Welcome to the Swimming and Diving - Girls 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.

IHSA Sectional Champions
2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

My name is David Stephens, and I am the head swimming and diving coach at St. Ignatius College Prep. I am currently in my tenth 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 nine years at St. Ignatius the program has had 61 state qualifiers for 228 events, 51 NISCA All-Americans, 180 sectional champions and 54 conference champions. I have also been named sectional coach of the year fourteen times and conference coach of the year once. 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 7 consecutive years. Additionally we have had 49 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 2009 campaign was a great success for the girls’ team. The girls finished the dual meet season with a 9-3 record. They 6th at F/S Conference and 5th at Varsity Conference. The Wolfpack captured their fifth consecutive IHSA Sectional Championship and qualified ten girls for the IHSA State Meet (finishing 35th) and also set two new team records. Chloe Ott and Katie Stelnicki earned All-State honors for their performances in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke. The 2009 boys’ team had a great year as well setting 21 new team records, posting eleven All-American performances, winning the IHSA Sectional Championship for the seventh year in a row and finishing 16th at the State Meet.

Not only will St. Ignatius offer you a top-notch education, but it will also 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 girls’ swimming and diving season is a fall sport that runs from mid August to mid November, 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, fill out the Swimming and Diving Questionnaire