Another exciting year of Newtown sports is in the books and there sure has been a lot to celebrate with numerous championships, record-setting performances, and milestones. With each year comes change and there was plenty of that from new coaches to new rules ... to a new court at Newtown High. Here is a look back at many of the highlights from 2023:

Records Set

*The boys’ swim team kicked off the New Year with Peter Horan and the 200 yard freestyle relay team setting school records in the January 4 meet. Horan went on to set the 100 yard backstroke team record a week later. He continued to have an ultra-successful campaign and set the South-West Conference Championship meet record in the 100 yard backstroke event. The 200 relay team and Horan continued to achieve record-setting success in the Class L and State Open meets.

*The track and field programs saw a relay record-setting effort and an individual record set as Soheib Dissa set the mark in the 1000 meter event. Riley Powers set a school record in the 600 meter run at the New England Championships.

*Track standout Carly Swierbut capped off a record-setting career at William & Mary before joining the NHS track and field coaching staff as an assistant.

*During girls’ swim season, Alexa Kwarcinski shattered a pair of school records in the SWC Championships. Kwarcinski went on to do one better, breaking her own mark in the 100 yard breaststroke race at the State Championships. She then went on to again break the 100 breaststroke record and was part of the school’s record-setting 200 medley relay record setting group at the State Open.

*Former Newtown High swimmer Norah Kolb switched to rowing upon starting her athletics career at Vanderbilt University and had immediate success by setting several school records in her first fall season.

Championships

*The Newtown Pride soccer team won The Soccer Tournament and $1 million for its accomplishment.

*The Newtown Youth Wrestling Association won the Western Connecticut League Championship picking up where it left off in 2020 before missing a chance at success due to a combination of the impact of the coronavirus and snowstorms cancelling action. Brighton Karvoski won his seventh state title. Then the youth program went on to win its second consecutive New England Championship behind six individuals who claimed first.

*At the high school level, the Nighthawk grapplers had a trio of title winners in the South-West Conference Championships: Kenna Gioffre, Luca Manfredi, and Fisher Stites. Then Stites, Manfredi, Marc Maurath, and Jon DaSilva all took home state championships.

*The NHS dance team captured the SWC Jazz and Hip Hop titles and won the State Jazz Category Championship.

*The boys’ swimmers had a trio of first-place performances in the SWC meet.

*On the cheerleading mats, the Nighthawks proved to be the best in all of Connecticut, earning the Team of the Year title.

*It was quite a spring season at Newtown High as the softball, girls’ tennis, and girls’ lacrosse squads, as well as both the girls’ and boys’ track and field teams captured conference crowns.

*On the track, the spring outdoor teams got state titles from Aashni Shetty as well as Soheib Dissa, who went on to represent the Nighthawks in the New Balance Nationals and then capture the SWC cross country crown in the fall.

*Newtown’s Tristan Rosenschein helped the Express North team win the Lacrosse World Series Championship.

*During the summer months there were plenty of local tournament champions crowned, and the 9 and 10 year old baseball teams went on to capture state titles. The 9 year old Blue Hawks won the Regional Championship and went all the way to the Cal Ripken World Series. The 8 year old Blue Hawks won the Connecticut Youth Baseball League title.

*On the softball field, the U12 Newtown Hawks claimed the Fairfield County Fast Pitch Championship.

*Newtown’s Alyssa Wright, Ava Warner, and Kathryn Kavovit represented Newtown in the World Tap Dance Championships.

*Newtown native Dave Modzelewski coached the US Team at the Para Swimming World Championships.

*During the fall school sports campaign, the NHS boys’ golfers were the best in the SWC and claimed the conference championship.

*On the youth gridiron, the Newtown fourth grade football team captured the Shoreline Conference Championship.

*On the youth cheer mats, Newtown had quite a showing with the D10, 12 and 14 squads all claiming first at the Shoreline Conference Championships and the D14 group went on to win the New England Championship. The D12s took third in New England. Both went on to represent the town in the National Championships in December, where the D14 team took second and the D12s were fourth.

Milestones, Changes, and Honors

The past 12 months saw some impressive milestones achieved and featured some changes on the coaching front with several new men and women coming in to take over Newtown High teams. There was a continued return to normalcy following the impact of the coronavirus with not only the youth wrestlers getting a chance for participating in — and winning — championships, but also a return of a tournament in town. Newtown’s athletes and coaches took home some impressive accolades as well.

*Coach Jeremy O’Connell, in his 13th season, earned his 300th career win as the Newtown High girls’ basketball team kept up its winning ways in January.

*Newtown High Wrestler Luca Manfredi picked up his 100th career victory.

*Softball pitcher Sydney Adolfson tallied her 500th career strikeout.

*In a milestone of sorts, it was a double hat-trick for the hockey team as Alex Schmidt and Cam Gouveia both netted three goals in an early January win over Milford.

*High school basketball and Newtown, and throughout the state, had a much different start to the 2023-24 campaign with some new rules in place — most notably the institution of a 35-second shot clock. Newtown High’s athletes also got a brand new wood floor to replace the old hardwood.

*New coaches: Anthony Fitti (boys’ lacrosse), Dan Nyitrai (boys’ volleyball), Dan Farina (football), Adam Bourret (boys’ soccer), Megan Goyda (field hockey), Matt Murphy (boys’ basketball), Charlie Taubl (boys’ track).

*After a couple of years off due to the impact of the coronavirus the Rooster Rumble youth lacrosse tournament returned to town.

Athletes of the Year: Dylan Magazu and girls’ co-winners Riley Powers and Bella Gerace were recognized as The Newtown Bee Newtown High School Athletes of the Year following stellar seasons/careers.

*NHS Recognition: Newtown High School’s Athletic Department was named a Michaels Jewelers Achievement Cup Exemplary Program Recipient.

*Hall of Fame Induction: Former Newtown High football Coach Bob Zito was selected for the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

*Collegiate Success: Many of Newtown’s athletes have gone on to compete at the collegiate level and The Bee is sometimes notified about the successes of former athletes we covered. Among the notable highlights from 2023 is when Central Connecticut State University runner and former NHS standout Aiden Budge earned Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week accolades in mid February. Shea Murphy, a former Nighthawk and Division I lacrosse player at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga., got to take her skills overseas when her team played in Europe.

Each year the bar is set high in the world of Newtown sports, and with every calendar turn into the New Year there is an action-packed 12 months of success stories to look back on. So what lies ahead in 2024? It is sure to be another good one. See you at the games!