Olympic Trials cycle. Since he was too young in 2016 and COVID-19 struck in 2020, the 2024 trials seemed like the perfect opportunity for Millard to take time off to fully commit himself to training and experiencing life as a semi-professional athlete.  

Millard trained at Melbourne Vicentre Swimming Club with Craig Jackson, who coached Mack Horton, an Olympic gold medalist in the 2016 Rio Games. Millard says that being able to work on his purely focus of his craft in this environment helped him improve.

Family also played an important role in Millard’s decision to return to Australia.

“I got to see my sisters graduate school, I got to have my 21st birthday, I got to have Christmas with my family, so there’s a lot of that sort of stuff weighing on my decision as well.” 

Returning to New Haven, Millard reclassed with the class of 2026 and enjoyed jumping back into the pool to compete with the Bulldogs. According to Millard, the competition within the Ivy League is tighter than it’s ever been, with Yale “knocking on Harvard and Princeton’s doors.” 

The team finished third at the 2024 Ivy League Championships, but Millard performed well in several key events. Individually, Millard won gold in the 500-yard freestyle and the 1650-yard freestyle events and silver in the 200-yard freestyle. Millard was also part of the winning 200-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard freestyle relay teams and the silver-finishing 800-yard freestyle and 400-yard medley relays. His mom and sister even traveled all the way to Providence, Rhode Island from Australia for Ivies. 

Millard’s outstanding performance and commitment to the team does not go unnoticed by his coaches.

“Noah is an incredible leader on our team! His ability to inspire and elevate his teammates is invaluable, especially in a competitive environment like racing. Having someone who embodies positivity and passion has created a strong, cohesive team dynamic that shows itself daily,” Head Coach Jim Henry wrote to the News. “We are so proud of what he has accomplished and can’t wait for next season.”

Associate Head Coach Kyle Schack is proud of the swimmer and teammate Noah has become, he said to the News. He is not just a strong swimmer, but a true mentor to his younger teammates, exuding calmness and concentration. 

“In Noah’s first year at Yale, we had some strong seniors who helped him get through the difficult training sessions, and he has become that person who mentors. Noah leads by example and provides wise words to the team in meetings, training, and competitions. Noah’s presence takes the pressure off the team at times. He has developed into one of, if not the most dominant swimmer in the League and is a confidence boost to the entire squad,” Schack wrote to the News. “When the going gets tough, you can count on Noah to lead by example and support his teammates to the end.”

As Millard looks ahead to next season, his senior year, he is excited for what’s in store for the Bulldogs. With a strong class of incoming freshmen and returning swimmers, the Elis will seek to secure a championship victory at Ivies. 

“I’d love to win a championship next year. My freshman year, we finished sixth, and this year we were on the edge of a championship, and I think you know, I can’t wait to be one of those alumni that come back and watch these kids that I’ve seen on recruiting trips throwing down times in the pool.”

Millard was an asset to the team throughout the season, concluding with a fourth-place national finish in the 1650-yard freestyle at the NCAA Championships last month.