Members of Newtown High School’s boys’ swimming and diving team expect to continue to perform well, as they did in the season-opening 91-79 victory over visiting Masuk of Monroe on December 21, but how the Nighthawks rack up victories and record fast swim times stands to vary as the season unfolds.

“Today was kind of a feel-out meet,” Newtown Coach Zach Gauvin said of the opener, adding that with seven freshmen in the lineup, it’ll take a little time to figure out who will swim in which spots to fill gaps and best benefit the team.

“We had a lot of young swimmers step up and swim some races they hadn’t swum before, and were successful,” Gauvin said.

What’s more, Newtown’s returnees swam at a high level despite this being the first meet and the fact they have been working hard in preseason practices for two weeks leading up to the start of the regular campaign.

“It’s good to see they were close to their best times just two weeks in — and they’re tired,” Gauvin notes.

Newtown’s 200 yard medley relay team of returning swimmers Tommy Horan, Peter Fagerholm, Caelan Ritter, and Owen Gray, was first in a time of 1:52.61.

The Nighthawks kept the first-place finishes rolling in through the first nine events — there was no diving competition since Masuk doesn’t have a diving team — before the Hawks sealed the team victory and exhibitioned the final two races.

David Lawrence won the 200 freestyle race, making his final touch in a time of 2:04.97. Fagerholm was first in the 200 individual medley, completing the event in 2:10.00. Gray won the 50 free in a time of 24.76. Michael Annesley, one of those first-year high school swimmers, was tops in the 100 butterfly, making his final touch in 1:014.13. Horan won the 100 free in a time of 53.58. Fagerholm took home another first-place finish by winning the 500 free in 5:15.90. The 200 free relay squad, comprising freshman Xavier Williams, Ritter, Annesley, and Gray, was first in 1:46.30. Horan won the backstroke race in a time of 58.46.