East Lyme makes it 10 straight ECC swimming titles, but Ledyard's Hespeler steals show

Groton - East Lyme High School swimming coach Jack Stabach didn't say anything to his team regarding a 10th straight Eastern Connecticut Conference championship before Saturday's meet.

He didn't have to.

"We're always reminded of it," senior Shannen Barnard said.

"And we always keep track," classmate Dana Tricarico added.

And so the Vikings were once again crowned queens of the pool at Avery Point, defeating second-place Fitch, 521-388, to win their 10th consecutive title. Still, Ledyard's Jessica Hespeler did her best to steal the show.

Hespeler won two individual events and three overall, setting meet records in both the 100 freestyle (1 minute, 53.09 seconds) and 500 freestyle (5:10.30). She not only set the records, but shattered them, breaking the 100 mark by a full two seconds and the 500 by more than five.

The mild-mannered freshman's performance even took her by surprise.

"I'm really happy," she said. "I felt really strong. I didn't expect to be this successful. It feels great."

Hespeler also helped Ledyard to a win in the opening event - the 200-yard medley relay - after East Lyme was disqualified for leaving the blocks early.

"She's very easy to coach," Ledyard coach Wayne Brusseau said of Hespeler. "She's smart, she listens and she'll do anything you say. She's very talented. She's quiet and reserved, but she's a great competitor. Once in a while, you get a swimmer as talented as her that comes along. It's rare. I'm happy to see her at Ledyard. The sky's the limit for her. As great an athlete as she is, she's an even better kid. You'll be reading good things about her in high school and college."

The meet started on a dubious note for the Vikings after the DQ, but it may have ultimately worked in their favor.

"I'm glad it happened here," Stabach said. "We'll practice it and we'll get it right for states. That probably put a little fire in them."

Said Barnard, East Lyme's only double-winner (100 butterfly, 100 breaststroke - school record): "We had to keep the pressure up and keep the girls motivated. We had to remember it was just one race."

Tricarico (50 freestyle - school record) and Noelene Power (100 backstroke) also won for East Lyme.

"Of course there's pressure," Tricarico said of defending the title. "You don't want to be the team that loses it. It's so much fun but it is a lot of pressure."

Fitch's Alivia Berg won the 100 freestyle, while Waterford's Abby Gatheral won the 200 IM. Fitch sophomore Lindsey Nolan won the diving (388.05) at East Lyme on Friday night.

Norwich Free Academy's Jessica Banning set school records in the 50 and 100 freestyle.

"This was the first competition I've been in where everyone was so friendly and supportive," Tricarico said. "It was fun to be a part of."