Nicole Carter joined the Brandeis Athletics staff as head coach of men's and women's swimming and diving in August of 2018.

Despite a limited schedule in 2020-21, Carter helped produce Brandeis's first All-American in more than a decade when Sam Dienstag '24 was recognized by the College Swim Coaches Association of American (CSCAA) for his performance in the 500-yard freestyle at the squad's only intercollegiate meet of the season. Dienstag became Brandeis's first NCAA Championship competitor in 2022, finishing 19th in the 1,650 freestyle and 30th in the 500. In 2023, he continued his improvement, producing the best-ever finish by a Brandeis swimmer at the NCAA Division III Championships, coming in 4th in the mile. He also earned All-America honors with a 14th-place finish in the 500 as Brandeis placed 19th in the team standings on the strength of Dienstag's performance alone. 

Carter is a graduate of Wheaton College, where she served as an assistant coach for eight seasons. As an assistant at Wheaton, she helped the Lyons to increasing success at the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championships, culminating in a runner-up finish for the women's team in 2018. In addition, Wheaton sent eight men and women to the 2018 Division III Championships. Carter coached a two-time NEWMAC Women's Swimmer of the Year and the 2018 NEWMAC Rookie of the Year. Her athletes earned Academic All-NEWMAC honors 32 times, reached the Dean's List 90 times and included one Fulbright Scholar.

In addition to her time as an assistant at Wheaton, Carter also served as the head coach at Evolution Aquatics in Westborough, Massachusetts. She created the Evolution Aquatics program in 2010 and went on to produce two All-Americans, four Junior National swimmers and five Massachusetts State champions. In London in 2012, Carter coached Dorian McMenemy, who became the first woman to represent the Dominican Republic at the Olympics.

Carter received her B.A. in psychology from Wheaton in 2002. She was the team's co-captain and served as chair of the Wheaton Captain's Council.