Notre Dame swimmer Stensby looks to continue success from Stevenson
Many high school gyms would love to be as well-decorated as Topher Stensby's bedroom in Lincolnshire.
A group of state of Illinois placards, like the ones you see in some gyms in this state to recognize state champions, hang on the wall above Stensby's bed.
They are smaller in size, compared to the placards you'd see in a gym, but there are four of them, and they designate state championships all the same.
"My mom (Tami) reached out to our athletic director and got the information for the company that makes them, and the same people who make those signs for our school, made replicas for us," Stensby said. "That's a part of high school that stays with me."
Stensby, a freestyle sprinter who says that his first name is a shortened version of Christopher, was a four-time state swimming champion at Stevenson High School before graduating in 2019. He won the 50 freestyle as a sophomore, the 50 and 100 free as a junior, and the 50 free as a senior.
Funny thing is, Stensby, a 6-foot-2 former basketball player who liked hoops best growing up and didn't get serious about swimming until after starting high school, never thought he'd be good enough to win one state championship, let alone four.
And yet now, he's also swimming in college at Notre Dame.
"I actually ask myself this, like how (swimming stuck)," Stensby said with a laugh. "Looking back, I don't know how this all happened. I wasn't like a spectacular swimmer or anything growing up, and I think I enjoyed basketball more back (in eighth grade).
"But for whatever reason, I kind of believed in myself and picked swimming, and here we are. I'm not entirely sure how, but ... it worked out."
The Irish just hosted a meet last week against Cincinnati in which another former Illinois state high school swim champion, Michael Balcerak of St. Viator who is now swimming for the Bearcats, showed his stuff.
Stensby placed in four events (first in the 200 medley relay and the 400 free relay, third in the 50 free and fourth in the 100 free) while Balcerak took second in the 100 fly and the 400 free relay and sixth in the 200 fly.
"Always fun to see familiar faces," Stensby said. "There are a decent amount of kids from Illinois competing in college. It's always fun to catch up with them.
"Illinois swimming is super tight. I still have friends I talk with every day, from Hinsdale Central or New Trier. High school swimming is so big in Illinois. In a lot of states, club swimming is the thing, but in Illinois, everyone cares more about high school swimming. Everyone also does club here, but (the high school season) is the most important season for us. High school state is the biggest meet of the year. When you're a freshman or sophomore and you finally get to that meet and get a medal, it's like the peak."
Stensby reached the peak quickly.
Just one year after deciding to shelve basketball and jump head first into swimming, Stensby won a state championship as a sophomore.
"I guess I thought I could be so much better at swimming than I was at the time," Stensby said of his decision to make swimming his top priority. "I kind of knew I wasn't going to be anything in basketball (long term). So I took a shot on myself. I thought I could do it, so I gave swimming my full time. And then I took a huge step between freshman and sophomore year. Everything started to click sophomore year."
Stensby is hoping for a similar trajectory at Notre Dame.
He had a respectable start to his college career last year, placing in all kinds of events. But a wrist injury that included serious cartilage damage and eventually required surgery slowed him significantly.
He entered this season healthy and feeling stronger and more like himself.
"I just wanted to forget about last year and how I swam," Stensby said about his rookie campaign at Notre Dame. "In the three to four months we've been going this year, it feels so different. Even with all the negatives going on (with COVID), it's been so nice. The team is doing well together, and I'm swimming so much better.
"In swimming, it's very black and white. You can tell, and you know when you're not swimming well. To see things improve so much this year is a great feeling."
Stensby says it's still a great feeling to see those placards on the wall in his bedroom when he is home from Notre Dame, as he was last weekend. It reminds him of what was, and what he still wants there to be.
"I have goals now, like making the all-ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) team," Stensby said. "I'd like to break some Notre Dame records. That's the furthest (ahead) I can think of. Right now, I just want to contribute as much as I can."
Twitter: @babcockmcgraw