2008 BYU Hall of Fame

Byron Shefchik always thought his plans were to be an All-American swimmer at BYU but little did he know that All-America awards would be only the beginning.

When it became apparent that young Shefchik had too much energy for his own good, his parents enrolled him in swimming classes. He did well, but decided to stop while in junior high until his mother wouldn't sign his football permission slip. Then it was back to swimming, where he did better than he could've imagined.

While in high school he set every school record except the 50 freestyle, which was the only event he didn't swim. He was also named the Upper Peninsula Swimmer of the Year twice. Although he did better than anyone in his small high school, he hadn't captured enough national attention to warrant a scholarship from BYU. Undeterred, he walked on, determined to reach his goal of being an All-American.

In his first college swim meet as a 17-year-old freshman, Shefchik swam the 200 individual medley and was amazed at how fast everyone swam. He attacked his second event, the breaststroke, with even more energy, and he took first place over the defending Western Athletic Conference champion.

Shefchik served a mission in Costa Rica and, upon his return, didn't take long to get back into shape. He had been home six months when he got his lifetime best times and continued on to qualify for multiple NCAA Championships. He not only achieved his dream of becoming an All-American but did so five times as well as becoming a three-time Academic All-American. He was a two-time Western Athletic Conference Champion in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, Richards Building pool record holder in the 200 breaststroke and 400 medley relay and also finished fourth at NCAA Championships in the 200 breaststroke.

As a BYU swimmer, Shefchik had the opportunity to travel to the World University Games. While there, he cut his foot on some coral and got a nasty infection, then slipped on some stairs and sprained his foot. Not willing to travel across the world and drop out of competition, Shefchik competed with his injury and still came in third, bringing home the bronze medal.

His senior year he was awarded the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and early in the season made the hard cuts for the NCAA in the 200 breaststroke. He was ranked first nationally during the remainder of the season.

Shefchik married his wife, Amber, and changed his priorities. He got his MBA in 2000, the same year he had the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Trials, and started a family while lessening the intensity of his training.

• Recipient of academic scholarship at BYU
• Placed third in the 200 breast and 11th in the 400 IM at the WAC Championship
• Earned Academic All-WAC status as a freshman with a 3.98 GPA
• Placed second in the 400 IM and first in the 200 breast at NMSU
• Second in the 200 breast vs. UNLV
• Second in the 200 IM vs. Utah in Provo
• First in the 200 breast vs. Air Force
• First in the 200 IM and first in the 100 breast vs. Wyoming

• Recorded good times for the Cougars as a freshman and sophomore before leaving for a two-year LDS mission to Costa Rica.

• Academic All-WAC
• Collegiate Swim Coaches Academic All-America
• CoSIDA District VII Academic All-America
• Won the WAC title in the 100 and 200 breast
• Second-team All-American in 200 breast (ninth) and 100 breast (10th)
• NCAA Championship time of 1:56.82 in 200 breast at U.S. National Championships
• Won bronze medal in the 200 breast at the World University Games in Sicily
• U.S. Swimming All-America
• Former BYU record holder in the 100 breast (54.75), 200 breast (1:56.82 and 400 medley relay (3:19.51)

• Tallied 17 first place wins during the season
• Placed first in both the 100 and 200 breast at the WAC Championships
• Placed fourth in the 200 breast at the NCAA Championships
• Placed 13th in the 100 breast and 16th in the 200 IM at the NCAA Championships
• Named both First and Second Team All-American
• All-American in 200 IM in 1998