Boys’ Swimmers And Divers Move Up To Class LL

By Andy Hutchison

Newtown High School’s boys’ swimming and diving team hits the water with a new coach, new state class size status, and high hopes for postseason success.

Zach Gauvin, who took over for Matt Childs during this past fall’s girls’ swim season, will succeed Childs with the boys’ squad this winter, and is looking forward to the challenge.

“I know I’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill from Matt Childs and all of the work he’s done over here,” Gauvin said. “We’re definitely excited to get back in the pool — and finally have a home pool to host swim meets.”

The NHS boys had been practicing during the preseason at Oxford High, where the girls competed throughout the entire fall season while renovations continued at Newtown High. The NHS pool reopened just last week.

“I’m really excited with the guys we’ve got, a huge talent pool, and we’ve got a big team. We’ve got 33 guys this year — a lot of talent and a lot of hard workers, which is probably the most important thing,” Gauvin said.

The talented group is led by a large contingent of senior captains — five of them to be exact: Abben Hung (breast stroke and sprint freestyle), George Delia (sprint free), Conor Donnelly (distance), Dan Hufziger (sprints), and Mike Hubbard (breaststroke and sprints).

Freshman Richard Huffman (backstroke) and sophomore Nick Lafky (breaststroke and individual medley) are also expected to be big contributors, the coach said.

“We’re looking for our underclassmen to step up,” Hufziger said.

Senior Maggie Korth leads the way with the divers (girls who play a different fall sport are permitted to compete on the boys’ swim team in the winter).

After battling the likes of perennial powerhouses Pomperaug of Southbury and Cheshire in the Class L state championships in past years, the Nighthawks have a new team to chase for a title: Greenwich. Newtown is bumped up to the LL division this season, meaning the Hawks only have to worry about Pomperaug in one postseason championship, the South-West Conference finals.

Newtown placed third in both the state and SWC meets last winter, and Gauvin is aiming for titles in both, but will be happy with a solid effort in the championships and expects to have his hands full against Greenwich. “If we can nip at their heels — maybe hang with them — I’d be happy with that,” the coach said. Gauvin expects tough competition from not only Pomperaug, but also Brookfield, in the SWC.

“We’ve been working really hard and practices have been going well. We have really high expectations for our team,” Delia said.