Dowden named Valley League girls swimmer of the year

During this year's Valley League swim meet, Fallbrook High School senior Taylor Dowden won both of her individual events and participated on relay teams which finished first and second. A post-season coaches meeting selected Dowden as the Valley League's girls swimmer of the year.

"It was exciting for her," said Fallbrook coach Sean Redmond.

The Valley League meet was held at Fallbrook High School and consisted of swim preliminaries May 5, diving May 6, and swim finals May 7.

Dowden won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:09.31 in the finals. She had also won the 100-yard breaststroke in the 2015 league meet, when her time of 1:10.54 broke a 16-year-old school record. That new record stood until Dowden broke it a year later at the 2016 league finals. The school record Dowden set at the league finals lasted four days, as during the CIF preliminaries May 11 she lowered that record to 1:08.74.

Dowden added the 2016 league championship in the 200-yard individual medley after completing her finals race in 2:17.28. Dowden also won the league championship in that event for the second consecutive year; she swam the 2015 championship race in 2:18.29.

Dowden, senior Ariana Young, junior Madalyn Johnson, and senior Jordann Heimback had the winning time of 1:42.85 in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Heimback, senior Jazmin Patterson, Dowden, and Young finished second in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:44.56.

"What she did at the league meet obviously played a big part of it," Redmond said of Dowden's swimmer of the year award.

Each Valley League school had five league dual meets. A swimmer is allowed to compete in up to two individual events and up to two relay races in a meet, and Dowden won all 10 of her individual races during the Valley League season. "She won every event that she swam," Redmond said.

The Classical Academy 400-yard freestyle relay team finished ahead of the Fallbrook quartet which included Dowden to conclude the dual meet at Fallbrook High School, but the other nine relay races in which Dowden participated during the league dual meet season were won by the Warriors.

Dowden was also the Valley League girls swimmer of the year for 2015, and she was the league's girls water polo player of the year for the 2015-16 season.

The individual league champions automatically receive first-team Valley League recognition, so Dowden was given first-team honors for her two individual wins while Dowden, Young, Johnson, and Heimback received first-team recognition for their relay team victory. Heimback and Johnson also had individual wins to earn first-team status; Heimback won the 200-yard freestyle race in 1:59.56 and Johnson had a 50-yard freestyle time of 25.48 seconds to take first place.