Coming off a season that featured six team record-setting performances, a runner-up finish in the South-West Conference championship meet, and the program’s best-ever performance in the state open, Newtown High School’s girls’ swimming and diving team is again looking to be in the mix among the best in the conference and state.

Last year, Newtown went 9-1 in the regular season, falling only to eventual SWC champion Pomperaug of Southbury. The Nighthawks were fifth in the Class LL state championships, and 11th in the state open. Newtown’s 173 points were the most the program has scored in its history in the state open.

The Hawks lost nine graduates, including four team record-holders, and several state qualifiers, some of whom are competing at the Division I collegiate level now, Newtown Coach Zach Gauvin notes. The coach adds that returning Nighthawks “have the same ambitions to rewrite the record books.”

Newtown has some rebuilding to do, but — year in and year out — has a solid lineup of swimmers and divers. The aspirations remain the same.

“We’re always trying to go top three,” Gauvin said of the goal for SWC success. “It will be difficult like it is every year. We’ll see how hard we work.”

The toughest teams in the SWC are traditionally Pomperaug (fourth in Class L a year ago), Weston (which captured the Class S championship), and Brookfield (third in Class M), along with Newtown. Gauvin anticipates that trio of NHS opponents again being the most challenging in the path to the top. As for the state class meet, Gauvin is hopeful for his team scoring a top-ten finish.

This year’s captains are Bridget Duero (distance freestyle and backstroke), Casey Klein (butterfly and backstroke), and Gillian Eckwall (diving). Other key returnees include All State diver Kari Djonne and All State sprint freestyle competitor Mary Hufziger. Djonne and Hufziger set school marks last year.

Although the Hawks possess skill in all events, diving is the strong suit for the squad, Gauvin points out. Last year, the divers were the best in the state, and Gauvin expects them again to be tops if all goes well.

The regular season begins on Friday, September 11, when Joel Barlow of Redding visits NHS for a 7 pm start.

Read more about the swim team in the September 11 print edition of The Bee.