East Lyme swimming has a record-setting day, wins 20th straight title
Groton — Public address announcer Scott Black said pretty much what everyone else thinking Saturday at the UConn Avery Point pool, alerting the crowd of the day’s final scores.
“And in first place,” Black said, “no surprise here … East Lyme.”
Indeed. You can set your watch by the girls’ swimming program at East Lyme. Early November Saturday? Eastern Connecticut Conference championships? Avery Point pool? East Lyme’s time.
This time: for the 20th straight season.
The Vikings are the league champs again with 583.5 points, finishing ahead of Waterford (330.5), Fitch (326), Ledyard (242), NFA (233), Lyman/Windham/Parish Hill (139) and St. Bernard (14).
“It’s just amazing,” East Lyme coach Jack Stabach said. “We have a wonderful facility at the high school. A great feeder in the Nutmeg Swim Program. Great families. A pool at the high school that gets kids exposed to swimming. Our middle school program is huge. All that stuff gets people involved.”
East Lyme even set two ECC records Saturday. Sophomore Nikki Hahn, awarded Swimmer of the Meet honors, won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1 minute, 5.28 seconds, breaking the mark of 1:08.12 set in 2008 by Fitch’s Adelaide Taylor. Hahn also swam a leg of the 200 medley relay with Hiruni Jayawickreme, Katie Keating and Grace Vlaun in 1:52.06 that snapped Fitch’s 2006 time of 1:53.07.
“Nikki works real hard. In the offseason, too,” Stabach said. “That has a lot to do with it. She’s become stronger. She’s determined. She listens, which is not always the case with underclassmen.”
Stabach said of the relay: “We just had four good kids who put their heart into it. That record has been sitting out there for a while.”
Vlaun won the 200 freestyle for the Vikings in 1:58.20 and the 100 freestyle in 55.88. Hahn also won the 200 individual medley (2:09.65), while Anna Lu won the 500 freestyle in 5:32.40. Keating tied Waterford's Lily Watson for the 100 butterfly title, each turning in a time of 59.05, while Hahn, Lauren Hinckley, Keating and Vlaun won the 200 free relay in 1:42.04.
Watson also won the 50 free in 24.69, leading Waterford's strong finish.
Fitch had a pair of champions as well: Katie Shaughnessy won Friday's diving event (381.90) while the 400 free relay of Emily Tarinelli, Finella Smith, Alyson Lowney and Delaney Reck won in 3:50.93.
East Lyme had nearly 20 different swimmers earn points.
“All in all, a great day,” Stabach said. “I’m so proud of the way the kids swam. Lots of improved times.”
m.dimauro@theday.com
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