Waterford — Abby Baukus swam her races Tuesday afternoon in a separate heat from those vying for first- and-second place, an exhibition heat.

Her long, easy strokes had Baukus, a Montville High School senior, far ahead of everyone else in her heat, as she finished the 200-meter freestyle event in 2 minutes, 38.79 seconds, what would have been good for second place in the event.

Because Montville is not a co-op program with Waterford and is merely allowed to train along with the Lancers, Baukus' results don't count toward the Waterford point total. Until the Eastern Connecticut Conference championship on Nov. 7, Baukus will compete for herself, her Montville and Waterford "teammates" and her love of swimming.

And the thing is, she's fine with that.

"It's a logical thing to continue," said Baukus of her choice of a fall sport, saying she's been swimming since she was 6 years old. "It's unknown kind of. People at school say, 'Oh, Montville has a swim team?' I'd like to change that. I'd like to get in the yearbook.

"I'm naturally competitive, so you're always racing the clock. I keep that in the back of my head. I fell in love with the team. ... It's not something I regret."

Baukus is a member of the two-time ECC Medium Division champion Montville High track team in the spring and contributed to the Indians' ECC title in the 4x800 meter relay. In the fall, though, interestingly, those track athletes branch out into different sports: Naomi Clark to volleyball, for instance, Suzie Fitzgerald to cross country, Maddy Campbell to soccer.

Baukus is one of three Montville athletes to choose swimming, joining Molly Podeszwa and Alexa Charles in making the trek every day to Waterford for practice.

"I started (swimming) after I watched the Olympics," said Baukus, wearing a black sweatshirt with the words "Got Chlorine?" after Tuesday's ECC dual meet between Waterford and Ledyard. "I think at first, the flashiness of the diving (is what I liked). I liked the face-paced competition aspect."

Her first swim team was the Southeastern Connecticut YMCA Dragons.

It was only then that Abby became aware that her dad, John Baukus, was a high school swimmer at St. Bernard School.

"He wanted us to choose our own things," she said.

Abby, however, forged her association with Waterford because of her dad. John Baukus was high school teammates with Waterford coach Brett Arnold, who was only too happy to allow Abby to practice with the Lancers. Arnold's assistant Patrick Callan, is also a St. Bernard graduate.

Abby began as a freshman as the only Montville swimmer, but has been joined the last two years by Podeszwa and Charles. She serves as Montville's captain, but is considered an overall team captain among the Waterford athletes, as well, Arnold said.

"I emailed him back and said, 'Is this the John Baukus that went to St. Bernard?'" Arnold said of John's initial communication with the coach. "Her father was a good guy in high school and he's a good man now.

"... Abby's just as much a part of the team as if she lived in Waterford. She doesn't have the title of Waterford captain. She has the title of the Montville team. But she takes a leadership role, nonetheless. It's not like if I need something, I have to think, 'Oh, I need to ask this Montville girl.'"

To illustrate how much of a part of the team Baukus is, Arnold once accidentally penciled her in to swim on a Lancers' relay team. Waterford's outdoor track coach, as well, Arnold also found himself cheering for her in a track meet between the two rival schools.

"I was like, 'You don't understand,'" Arnold said of his own team's reaction to his urging on a Montville athlete. "She's a part of our team, too."

Baukus also swam in the 100 freestyle exhibition heat Tuesday, finishing in 1:20.77.

The final result was Ledyard 96, Waterford 80. Nothing about Montville. Not yet.

"She's so humble in who she is as a person, you might not recognize (what a good athlete she is)," Arnold said. "See what she can do in the pool. We don't always get a chance to see that. She does it just because she loves the sport of swimming."

v.fulkerson@theday.com

Twitter: @vickieattheday