Steve Yemm is much bigger and stronger than he was 5 years ago when he was a senior at Sterling High School. But even then, his parents, Bill and Julie, were quite aware of his potential.

“He had a junior national time in his senior year in high school,” Bill said in a phone interview Monday, “so we knew he had something special.”

Last August, Steve realized his potential by qualifying for the U.S. Olympic trials in the 200- and 100-meter butterfly events at Stanford University. He placed 23rd (2:01.62) and 36th (54.75) in the events, respectively.