Nighthawk Swimmers Enjoy Winning Streak

By Andy Hutchison

After starting the season with losses to Pomperaug and New Fairfield, two of the toughest teams around, things were expected to get better for the Newtown High School girls’ swimming and diving team.

They’ve gotten as good as possible as the Nighthawks had reeled off five straight wins.

Newtown defeated Joel Barlow 93-84 at home on October 9 and went to New Milford and won 101-83 on Tuesday.

In the win over Barlow, Newtown’s 200 medley relay team (Kelly Baylis, Meghan Baylis, Maggie Hoolehan and Kelsey McEvoy) finished first in 2:05.35. The school’s 200 freestyle relay team (Meghan Baylis, Colleen Carroll, Evelyn Fahey and Hoolehan) took first in 1:53.09. Newtown’s 400 free relay team (Maggie Atkinson, Alex Scarpa, McEvoy and Abby Falgerholm) also won, with a time of 4:11.10.

Atkinson won the 200 freestyle in 2:11.35, Kelly Baylis won the 200 intermediate relay in 2:33.28, Bianca Solono took first place in the 100 free with a time of 1:01.75 and Michelle Isabella won the 100 breaststroke in 1:19.82.

“I feel like each time we win our team gets more confident,” Fahey said of the team’s recent success.

Newtown Coach Matt Childs points out that the two schools his Nighthawks fell to are among the best not only in the South-West Conference, but in the state. He said the recent winning ways also stem from the improved times among his swimmers.

“I think that we’ve really started to improve as a whole team. We’re much more consistent than we were earlier in the year,” Childs said.

Among the swimmers who has most impressed the NHS coach is Solono who has taken about seven seconds off her swim times. She races the 100-yard freestyle as well as relay events.

Newtown visits Stratford on Friday, October 16 at 4 pm and hosts Lauralton Hall in the final home meet on October 19 at 7 pm.