Groton - Ethan Opsahl was sharing the first-place podium for the 100-yard breaststroke with Fitch freshman Patrick Nowak, who came from behind to tie him for the Eastern Connecticut Conference title.

Opsahl, a senior co-captain for the East Lyme High School swim team, was smiling broadly, his arm around Nowak's shoulders.

It was already apparent, then, that Opsahl and his twin brother Evan had some of the same comportment, a similar courteousness as their brother Adam, a 2013 graduate, did when he was a state champion swimmer at East Lyme.

But the two contributed to something greater Saturday, too, also the same as their older brother.

A championship.

East Lyme, which finished second to the Fitch/Stonington cooperative team in the ECC's regular season, dropping both dual meets, came back to win its 12th league championship in the last 13 years by outlasting Fitch 534.5-500.5.

"I think, honestly, we still had the depth we had in past years," said Ethan Opsahl, who joined Mitch Ryan (diving) as East Lyme's two ECC individual champs.

"We had like 15 new kids; we got a ton of people to join. We talked some seniors into it. We made it look fun. ... It was tough. It was a lot of work (this season). It was disappointing (to lose the regular-season title to Fitch), but we had to suck it up and keep moving."

Fitch, meanwhile, 10-0 in the ECC during the regular season, crowned 10 champions Saturday, including four-time winners Dakota Williams and Sam Kokomoor.

Williams was named the Swimmer of the Meet for the second straight season.

A 6-foot-4 senior, Williams broke the ECC record in the 100 freestyle in 45.68 seconds, a time which will earn him All-America consideration and which was just off the automatic All-America qualifying time of 45.40. The time eclipsed the mark of 46.36 previously held by Fitch graduate Emmett Dignan, also an All-American.

"Whatever he throws out (in the first 50 yards), he can hold it," Fitch coach Ken Berg said of Williams record-setting performance. "That's pretty impressive. I hope he can hold on to it for states and do it again."

"That was my goal for the year," said Williams, who set the league's 50 freestyle record last season. "I kind of wanted to go for a new record. I did a lot of sprinting in practice. I tried to stay healthy and not get sick or anything."

Williams, who has applied for admission to the Coast Guard Academy, also won the 200 individual medley (1:58.88) and contributed to the first-place 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams.

Kokomoor took the 200 freestyle (1:48.5) and 100 butterfly (54.56) and Fitch teammates John Moody (100 backstroke), Aaron Lewis (500 freestyle) and Nowak added individual wins.

Moody, Nowak and Kokomoor teamed with Williams to take the medley relay, while Alex Belair, Nowak, Lewis and Sean Estep won the 200 free relay and Moody, Estep and Kokomoor teamed with Williams for a 400 free relay victory.

The team title, though, belonged to East Lyme and first-year coach Jen Lyman, who took over this season for longtime coach Jack Stabach.

Lyman also coaches the Hand High girls' swim team and is Stabach's assistant aquatics director at East Lyme.

So, with a new group of swimmers following the graduation of last year's core of Vikings, came a new coach.

"We knew it was going to be a tough transition," said Lyman, who was thrown into the pool by her swimmers following the announcement of the final point totals.

"The tradition ... to make sure East Lyme is recognized in the sport of swimming and diving. We had a vision of succeeding together; we all had the same vision. This is what we talked about at the beginning of the season."

Ethan and Evan Opsahl were captains of the East Lyme team along with Ryan, who set a school record with 465.4 points in repeating as diving champ Friday.

"It's weird that it's over," said Ethan Opsahl, no longer just the little brother. "... I've always just kind of tried to do my own thing. (Adam) is different. He was just amazing. He was always the stud.

"But this is exciting to me."

v.fulkerson@theday.com

Twitter: @vickieattheday