Bushnell wins two titles in swimming

Fallbrook High School senior Stott Bushnell not only earned the Avocado League’s 2008 boys Swimmer of the Year honors as he had done in 2007 but also earned CIF boys Swimmer of the Year recognition for the 2008 season.

“I guess it’s pretty cool,” Bushnell said of his CIF Swimmer of the Year honors.

Bushnell won both the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle at the CIF swim meet May 17 at Coronado High School.

“He deserves it. He had a great season,” said Fallbrook coach Bill Richardson.

Bushnell became the first Fallbrook swimmer to earn the CIF Swimmer of the Year distinction.

“It was real nice to have somebody from Fallbrook finally get that honor,” Richardson said.

Bushnell was the only boy to win two individual events at the CIF finals.

“He was a pretty dominant swimmer,” Richardson said.

Bushnell also anchored Fallbrook’s 200-yard freestyle relay which finished second at the CIF finals and anchored the Warriors’ 400-yard freestyle relay team which placed fourth in the CIF championship race.

During the CIF finals Bushnell had a time of 21.14 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle race and swam the 100-yard freestyle in 45.87 seconds.

“It was kind of sad, though. I didn’t get the times I wanted to,” Bushnell said.

Bushnell had hoped for a time under 21 seconds for the 50-yard freestyle and under 45 seconds for the 100-yard freestyle.

“I wasn’t really concerned about swimming that day. I wasn’t mentally prepared,” he said.

Bushnell’s attitude that he could have done better also extended to his school records in the two events.

“I kind of wanted to get the other freestyle events, too,” he said of his team records.

Bushnell first set a school record in the 100-yard freestyle during the 2007 CIF finals. He won the championship in that race with a time of 47.07 seconds, which erased Danny Ender’s 2000 school record of 47.17 seconds.

He lowered his school record in that event during the 2008 season, eventually posting a time of 45.60 seconds at the Avocado League finals May 9.

Bushnell posted the top time during the May 14 preliminary heats at 46.01 seconds before his 45.87-second swim in the finals.

The swimmers and relay teams with the top six times in the CIF preliminary heats advance to the championship race while those with the next six times swim in the consolation finals.

In the 2007 CIF preliminary heats, Bushnell’s time in the 50-yard freestyle relegated him to the consolation finals, but his time of 21.75 seconds in that race not only won the official seventh place but also was faster than any performance in the championship race.

He first set the school record in the 50-yard freestyle as a senior with the final three occurrences taking place during the league finals, the CIF preliminaries, and the CIF finals.

He won the Avocado League meet in 21.27 seconds and the CIF preliminaries in 21.15 seconds before his 21.14-second time in the CIF championship race.

Bushnell’s times in the 2008 league finals were also both league meet records.

“He was dominant in the 50 and the 100,” Richardson said. “Just had a great year.”

Bushnell had been on Fallbrook’s varsity swim team since ninth grade.

“He had a great career and really improved over four years,” Richardson said.

Bushnell was also on Fallbrook’s water polo team. He spent his first high school season on the freshman team and began his sophomore year on the junior varsity squad before earning a promotion to the varsity during the season.

He earned all-league water polo honors as a junior and as a senior.

Bushnell is a lifelong Fallbrook resident. He attended Bonsall Elementary School until transferring to Live Oak Elementary School in fourth grade and spent two years at Potter Junior High School before his high school years.

Bushnell has been swimming since he was eight years old. He began his club swimming career with the Fallbrook Associated Swim Team and now is involved with both FAST and the Inland Coastal Aquatics Club based at Palomar College.

He also played club water polo with Tribe and with the Murrieta-based Elite club. Bushnell played no winter sports at Fallbrook High School but was involved in church basketball.

Bushnell will be continuing his college swimming career at Brigham Young University, although the Cougars do not field a men’s water polo team.

He has received a scholarship for half his tuition and books at BYU, where he plans to major in mechanical engineering.

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