Mike Stephens - Swimming Coach - Boston College Athletics

Mike Stephens

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
stephemd@bc.edu
Phone:
552-0575

Michael Stephens, a former team captain and 2012 graduate of Boston College, was named the head coach of the men's and women's swimming and diving team on July 5, 2017. Stephens has brought an energy and passion for Boston College and the sport of swimming to the Heights, fostering a strong team culture and an excellent student-athlete experience.

Since being named to the position, Stephens has helped to elevate the program to some of its most successful seasons in program history. During his time as head coach, the Eagles have recorded 120 school record-breaking performances, 385 top-ten performances in BC history, and 14 performances earning NCAA “B” standards.

The 2020-2021 season saw numerous school records fall, highlighted by Haley Dolan, Livy Poulin, and Sam Roche at the ACC Championships. All three performers earned a spot in finals. Poulin turned in the highest finish in women’s program history at an ACC Championship with her 12^th place in 1-meter Diving. Roche’s 100 Backstroke qualified as an NCAA ‘B’ standard.

In addition to this success during the collegiate season, the Eagle women had their first Olympic Trials qualifiers in program history. Ashleigh Scott qualified for Canada and Ali Kea and Haley Dolan competed at the United States Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, NE. Additionally, Stephens guided graduate student and volunteer coach, Alex Sobers, to an Olympic berth. Sobers, a native of Barbados, set three national records and Olympic Selection cuts throughout the year to qualify for the Olympic Games. Stephens was named the Assistant Coach for the Barbados Olympic Swim Team. In Tokyo, Sobers finished 29^th in the 200 Meter Freestyle. His 1:48.09 was nearly a 3-second drop on the year and reset his national record.

Stephens’ program has also thrived in the classroom as both teams have earned CSCAA Scholar All-America honors each year during his tenure. The Eagle women have turned in the highest average team GPA of all varsity programs 5 semesters during that timeframe, including an impressive 3.72 GPA in the spring of 2020. Additionally, the Eagle men turned in a 3.65 average team GPA this spring, highlighted by Sam Roche earning 2^nd Team Academic All-American.

Stephens’ teams enjoyed great success during the 2019-2020 season as both programs continued to rewrite the record books and captured team titles at the Terrier Invitational. Sam Roche capped off an impressive sophomore campaign, breaking the school record in the 100 Backstroke. His time secured him an NCAA “B” standard and a spot in finals at the ACC Championship. On the women’s side, Ali Kea and Ashleigh Scott became the first women in program history to qualify for Olympic Team Trials for the United States and Canada, respectively. Additionally, six Eagles represented Boston College at the U.S. Open including Sam Roche, Ali Kea, Colin O’Leary, Maura Grimes, Matt Clark, and Sofia Zinis.

In addition to the 37 school record-breaking performances during the 2018-2019 season, Taylor Cortens and Charlie Kleinsmith wrapped up their careers with the fastest times in program history in the 100 and 200 Breaststroke. Both were finalists at the ACC Championship and went on to earn 2^nd Team Academic All-America accolades.

The 2017-2018 campaign saw many school records fall, highlighted by strong performances from Taylor Cortens (100 Breaststroke) and Colin O’Leary (200 Butterfly) at the ACC Championship. Both were finalists in their respective events, and Cortens went on to earn 2^nd Team Academic All-America honors.

In the 2016-2017 season, Stephens guided Taylor Cortens to an impressive sophomore campaign. Cortens earned NCAA “B” standards in three events (200 BR, 200 IM, 400 IM), punctuated by earning a finals swim in 200 Breaststroke at the ACC Championships. He went on to be named a 2^nd Team Academic All-American.

Stephens was promoted to associate head coach in January 2016. In addition to his coaching duties, he served as the recruiting coordinator for the team. He was also responsible for designing the strength and conditioning program for certain training groups while also managing the operations for team travel and competition.

During the 2015-2016 season, he helped guide Dan Kelly to an 11^th place finish at the ACC Championships in the 50 Free. Later that summer, Kelly would go on to compete at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, NE.

Prior to that, Stephens served as an assistant coach after joining the program in July 2013. Over that time period, he helped guide both teams to winning seasons and numerous school records. Three of his student-athletes achieved NCAA “B” standards – Dan Kelly (50 FR), Andrew Stranick (100 BR), and Nick Henze (200 FR) and two student-athletes earned 2^nd Team Academic All-America (Dan Kelly and Andrew Stranick).

Stephens graduated in May 2016 with an MBA from the Carroll School of Management, concentrating much of his elective coursework in the Lynch Graduate School of Education with a focus in higher education leadership and developmental psychology. Prior to his return to the Heights, he spent a year working as a financial analyst in the Leadership Development Program for Textron Inc.

Stephens hails from Olney, Maryland and is a 2012 graduate of the Carroll School of Management with a concentration in Finance. Stephens spent four years swimming for Coach Tom Groden on the Heights. He was a four-time letter winner and captained the team during his senior season. Upon graduation, he held the school record in the 200 Medley Relay and ranked in the top five all-time in the 100 and 200 Breaststroke. Stephens was a recipient of the Pawlak Award for Leadership in 2012 and the Conway Award for Outstanding Sophomore Swimmer in 2010. He also received a Leadership Award from the Athletic Department in 2011.

Stephens’ parents, Bill and Tish, continue to be driving forces in his life and have greatly influenced the success he has had to date. In addition to his parents, he has one sister, Morgan, who coaches lacrosse at UMBC and is a member of the U.S Women’s National Team.