Having competed and coached in the South-West Conference dating back to his high school days, Adam Fielding is very familiar with Newtown High School swimming.

This winter, however, the former Bunnell-Stratford co-op team coach and competitor will be fully entrenched in Nighthawk swimming and diving. Fielding takes over as the coach of the Nighthawks, succeeding longtime leader Zach Gauvin.

"The thing I'm really looking forward to is a team that is competitive just by its size and numbers," said Fielding, whose squad size will just about double from the dozen-or-so team members he coached in Stratford.

In addition to having more team members, Fielding also will have more experienced competitors in his lineup.

"They do come in with a little ready-made, built-in knowledge," said Fielding, noting that many of the Nighthawks swim year round.

Fielding is eager to put his coaching approach to the test with a larger group and build on the success of the Newtown program.

He was part of the first Bunnell-Stratford co-op team, in 1998, as a competitor and swam through his graduation in 2002. Fielding coached the boys' co-op team for 11 seasons, and also coached the Bunnell girls for the last eight seasons after three years of coaching girls' swimming at Stratford High.

The Nighthawks will host Fielding's former team in the third meet of the campaign, on January 10, beginning at 4 pm, and the coach is looking forward to seeing his former swimmers.