Stephen Thompson begins his fourth season as the head coach of the Lewis University men's and women's swimming teams. Hired in August, 2005, as the fourth head coach in program history, Thompson has consistently improved the Flyers' performances at the GLIAC and NCAA Division II Championships. Under Thompson's direction, the Flyers have earned 23 All-America awards, produced 11 individual GLIAC champions, and broken 15 school records 41 times. In addition, the men's team has finished in the top 25 in each of Thompson's first three seasons. The women's team finished 30th in 2007 and 28th in 2008. In the classroom, Lewis teams have been recognized as Academic All-America in 2007, and several swimmers earned Academic All-GLIAC.

At the 2008 GLIAC Championships, Lewis swimmers enjoyed unparalleled success. Kevin Coates and Deirdre Mikolajcik were named the conference Freshman Male and Female Swimmers of the Year. The Flyers also broke two GLIAC records, recorded eight individual championships, and secured 4th place in the men's team standings and 5th place among the women's teams. Lewis University also sent three men and one woman to the NCAA Division II Championships in Columbia, Missouri. In total, Lewis swimmers scored in 11 of the 14 events they were entered. In 2007, Michael Lapustin earned the GLIAC Male Swimmer of the Year, a first in program history. Jared Zimmer and Adam Brown joined Lapustin as the 3rd and 4th male All-America's at Lewis, while Stephanie White-Olson became the first female Flyer to represent Lewis at the NCAA Championships since 2004.

During Thompson's first season, the Flyers received points from five of the six men's team members and 10 of the 11 women's swimmers at the GLIAC Championships. At the NCAA DII Championships, Lapustin became an All-America in the 100 and 200 backstroke events.

Thompson is a 1995 graduate of the University of Tennessee and has extensive coaching experience with teams throughout the country. Prior to coming to Lewis, he was at the Greenville Swim Club in North Carolina. At GSC, he coached two nationally ranked swimmers. Thompson began his coaching career in Knoxville, TN, as the head coach of Farragut High School.

Thompson is married to the former Katherine Wendt, a collegiate swimmer and captain at the University of Minnesota. They have one daughter, Kylie Anne, and a dog, Colorado, and they live in La Grange.