Susan Teeter retired recently from active coaching after spending 33 seasons as the head coach of the Princeton women’s swim team and 45 years in the sport. She has divided her time as a special consultant to the USA Swimming National Team Director, Lindsay Mintenko and as an Assistant Coach on the International Swim League’s DC Trident Team. While at Princeton, she was the all-time leader in wins, Teeter racked over 224 dual meet victories, and guided Princeton to an incredible 17 Ivy League titles. Teeter is the Ex-officio President of the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association.   Currently Teeter speaks and consults all over the country on Team Culture and Leadership.  She also creates and runs Leadership workshops across the country. 

Now this newly “coaching retired” leader has quickly become the face and the voice behind the movement for enhancing female coaches in swimming.  Based on her coaching record, passion for building young women into strong women and her outspoken nature, Teeter can be found leading the charge to help change USA Swimming and College Swimming in how women are hired, mentored and appreciated.  Teeter is also passionate about helping save men’s swimming programs from being cut at NCAA schools and helping to keep college programs as separate men’s and women’s teams vs. the “combined program”.

During her time coaching at Princeton, Teeter had a seven-season winning stretch, her teams won a Princeton-record 47 consecutive meets, a streak that ended in 2004 at nationally-ranked Pittsburgh. Princeton also won five consecutive Ivy League titles during that time period (2000-04).

Her peers took notice of Teeter’s place in the sport. She has been awarded the USA Aquatics Sports Most Outstanding Woman for 2015.  She was honored with the prestigious College Swim Coaches Association “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2011 and in 2017, the “National Collegiate + Scholastic Trophy“, the highest award given by the organization.  Teeter earned the American Swimming Coaches Award of Excellence multiple years, including five straight years from 2006 through 2010.  In 1988 she received the Master Coach Award from the College Swimming Coaches Association for her contributions to collegiate swimming.

Teeter has mentored swimmers who went on to become Olympians, NCAA qualifiers, All-Americas, senior national/Olympic trial qualifiers, World University Games team members and Ivy League champions.

Teeter is a member of two Olympic Teams, spending the summer of 2000 serving on the U.S.A. Swimming staff in Sydney as an Assistant Manager and the summer of 1996 as the Head Manager of the USA Olympic Swimming Team in Atlanta. In all, she has been on the staff of nine international swim teams. From 2001-2008 she served as a special consultant to Speedo USA for all Olympic and World Championships.

In the winter of 2000, Teeter’s senior class established and endowed the Susan S. Teeter Award, which is given annually to the senior class swimmer who, during her four-year career, distinguishes herself as an outstanding student and a valuable member of the women’s swimming team. Teeter has also been honored by past graduating classes by being named an Honorary member of the Princeton Classes of 1985 and 1986.

Teeter serves as a Certified Professional DISC Behavioral Analyst, a Certified Professional Values Analyst with the 12 Driving Forces and is Certified in the Emotional Quotient Assessments and the Indigo DISC Assessments.  She works with sports teams as well as small businesses to improve the quality of their staffs, programs and communication.  Through her work, Teeter has become known as one of the great TEAM Builders in College Swimming.  Teeter is also a Certified Life Coach receiving her certificate from the International Coaching Society and a certified Tim Elmore  “Habitudes Facilitator”.

In 1999 Princeton University’s President’s Standing Committee on the Status of Women recognized Teeter for her contributions to women on campus.  Teeter is also known for facilitation work while working with women’s growth weekends for the Woman Within program.

Teeter is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville graduating with a BFA. She is a level 5 USA Swimming Coach.

TEETER BY THE NUMBERS

• 224 team victories

• .785 winning percentage

• 17 Ivy League Championships

• 12 Ivy titles within 17 year stretch

• honored with prestigious College Swim Coaches Association “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2011 and “National Collegiate + Scholastic Trophy” in 2017

• Princeton University sport-wide record 47 straight wins (between 2000-04)

• Led Princeton to an additional 44 straight wins

• coached GoPrincetonTigers.com Athlete of the Decade (Alicia Aemisegger)