Personal best times up and down the Newtown High School boys’ swim team’s lineup not only helped the Nighthawks to a fourth-place finish in the March 6 South-West Conference championships at Masuk High in Monroe, but also gave Coach Zach Gauvin plenty of positive signs and, thus, things to say about his team as the competitors head into the state finals.

The Nighthawks, led by Tommy Horan’s win in the 100 yard backstroke race, scored 331.50 points, finishing behind perennial powerhouses Pomperaug of Southbury (663), Brookfield (522.50), and Weston (390).

Horan made his final touch in a time of 54.74, cutting nearly three seconds from his season’s best time of 57.83. He scored 22 points for the triumph.

“It was a great swim. He’s been swimming out of his mind tonight,” Gauvin said of Horan, who earlier recorded a second-place finish in the 100 freestyle race. Horan finished the race in 49.69, almost two seconds faster than his previous best, for 19 points.

This was the theme of the night for the Nighthawks, who have elevated their collective game sooner than Gauvin expected.

“They’re swimming as fast as I thought they would at states,” said Gauvin, whose team members will try to trim even more time in the March 17 Class LL state championships, at Wesleyan University in Middletown.

What’s more, the Nighthawks took home the SWC Sportsmanship Award.

Newtown’s closest competitor in the ten-team meet was Bethel, which placed fifth with 167 points.

Horan combined with Seth Barrett, Matt Argraves, and Owen Gray to lead the 200 medley relay team to a fourth-place finish in a time of 1:45.58, taking nearly two seconds over their previous season-best time, and earning the Hawks 34 points.

Layton Harrell was runner-up in the 200 freestyle race, finishing in 1:52.33, more than three seconds better than his previous best, for 19 points. Andy Braun was 17th in the 200 free, in a time of 2:04.71, for two points. David Lawrence was 18th in 2:04.79, earning one point.

In the 200 individual medley race, Peter Fagerholm placed 12th in 2:16.02, for seven points, and Caelan Ritter was 14th in 2:20.66, to score four points.

Gray had Newtown’s fastest finish in the 50 free, completing the sprint in seventh place in a time of 23.54, good for 14 points. Argraves picked up a point in the 50 free, finishing 18th in 25.06.

The Nighthawks had a nine-ten finish in the 100 butterfly event as Barrett made his final touch in 58.77 and Argraves followed in 58.93, for 12 and ten points, respectively.

Harrell was sixth in the 100, finishing in 51.45 for 15 points, and Gray came in 11th in the 100 with a time of 53.47, for 7.50 points.

In the 500 freestyle race, Fagerholm was seventh in 5:18.47, good for 14 points; Lawrence placed 13th in 5:34.19 for six more points; and Braun came in 16th in 5:47.19 for three points.

The Nighthawks had another fourth-place relay result when Harrell, Argraves, Barrett, and Gray finished their 200 relay effort in 1:37.31 for 34 points.

Mike Poulter scored six points in the backstroke race, placing 13th by making his final touch in 1:03.58. Curtis Giles picked up two points in the backstroke event, placing 17th in a time of 1:04.84.

Newtown had four point-getters in the 100 breaststroke race. Barrett had Newtown’s best finish in the event, finishing in seventh in a time of 1:05.72 for 14 points. Ritter was 13th, with a time of 1:10.40 for six points. Akash Ahuja came in 15th, finishing in 1:11.83 to pick up four more points, and Brandon Qiao was 18th in 1:13.87 for one point.

In the 400 yard relay race, the Nighthawks earned third. Braun, Giles, Harrell, and Horan had a cumulative time of 3:35.59 for 36 points.

The fast times in the SWC meet were even despite the team’s practice schedule getting thrown off by snow days throughout the campaign. “The guys showed a lot of mental toughness today — really stepped up big,” Gauvin said.

Horan chalked his success up to the fact he “just had a good day.”

The diving portion of the SWC competition took place at New Fairfield High School two nights earlier, and the Nighthawks picked up significant points with three strong performances. Ian Humber was fifth with a score of 302 for 16 points, Kyle Gaynor placed eighth with a score of 261.30 for 13 points, and Andrew Lally was 11th with a score of 248.15 for eight points.