Warrior swimmers win Cougar Relays Freestyle team sets meet record

Fallbrook High School’s boys won the eight-team Cougar Relays held March 8 at Palomar College while the Warriors 3x100 freestyle relay squad set a meet record.

“We were pretty happy to win it,” said Fallbrook coach Bill Richardson. “Good to win anything.”

Fallbrook had not previously participated in the Cougar Relays, which included seven races with three-man teams and three races of four-man teams. “It was an unusual type of meet,” Richardson said.

The Cougar Relays are held at Palomar College but earn their nickname from host Escondido High School, which is earmarked for realignment to the Avocado League for 2008-09 but is currently in the Valley League.

Six of the seven Valley League teams – Escondido, Mission Hills, Ramona, San Marcos, San Pasqual, and Valley Center – participated (Orange Glen was the sole Valley League team not at the meet), and Avocado League members Fallbrook and El Camino joined the Valley League swimmers.

Ramona, which won the girls meet, took first place in five of the ten girls events. Fallbrook won six of the ten boys events.

“We had a good showing,” Richardson said. “Our guys did really well and had some great swims.”

The Fallbrook team of Stott Bushnell, Nick Fast, and Jacob Pril posted a time of 2:32.40 in the 3x100 freestyle to set a meet record. The Warriors also won the 3x100 butterfly, the 3x100 backstroke, the 3x100 breaststroke, the 4x50 medley, and the 4x100 freestyle.

Fallbrook finished second in the 3x200 medley, third in the 4x50 freestyle, and fourth in the 3x50 freestyle. A false start in the 3x200 freestyle caused the Warriors to be disqualified.

“We had some good swims out of all the kids,” Richardson said. “It was nice to be the big boy.”