Adam Bollenbach, Millennium Hall of Fame

Richard Dunn

Your neighborhood pharmacy one day might be operated by Estancia

High’s all-time finest in aquatics.

While the argument for “best ever” label would be hotly disputed among

Adam Bollenbach’s brothers -- one older, one younger - the 1994 Athlete

of the Year could in the future corner the market in local prescriptions

filled if his behind-the-counter prowess is anything like his

counterattack skills.

“I’ll probably start working in smaller community pharmacies, like

Rite Aid or Sav-on, then eventually start owning multi-pharmacies, but

that’s more down the line,” said Bollenbach, beginning his third year at

USC Pharmacy School in a four-year program for his doctorate of pharmacy

degree.

Bollenbach, who earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and cell

biology at UC San Diego before getting accepted at USC Pharmacy School,

was the main ingredient for Coach John Carpenter’s water polo and boys

swim teams at Estancia from 1992 through ‘94, garnering team most

valuable player honors and first-team All-Pacific Coast League laurels

all three years in water polo, while twice meriting All-CIF Southern

Section Division III distinction.

The Eagles’ career leader in goals scored (330), Bollenbach sealed

Estancia’s biggest win in years with a late goal in his team’s

edge-of-your-seat PCL victory over Laguna Beach, which qualified Estancia

for the CIF playoffs.

Bollenbach’s younger brother, Chad, provided the assist from the

two-meter position on the game-clinching goal with about 30 seconds left.

Two years later, Chad Bollenbach (Stanford) became the family’s second

Athlete of the Year at Estancia. Their oldest brother, Ryan, was an

aquatics standout for the Eagles in ’92.

In ‘94, Adam Bollenbach was the first Estancia swimmer and water polo

player to achieve Athlete of the Year status.

Bollenbach, who listed the Laguna Beach win to gain a playoff berth

among his highlights, was an expert breaststroker in the spring,

capturing back-to-back PCL titles in the 100-yard breast and swimming on

two CIF-qualifying relay teams in ’94.

With Bollenbach, Estancia enjoyed its most successful CIF swims in a

decade, placing in the top 10 in CIF Division III in the 200 medley relay

and 200 free relay, while Bollenbach finished in the top 10 in the 100

breast (1:02.7) and 50 freestyle (22.4).

The 6-foot-2 Bollenbach carried a 3.97 grade-point average in high

school, then a 3.4 GPA at UCSD, where he also played water polo for four

years and was a first-team All-American his junior and senior years.

UCSD, an NCAA Division III school, competed against Division I

schools, and won the Western Water Polo Association title in Bollenbach’s

sophomore year.

Bollenbach never intended to try the Olympic route, but, after a few

years away from the water, he gets an itch every now and then to jump in

a pool and rocket yellow water polo balls through a netted goal.

In two years, Bollenbach hopes to add the title of “Pharm D” to the

end of his name, but, for now, the latest honoree in the Daily Pilot

Sports Hall of Fame is taking it one stroke at a time.

Bollenbach, who lives in Montebello with his brother, Ryan, has been

dating a girl for four years, but has no immediate wedding plans. “We’ll

wait until after I graduate from school and get a good job first,” he

said.