The end result — an 88-73 win — was not unlike other meets for the Newtown High School girls’ swimming and diving team when the Nighthawks hosted Stratford on Senior Night, October 6. But how the Nighthawks got there was unusual with the seniors getting to pick their events, team members participating off events, and even the divers getting in on the timed competitions with an all diver relay team.

“We got business done but we also had fun,” Newtown Coach Becky Osborne said.

“We love our seniors, it was a fabulous night, and we thank Stratford for coming. We had a lot of fun,” Osborne added. “It was nice to celebrate our seniors and their contributions to the team over the years.”

The Nighthawks have much more depth in numbers as well as lineup flexibility than do the Red Devils, and Newtown tapped that versatility throughout the meet while still managing to earn first place in each event en route to sealing the team win following the 500 yard freestyle race. Newtown exhibitioned the final four events.

Senior divers Ella Hall, Nicole Gutrie, Geneva Whorf, and Ryann Los formed a team that competed in the 200 freestyle relay event. The quartet placed fifth in a time of 2:31.77. Hall won the diving competition with a score of 218.95 and Shannon O’Donnell was second in diving with a 170.3.

The Nighthawks started the meet with the 200 medley relay of Ella Seaver, Alexa Kwarcinski, Grace Fischer, and Diellza Limani placing first in 1:59.76. The relay of Lauren Smiley, Madelyn Marcisz, Anna Shew, and Maddy Watson was second in 2:07.43.

In the 200 freestyle event, Lillian Accettella placed first with a time of 2:13.87. Kwarcinski was first in the 200 individual medley race, clocking in at 2:14.64. NHS had a one-two finish in the 100 butterfly as Marcisz won in 1:10.55 and Shew followed with a time of 1:11.48. In the 100 free, Accettella took first in 1:00.62, narrowly edging Stratford’s top performer who finished in 1:00.73. Kwarcinski won the 500, making her final touch in 5:33.95.

In the 200 free relay, the team of Shew, Seaver, Watson, and Limani came out on top in 1:51.92. The relay contingent of Marcisz, Accettella, Noelle Marrazzo, and Zoe Petertonjes was runner-up in 1:55.82.

Fischer was the fastest finisher in the 100 backstroke race with a time of 1:07.02, followed by Sierra Marx in 1:09.96. Shew and Audrey McLean went one-two in the 100 backstroke with times of 1:17.31 and 1:22.23. In the 400 relay event, Kwarcinski, Marx, Accettella, and Petertonjes had the fastest time with a 4:05.44.

Newtown returned to the pool to host Joel Barlow of Redding on October 10, and the Nighthawks won 85-71, again exhibitioning the last four races.

In the 200 medley relay, Seaver, Petertonjes, Fischer, and Kwarcinski placed first in 1:58.79. Limani and Angela Wennerholm went one-two in the 200 free with times of 2:09.47 and 2:22.83. Petertonjes won the 50 free in 26.33. Hall and Gutrie finished one-two in diving.

Accettella was first in the 100 butterfly in 1:08.42 and Marcisz was second in the event with a 1:09.59. Petertonjes was second in the 100 free in 56.56. Shew and Marx were the top two racers in the 500 with times of 5:51.46 and 6:19.60, respectively.

In the 200 free relay event, Limani, Accettella, Marcisz, and Petertonjes came out on top in 1:51.90 and McLean, Wennerholm, Indigo Land, and Emily Metzger combined for a runner-up time of 2:03.58.

Kwarcinski and Seaver gave NHS a one-two in the backstroke race with times of 1:01.01 and 1:10.36. Fischer and McLean did the same in the breaststroke race with times of 1:13.79 and 1:25.61. In the 400 free relay race, Shew, Seaver, Accettella, and Kwarcinski took first in 4:04.20.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.