Distance runners, sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers, and throwers showed their stuff at the South-West Conference track and field championships, at New Haven's Floyd Little Athletic Center, on February 4. Among the standouts were many athletes from Newtown High.

The Nighthawks had several top performers, including event champions, as the girls' squad placed third as a team and the boys finished fifth. The girls had 82 points; Weston took first, with 91, to lead the 11-team field. The boys registered 54 points; Immaculate of Danbury and Weston, each with 72, paced 12 squads.

Lauren Russo won the pole vault event, clearing the bar at 11 feet. Carly Sweirbut was tops in the 55 meter dash in a time of 7.60 seconds. Newtown's 4x200 relay team of Sweirbut, Emma Curtis, Grace Pettinelli, and Makenna Cerney, was first in 1:51.59. On the boys' side, Jack Godfrey captured the shot-put title with a throw of 48-02.

Girls' highlights are as follows:

The 4x800 relay of Sarah Houle, Camille Johnson, Lu Hage, and Maddie Findley came in second in 10:11.75.

Cerney and Audrey Benson placed second and fourth, respectively, in the 55 hurdles, with times of 9.43 and 10 seconds.

In the 1600 sprint medley race, Pettinelli, Curtis, Findley, and Erin Tressler came in fifth in 4:38.59. The 4x400 relay contingent of Russo, Findley, Johnson, and Camryn Cicarelli came in fifth in 4:35.71.

In the 600, Johnson placed sixth in 1:49.87, Houle was seventh in 1:50.84, and Cicarelli came in ninth with a time of 1:55.41.

Lu Hage and Willow Pears showed their stamina in distance races as Hage placed third in the 3200 in a time of 11:55.44, and Pears earned a tenth-place finish in the 1600, clocking in at 6:00.99.

Cerney sprinted to third in the 300 dash in 44.70. Curtis placed sixth in the 55 dash in 7.93.

Tressler came in fifth in the 1000 with a time of 3:17.74, and Elizabeth Chamiec-Case was eighth in the 1000 in 3:25.79.

In the field events, the Hawks had some strong showings. Katie Ryan placed fifth in the pole vault competition, clearing eight feet. Marley Marston was second in the shot-put throw with a toss of 34-07.75. Russo came in tenth in the long jump with a leap of 14-02. In the high jump competition, Tressler was sixth with a jump of 4-06, and Emma Reibe came in ninth with a 4-04.

Top boys' efforts are as follows:

In the 4x800 relay race, Dylan Bartlett, Christian Lestik, Brenden Reeds, and Joel Duval came in third in 8:30.15.

In the 55 hurdles, Brett Deri placed third in 8.33, and Tom Hartley was sixth in 8.99. In the 300, Kevin Arther was sixth in 38.20.

Newtown had two more top-ten finishers in the 1000 as Duval placed seventh in 2:46.31 and Lestik crossed the finish line in ninth with a time of 2:47.47.

The 1600 sprint medley relay of Rory Edwards, Cormac Roe, Todd Perrin, and Lestik worked together to place fourth in 3:56.04.

The 4x400 relay contingent of Arther, Lew, Michael Meyer, and Duval was fourth in 3:43.60.

In the field events, the Hawks had strong showings in multiple competitions. In the pole vault event, Dylan Lew was runner-up, clearing 12 feet, Aiden Jasinski cleared 11-06 for third, and Bartlett got over the bar at an even ten feet for eighth place. In the long jump competition, Adam Manes was fourth, hitting the sand at 20-02, and Meyer placed eighth with a jump of 18-05.50. High jumper Zach Crebbin came in fourth, clearing 5-06.