By Kim J. Harmon

S

ure, they may have gotten lost a little since the Era (as it probably should be known) came to a somewhat unofficial end with the graduation of Kate Ryan and Lauren Coulter, but under new head coach Carl Strait the Nighthawks may have once again found their way.

The Era is the time when the girls’ swim program was graced with some of its most prolific and accomplished swimmers - beginning, of course, with Jaime Ryan and moving on to people like Stephanie Nickse, Jessica Carino, Liz Sovern and Becky Crane.

That era is over.

And it’s time for a new one to begin.

“The kids are very, very upbeat,” said coach Strait, who has been an assistant on the boys’ swim team under coach Brian Reiff for the past eight years. “The girls have put a lot of work in over the summer and are very enthusiastic about our group meetings and outings. It’s keeping us together.”

How the team recovers with the loss of swimmers like Kate Ryan, Beth Winton and Lauren Coulter and remains to be seen, but coach Strait sees a great chance for improvement over 1999.

“This year we could be .500 – at least,” he said. “A lot of girls are returning.”

It starts with co-captains Ashley Molden and Kandice Cohen, whose contributions will not end in the water by any means. Molden and Cohen are seniors – two of just six – and will need to provide leadership to a team a trifle on the young side (14 upperclassmen and 17 underclassmen – 14 of those being freshmen).

Talent runs fairly deep on this team. Besides Molden and Cohen, coach Strait has at his disposal such versatile swimmers as Margaret Ashey, Melissa Rushefski and Liz Portnoy. While he marveled at the improvement he has seen in all of them, he said, “Liz has done a lot of work over the summer and has come back really strong.”

His diving program will be led by senior Tracey Samuels, who has developed tremendously since she first took to the board.

Coach Strait will also rely on Katherine Matz, Jessica Kovatch, and Rachel Rastelli – among others – to lead the team as the freshmen get acclimated to the rigors of the South-West Conference schedule.

And what a freshman class – wow. There are 14 new swimmers on the deck for the Nighthawks and most of them have cut their teeth with age group programs like the Newtown Torpedoes.

“They already know their strokes,” marveled coach Strait, “so we’re just working on conditioning.”

Jaime Minalgo, Katie McCann, Kate Hoolehan, and Chrissy Glander head a freshman class that also includes Jen Badillo, Kelly Bailey, Dana Bowen, Lynn Cupero, Kristi Johnston, Kaitlyn Murphy, Kelly O’Neil, Margaret Randall, Megan Trednick, and Floren Schertzer.

This could be the new era.

Coach Strait first coached girls’ swimming back at Brookfield High School in 1993 but with his new position he has leaned on his friend, head coach Brian Reiff (“I wouldn’t have been able to do this without his support,” he said).

But now it is up to him and Jen Birrell, who began her assistant coaching career under Joanne Johnson.

“We’ve been working together,” he said, “working hard on our practices, and planning for the season. Jen has been working hard on developing the younger kids.”

Nikki LaRoche and Heather Sykes will manage the team at the scorer’s table. And they, of course, will be there when the Nighthawks open the season on Tuesday, September 19, with a trip down to Stratford (Flood Junior High School) to battle an arch-nemesis, Bunnell.

That’s where it all starts.

DATE     OPPONENT    TIME

Sept. 19    at Bunnell               7 pm

Sept. 21    Seymour                  4 pm

Sept. 26    Brookfield               4 pm

Sept. 28    at Weston               4 pm

Oct. 3       Joel Barlow             4 pm

Oct. 6       New Fairfield           4 pm

Oct. 10     Stratford                 4 pm

Oct. 13     Masuk                     4 pm

Oct. 17     at Lauralton Hall     4 pm

Oct. 20     Pomperaug              7 pm

Oct. 26     Jonathan Law          7 pm

Nov. 4       SWC Finals

Free Car Wash

There will be a free car wash on Saturday, September 9, from 9 am to 1 pm, at Berkshire Motors on Route 34, opposite Newtown High.

The car wash is sponsored by the NHS swimming and diving team and the girls’ cross-country team.