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Welcome to the Swimming and Diving - Boys home page. For additional information
on the Swimming and Diving program please contact our coach - Mr. David Stephens
at david.stephens@ignatius.org
. For a complete faculty and staff contact list, please visit our Contact Info page.
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IHSA Sectional Champions
2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Metro Catholic Association Conference Champions
1964, 1965, 2011
My name is David Stephens, and I am the head swimming and diving coach at St. Ignatius
College Prep. I am currently in my 12th year coaching the girls’ and boys’ teams.
I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and swam for the Dynamo Swim Club.
I
continued my swimming career at the University of Michigan, which won the 1995 NCAA
Men’s Swimming National Title. I swam under Olympic coach John Urbanchek and trained
with the world’s elite, including world record holders Tom Dolan, Tom Malchow and
Eric Namesnik. Following my graduation from the University of Michigan, I moved
to Chicago for law school and became the swim coach at St. Ignatius along the way.
With the assistance of my former coach I have created a program that mirrors the
type of program used at the University of Michigan. This program includes threshold
training, active rest and VO2 max swimming in addition to drylands, weights and
plyo metrics. It may sound somewhat complex but it has proven successful. In my
eleven years at St. Ignatius the program has had 71 state qualifiers for 304 events,
71 NISCA All-Americans, 243 sectional champions and 95 conference champions. I have
also been named sectional coach of the year sixteen times and conference coach of
the year twice. I believe these awards are a reflection of all the hard work the
swimmers and coaching staff put into the program. In addition to succeeding in the
water, I demand that my swimmers succeed in the classroom. The girls’ and boys’
swim teams have both been named IHSA Team Academic Achievement Winners for 10 consecutive
years. Additionally we have had 56 NISCA Academic All-Americans in the past nine
years. Whether it is breaking 30 seconds in the 50 free, scoring at state, swimming
in college or qualifying for nationals I am confident that I can take any dedicated
and motivated swimmer to the next level.
The 2010-11 campaign was a great success for the boys’ swimming and diving team.
The team finished with a 10-1 record and won the St. Viator and Shamrock Invites.
The boys’ team won its ninth consecutive IHSA Sectional Title, qualified eleven
boys for the state meet and produced several All-State and All-American performances.
The 2010 girls’ team had a great year as well winning the IHSA Sectional Championship
for the sixth year in a row and qualifying ten swimmers for the IHSA State Meet.
Not only will St. Ignatius offer you a top-notch education but also it will provide
you with an opportunity to become a successful swimmer. Swimming literally takes
you
places, and I want to have swimming take you as far as you want to go. I know that
choosing a high school is a big decision, but I want you to know that I am passionate
about swimming and coaching. I want to share that passion for the sport with you.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
The boys’ swimming and diving season is a winter sport that runs from mid November
to late February, and all swimmers are encouraged to participate in summer and/or
year round swim programs. Prospective swimmers are encouraged to fill in the questionnaire
located at the top of this page.
If you wish to join the team, please fill out the Swimming and Diving Questionnaire.