After a freak swimming accident in December, Lyons’ Ben Breitenbucher couldn’t have predicted that he would win three events Saturday at the West Suburban Silver Meet.
Breitenbucher suffered an injury that forced him to miss two weeks of the season, but while other swimmers would have regarded that as a setback, Breitenbucher used it as motivation.
The junior won the 50-yard freestyle (22.03) and 100 free (47.44) and was part of the winning 400 free relay (3:13.61) with David Rak, Matt Linden and Weston Credit at York. Lyons (311) won four events to finish 10 points behind champion Hinsdale Central.
“Honestly, I’m surprised by how fast it went, being able to pull it out,” said Breitenbucher, a La Grange Highlands resident. “It really started in the summer. I’m super-happy how my team has gotten behind me.”
Breitenbucher’s success looked muddy after a mishap Dec. 6 after the Stevenson Invitational. He slipped off the starting block and tumbled into the pool. The race continued, but Breitenbucher was able to recover and finish his heat.
But he was forced to miss the rest of the meet due to a bruised right ankle. His ankle had turned purple after banging it off the starting block.
“I was in a little bit of shock. It definitely pushed me to keep up [with my teammates’ training],” Breitenbucher said. “I pushed myself and tried to be a better teammate.”
Like other top swimmers, he had a regimen of two-a-day practices and other regular routines leading up to meets. But with patience, Breitenbucher was able to recover.
“He was out a couple of weeks and it took him a while to get back into it,” Lyons coach Scott Walker said.
Breitenbucher took youth swimming lessons, but never swam on a competitive team until entering Lyons. His mother, Angela, uses a wheelchair and thought it important that her children learn to swim. His brother Bryson, who is in seventh grade, has become a promising swimmer with the Lyons Swim Club and is starting to set club records in his age division.
“My mom has always been supportive,” Ben Breitenbucher said. “I’m always trying to figure out ways to get better.”
With Breitenbucher just starting to shave and taper this week, Walker will likely find a spot for Breitenbucher in his lineup Feb. 21 for the York Sectional. Hinsdale Central again will be the team to beat for state berths.
“Anybody who did what he did has to be happy,” Walker said of Breitenbucher’s conference performance. “In general, all of our guys are rested and ready to go, just like Ben did [at conference].”
Lyons’ other conference champion was Rak, who won the 500 free in 4:49.29.
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