The North Baltimore Aquatic Club, commonly referred to as North Baltimore or simply NBAC, is an American competitive year-round swim club based in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1968 by coaches Murray Stephens and Tim Pierce, the club is a member of USA Swimming and operates within the Maryland Local Swimming Committee (LSC). NBAC is recognized within the sport for its historical production of elite athletes, including 14 Olympic and Paralympic competitors who have earned more than 50 medals in international competition since 1984.[3] The program achieved significant global visibility as the long-time training base for Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history, and his coach, Bob Bowman.
Statistically, the club maintained "Gold Medal" status in the USA Swimming Club Excellence program for 16 consecutive years from 2002 to 2016. This duration represents the longest continuous tenure of top-tier status in the program's history, a record shared only with a small number of other major domestic clubs such as the Nation's Capital Swim Club.[4] During its peak years as a "High Performance" center, NBAC attracted professional international swimmers including Yannick Agnel of France and Lotte Friis of Denmark, alongside American Olympians such as Allison Schmitt, Chase Kalisz, and Conor Dwyer. The club's developmental philosophy, historically led by Stephens and Bowman, emphasized high-volume aerobic conditioning and technical precision, contributing to a record of over 180 National Age Group records.
Following the 2016 Summer Olympics, NBAC underwent a significant structural transformation when Bob Bowman and the professional training group relocated to Arizona State University. The club subsequently restructured under the leadership of CEO and Head Coach Tom Himes, transitioning from a professional training hub into a decentralized, scholastic-based program focused on age-group development. Since this transition, NBAC has vacated its exclusive residence at the Meadowbrook Aquatic Center and now utilizes a network of rental facilities, including the Mangione Aquatic Center at Loyola University Maryland, the von Borries Aquatic Center at Goucher College, and facilities at the Gilman School.[5]
As of the 2024-2025 season, the club continues to maintain a national profile, consistently achieving "Silver Medal" status in the USA Swimming Club Excellence rankings, and recently ranked #2 among Medium Teams (200-400 swimmers) in the 2025 USA Swimming/ASCA Top 50 Age Group Teams.[6] Under the current coaching staff, which includes Head Coach Tom Himes and Head Senior Coach Paul Yetter, the program remains focused on a pipeline that prepares swimmers for collegiate and national-level competition. While it no longer operates as an international professional center, the club remains one of the largest and most statistically successful aquatic organizations in the Mid-Atlantic region.
History
Founding and early years (1968–1986)
The North Baltimore Aquatic Club was founded in 1968 by Murray Stephens, a mathematics and English teacher, and Tim Pierce. Both men were graduates of Loyola University Maryland and initially launched the program with just eight swimmers in the summer of 1967 before formally incorporating as an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) member the following spring.[7] Initially, the program operated out of the indoor pool at Loyola Blakefield (formerly Loyola High School) in Towson, Maryland. Stephens instituted a training philosophy predicated on extreme discipline and high-yardage endurance training, drawing upon his background as an educator to instill a culture of mental toughness. This scholastic setting provided the foundation for the club's early ethos, which prioritized academic achievement alongside athletic rigor to rival the dominant clubs in California and Florida.
The club achieved national validation almost immediately after its formation. In the summer of 1968, just months after its incorporation, swimmer Bob Gavin qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials, becoming the first NBAC member to reach that level of competition. The 1970s saw the club expand its success to the women's side, with swimmers Vicki English and Paula Crawford qualifying for the 1972 Olympic Trials. By the early 1980s, the club had established itself as a regional powerhouse. Theresa Andrews, who moved to Baltimore specifically to train under Stephens' demanding regimen, won two gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles (100-meter backstroke and 4×100 medley relay). She was joined on the 1984 roster by Patrick Kennedy, who placed 8th in the 200-meter butterfly, cementing NBAC's reputation as a factory for Olympic-caliber talent.[8]
Meadowbrook era (1987–1999)
Coppermine Meadowbrook Aquatic and Fitness Center, a former training facility for NBAC
In 1987, the Stephens family made a strategic decision to purchase the Meadowbrook Aquatic and Fitness Center in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Baltimore. Prior to this acquisition, NBAC had relied on rented scholastic pools, which often limited training hours and access to long-course (50-meter) water. The purchase allowed Stephens to reconfigure the facility's outdoor pool into a 10-lane, 50-meter course and eventually construct a second indoor 50-meter pool, making it one of the few private facilities in the nation with two Olympic-sized pools.[9] This infrastructure investment provided the stability necessary for year-round, uninterrupted training, giving NBAC swimmers a distinct advantage over their regional competitors in the Northeast.
The stability provided by Meadowbrook yielded immediate and historic results on the international stage. At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, 15-year-old breaststroke prodigy Anita Nall set a world record in the 200-meter breaststroke and brought home a gold, silver, and bronze medal. Four years later, at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, another 14-year-old NBAC swimmer, Beth Botsford, won gold in the 100-meter backstroke and the medley relay. During this era, the club's age-group program was revolutionized by coach Tom Himes, whose developmental squads won 11 consecutive American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Age Group National Championships.[10] In 1996, the club hired a young coach named Bob Bowman, who began a swimmer-coach partnership with Michael Phelps that would eventually rewrite the record books of the sport.
High performance era (2000–2016)
From 2000 to 2016, NBAC was widely considered one of the premier club programs in the world. In 2000, Michael Phelps qualified for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney at age 15, becoming the youngest American male swimmer to make an Olympic team in 68 years. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Phelps won six gold and two bronze medals, initiating a period of unprecedented dominance for the club. Following the 2004 Games, Bowman and Phelps temporarily relocated to the University of Michigan to train under the "Club Wolverine" banner. Despite their absence, NBAC continued to thrive under head coach Paul Yetter, who guided Katie Hoff to multiple World Championships and world records.[11]
Bowman and Phelps returned to Baltimore in late 2008 following the historic Beijing Olympics, where Phelps had won eight gold medals. This return marked the formation of the "North Baltimore High Performance Group," an elite post-graduate squad that attracted international stars such as Yannick Agnel and Lotte Friis. During this period, NBAC achieved "Gold Medal" status in the USA Swimming Club Excellence rankings for 15 consecutive years, often ranking as the number one club in the United States.[4] The era culminated in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where NBAC-trained athletes—including Phelps, Allison Schmitt, and Chase Kalisz—won multiple gold medals, serving as a fitting finale to the club's "super-team" era.
Post-Meadowbrook era (2016–Present)
The conclusion of the 2016 Olympic cycle triggered the most significant structural changes in the club's history. In 2015, the Stephens family sold the Meadowbrook Aquatic Center to Merritt Properties, ending nearly 30 years of direct club ownership of the facility. In May 2017, the lease agreement between Michael Phelps/Bob Bowman and the facility formally ended, and the "Michael Phelps Swim School" was dissolved and returned to standard programming under new management.[12] Concurrently, Bob Bowman accepted the head coaching position at Arizona State University (ASU), and the entire elite High Performance Group relocated to Tempe, Arizona, effectively ending NBAC's era as a professional training hub.[13]
Faced with the loss of its head coach, its elite roster, and its home facility, NBAC's national standing was immediately impacted. In 2018, the club dropped from its perennial "Gold Medal" status to "Silver Medal" status, falling from #7 to #79 in the national rankings due to the departure of its world-ranked athletes. This drop is widely noted as the largest year-over-year decline for a major program.[14] The club reorganized under the leadership of returning CEO and Head Coach Tom Himes, adopting a decentralized facility model by securing rental agreements with Loyola University Maryland and Goucher College. Although the club no longer houses a professional post-graduate group, the developmental program remains robust; as of the 2025–2026 season, NBAC is ranked #44 in the United States and retains its position as the top club within the Maryland Swimming LSC.[15]
Facilities
Since the sale of Meadowbrook and the restructuring in 2016, NBAC operates as a multi-site team utilizing educational and private facilities across the Baltimore metropolitan area.[16]
Loyola University Maryland (Mangione Aquatic Center): This is the primary training site for the Senior and National groups, located within the university's fitness complex in Baltimore City. The facility features a 14-lane, 25-yard indoor competition course with a deep-water diving well that reaches a depth of 13 feet. It serves as the main venue for NBAC-hosted swim meets, including the annual NBAC Christmas Invitational, which attracts high-level teams from across the East Coast. The pool is equipped with entry steps and lifts, and the deck provides ample space for dryland training equipment such as resistance cords and medicine balls.[17]
Goucher College (Eline von Borries Aquatic Center): Located in Towson, Maryland, this facility houses a six-lane, 25-yard pool that serves as a critical satellite location for the club. It is used primarily for age-group training, stroke technique work, and aerobic conditioning when the Loyola facility is at capacity. The facility is part of the larger Goucher College athletic complex and allows the club to maintain a presence in Baltimore County.
Gilman School (Finney Athletic Center): A standard 25-yard indoor pool used for the club's developmental "retention" programs and swim clinics.
Springlake Swim Club: Located in Timonium, Maryland, this outdoor facility provides critical long-course (50-meter) training capabilities during the summer season (May–August).
Notable coaches
Tom Himes (CEO & Head Coach): Tom Himes is the architect of NBAC's developmental success and has been with the club for over 40 years.[18] He originally joined NBAC in 1985 and built a developmental program that won an unprecedented 11 consecutive ASCA Age Group National Team Championships. Himes was the formative coach for future Olympic gold medalists Michael Phelps (coaching him from ages 10 to 12) and Beth Botsford.[19] Following Bowman's departure in 2016, Himes was named Head Coach and CEO, he was inducted into the Maryland Swimming Hall of Fame in 2005,[20] and the International Swimming Coaches Association (ISCA) Hall of Fame in 2023.[21] In 2015, he was named the ASCA National Age Group Coach of the Year.[22]
Paul Yetter (Head Senior Coach): Paul Yetter is a highly decorated coach known for his expertise in distance freestyle and individual medley (IM) training. A former NBAC swimmer himself, Yetter coached at the club from 2001 to 2009, during which time he guided Katie Hoff to two Olympic teams and multiple world records. After coaching stints at Auburn University and T2 Aquatics in Florida, Yetter returned to NBAC in late 2016 to lead the Senior Program.[23] He has served on the coaching staff for multiple U.S. National Teams, including the 2008 Olympic Team and various World Championship squads.[11]
Bob Bowman (Former Head Coach): Bob Bowman is the most successful coach in the club's history, best known for his 20-year partnership with Michael Phelps. Bowman served two major tenures at NBAC (1996–2004 and 2008–2015), transforming the club into a global destination for high-performance swimming. During his time in Baltimore, he was named the U.S. Men's Head Coach for the 2016 Rio Olympics. After leaving Baltimore, Bowman revitalized the swimming program at Arizona State University, leading them to their first NCAA National Championship in 2024 before moving to the University of Texas at Austin.
Murray Stephens (Co-Founder): Murray Stephens co-founded NBAC in 1968 and served as its Head Coach and CEO for over 40 years. In 1987, he purchased the Meadowbrook Aquatic Center, providing the club with the 50-meter training facility necessary to compete with clubs in the "Sunbelt." Under his leadership, the club won 11 consecutive ASCA Age Group National Team Championships and he personally coached 14 Olympians. Stephens was named the U.S. Olympic Committee Coach of the Year for Swimming in 1996, though his legacy was later marred by legal controversies.[24]
Notable alumni
NBAC has developed 14 Olympic and Paralympic Athletes who have won over 50 combined medals, making it one of the most productive and decorated clubs in swimming history.[3] The following list details the specific achievements of these athletes while representing their respective nations at the Olympic Games.
In 2014, the club's founder and long-time head coach, Murray Stephens, was arrested and charged with sexual abuse and offense with a minor. The charges stemmed from incidents involving a teenage swimmer at the club that occurred during the 1980s, which came to light during a broader national inquiry into abuse in youth sports. Stephens was subsequently convicted of the charges in December 2014 and was sentenced to a term in jail. As a direct result of the conviction, USA Swimming placed Stephens on its "Permanently Ineligible" list, effectively banning him for life from any involvement in the sport of swimming.[25] This legal event marked a pivotal moment for the organization, leading to a complete severance of ties between the club's modern leadership and its founder, as well as the implementation of rigorous "SafeSport" athlete protection protocols to ensure the safety of current members.[26]
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