Each year, competitive swimmer Nick Brunelli gets faster and faster.

In 2002, he was ranked 115th in the world in the 50-meter freestyle; in 2003, he was 53rd; 2004, he was 20th and in 2005, he was 5th.

The former Arizona State Sun Devil captured three titles at the U.S. Open in 2004, taking first in the 50-meter, 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle.

Two years ago, the Mansfield native broke the U.S. record in the 50-meter short course in a time of 21.18 - just .08 second off the world record. He has taken several gold medals, including on the 400-meter medley relay team at the 2003 Pan American Games.

He narrowly missed a spot on the 2004 Olympic team, taking third in the 50-meter free event at the trials. Brunelli, 25, still makes his home in Tempe, Ariz., where he trains religiously each day. He is recovering from a devastating shoulder injury that occurred at the start of a race in August 2006. His ripped labrum was surgically repaired, and now he's back to winning races.

The 2000 Mansfield High grad is the son of John Brunelli, former Mansfield postmaster, and Cynthia Brunelli, director of special education for Foxboro schools.

SUN CHRONICLE: In August 2006, your left arm came out of its socket at the start of the 50-meter freestyle race. What happened?

NICK BRUNELLI: I later found out when my shoulder fell out of place on the entry of my start, that I tore my labrum very bad. My shoulder fell out of place through the back side.

Think of looking at my shoulder from the side with a clock on it. The top of my shoulder would be 12. The bottom of my shoulder would 6. I tore the labrum from 11 to 7. There was barely anything holding my humerus in place.

After the pain, I kept swimming. I caught up, but didn't win. I realized that I could have blown my shoulder for good. I tried to move it and get it loose but nothing was working. I had another race the next day and all I thought was to try and get it ready for that. Somehow, with the help of my trainers, I was able to swim the next day. Don't ask me how. Still to this day, I don't know how I did it.

SUN CHRONICLE: Then surgery?

NICK BRUNELLI: I had the surgery September 14. Dr. Lee, the Arizona Diamondbacks and also the Arizona Cardinals' team orthopedic surgeon, did the operation. He had a background in the sport of swimming and is one of the best with this type of injury. I was lucky to have him perform this surgery.

I have 5 anchors in my humerus holding the labrum in place. The surgery was a total success.

SUN CHRONICLE: Have you completely recovered? NICK BRUNELLI: Right now, I am about 90 percent. Being 90 percent feels even better than when I was 100 percent before the injury. That is great news for my future.

SUN CHRONICLE: How many hours a week do you train?

NICK BRUNELLI: I swim over 20 hours a week. My overall training is over 40 hours a week.

SUN CHRONICLE: What are your goals now?

NICK BRUNELLI: This summer, my goals are to make the U.S. national team for 2008. My long term goals are to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games come 2008 in Beijing.

The only other goal that I have in this sport is to make it better for kids. Talking to kids, teaching them, giving kids something to dream about or just supporting them in the sport is something that I love to do. Kids don't swim to make money. They swim because they love it and it makes them happy.

SUN CHRONICLE: Why is your cat named Pipes?

NICK BRUNELLI: Pipes was a little kitten living in my apartment complex when I was a sophomore in college. Every morning when I left for practice he would greet me at the front door. I would give him food every once in a while because he was a little skinny.

We found out that he lived in the drainage pipe that was a no bigger than a softball. One day I came home and it was pouring out and the drainage pipe was almost under water. I heard a cat meowing in the pipe. He seamed stuck deep. I couldn't see him, so I reached in and tried to grab anything I could.

I felt a tail and started to pull him out. When he came out he was soaked. After that day, he became my cat and I felt like I had to name him 'Pipes.'

SUN CHRONICLE: You just got engaged. How did you meet your fiancee?

NICK BRUNELLI: Jenn VanAssen and I have known each other for a long time. She swam in New Jersey growing up. But we would see each other at junior nationals every season. We were just friends, normally playing cards on the pool deck, or just hanging around wasting time.

I went to Arizona State University and she went to South Carolina for college and that was the last time we saw each other until Olympic trials in 2004. I saw her again and I knew I needed to meet up with her sometime.

In 2005, we met again at a swim meet in Long Island. The last night of the meet, a bunch of us planned a trip into New York City. A limo was waiting for everyone down in front of the Marriott we were staying at. To this point, I didn't get to talk with Jenn at all and I was very upset. When I entered the lobby, I saw this beautiful woman sitting by herself in a chair next to the fire. I realized it was Jenn and walked over to her. To my excitement, I found out she was coming along! That was the start of our relationship.

Just last weekend at U.S. nationals, at that same pool as when I met her, I brought her over to that same chair in the same Marriott and proposed to her.

SUN CHRONICLE: One of the more exotic places you've swum was Egypt. How was it, swimming in the Nile?

NICK BRUNELLI: Swimming in the Nile was great. (Laughs) No, you wouldn't want to do that. I would have grown a third arm from what the locals say. But traveling to Egypt was amazing. I love to travel and experience other cultures. Going to Egypt opened my eyes to the rest of the word. It really showed me how different some places really are.

The one thing that I will always remember was climbing on my hands and knees into the heart of the largest pyramid in the world. Seeing something that old and being in a place not many people have seen with their own eyes was unforgettable. I also traveled to Russia, Sweden, Germany, China, Australia, Santo Domingo and Brazil, because of swimming.

SUN CHRONICLE: You've won gold medals, set records. What is your most satisfying swimming feat?

NICK BRUNELLI: It was beating the world record holder, Peter Van Den Hoogenband, at the U.S. Open at the end of 2005 in his best event, the 100 free.

SUN CHRONICLE: Who were the most influential people in your life?

NICK BRUNELLI: My parents. When I was young, they taught me everything I know about dedication and being committed to what you say you're going to do. If you're not going to put the work in the do something, then don't say you're going to do it. Also, not once did my parents go back on their word. I try my hardest to follow my parents in that respect.

My brother Michael was a huge help when I was down for the count last year with the injury. He walked me through every situation and made sure I was OK with everything that was going to go on. He helped me through one of the toughest times in my life, and I can't thank him enough.

I want to shout out to my brother Mike who got into a car accident while driving back from New York last weekend. He came to watch me swim my first meet back and also helped made things go smooth when I proposed to Jenn. I hope you are feeling better, soon. Keep your head up!

GOT A SUBJECT for this feature? Contact James A. Merolla at 508-236-0431 or at jmerolla@thesunchronicle.com.