Piano-playing swimmer earns scholarship to Fresno Pacific

The most recent scholastic swim meet for Breann Stevens was the CIF finals on May 22. Stevens, who graduated from Mountain Valley High School in June but participated on the Ramona High School swim team, placed fourth in the 100-yard freestyle and fifth in the 50-yard freestyle while participating on Ramona’s 200-yard freestyle relay, which won its race and set a school record, and the 400-yard freestyle relay team, which also set a school record.

Her next planned scholastic swim competition will be as a representative of Fresno Pacific University.

“I’m just really excited and thrilled to be getting a scholarship,” Stevens said. “I can’t wait to see how well I can do.”

Stevens spent four years on Ramona’s varsity swim team. She earned all-league honors as a freshman, and as a senior she was selected as the team’s Most Valuable Player.

A Chula Vista native, Stevens lived there until she moved to Ramona at the age of 9. She was 5 when she began swimming.

After moving to Ramona, she joined the Ramona Rays swim team, which included coaches Stacey Dusseault and Jolyn Yanez, who were her coaches at Ramona High School. The Ramona Rays subsequently merged with the Heartland Swim Club, and Stevens swam for Heartland after the merger.

Stevens was homeschooled until high school, when she undertook the independent study program of Mountain Valley. Her affiliation with Mountain Valley allowed her to participate on Ramona High School’s swim team.

In addition to being on the swim team, Stevens plays piano.

Her Fresno Pacific University scholarship includes music and academics as well as swimming.

Fresno Pacific is a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school that is a member of the Golden State Athletic Conference.

“I wanted a school that had swimming,” Stevens said of her selection of Fresno Pacific. “I didn’t want to go to a huge D1 (National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I) school and get lost in a huge crowd.”

Stevens’ religious faith also contributed to her decision to attend Fresno Pacific.

“I always wanted a Christian college,” she said.

Stevens attends Grace Community Church in Ramona. She is a member of AWANA and won a Citation Award for having read the Bible completely and memorizing more than 300 verses.

“I’m really proud of that,” she said. “I’ve learned so much from it, and it’s really helped me in my whole life.”

Stevens also wanted a school with a communications major. Her emphasis will be on graphic design, and her post-college plans focus on graphic design or photojournalism. Photography is one of her hobbies.

“I really enjoy writing, too,” she said.

“I’m really excited,” Stevens said of her college plans. “I’ve been working for so long.”