Although Newtown High School’s boys’ swimming and diving team has to overcome the loss of 11 graduates from a year ago, expectations are high this season.

How high?

Newtown Coach Zach Gauvin has never had all of his team members qualify for the South-West Conference championships, but Gauvin’s goal this winter is for his 23-member team to achieve the feat.

“They’ve got the skills, and a lot of it comes down to focusing on the little things with your technique,” Gauvin said. “Ultimately, it’s going to come down to how hard they work in practice. The harder you work, the faster you get.”

As if this isn’t enough motivation, Gauvin says the boys have been pushed to do well by the members of the girls’ squad who, in their fall season, broke several records.

If nothing else, everyone striving to swim fast enough to qualify for the conference meet and/or set records along the way, will create a good team goal for the Nighthawks to work to try to fulfill.

The departure of those 11 team members are mostly offset by a large freshman class of nine newcomers.

“I think we’ve got a good crew of incoming freshmen that will help bolster our ranks,” Gauvin said.

The Nighthawks are coming off a 6-3 regular season that they followed up with a fourth-place finish in the SWC meet, and a 14th-place outcome in the Class LL championships.

Captains are breaststrokers and individual medley swimmers Brandon Qiao and Caelan Ritter, and spring freestyle swimmers Sean MacMullan and Owen Gray.

Diver Kyle Gaynor, Gauvin believes, will be among the best in the state. The coach also says middle-distance freestyler Chris Lafky and backstroker Tommy Horan stand to be among the best in the state. Gauvin is expecting big things from freestyler Peter Fagerholm.

The coaching staff has a bit of a new look with diving coach Ryan Cutler now working exclusively at Brookfield High after splitting duties between NHS and Brookfield a year ago, and assistants Chris Pearson and Ryan Eberts on board.

The usual trio of SWC powerhouses, Weston, Pomperaug of Southbury, and Brookfield, are tough teams that will challenge the Nighthawks during the regular campaign and in the conference championship meet.