The Haddam-Killingworth boys’ swimming and diving co-op team, comprised of athletes from both H-K and Valley Regional high schools, competed in the SCC Championship on March 1 at Southern Connecticut State University, finishing in ninth place with 355 points.

Senior captain Jack Ferguson highlighted the night for the Cougars by claiming the 100 breaststroke crown in a time of 58.94 seconds, beating out Xavier’s Matt Whitaker (2nd with a mark of 1:01.74). Sophomore Tristan Smith came in 14th for the event (1:07.49).

Ferguson also finished runner-up for the 200 IM with a time of 1:56.43, second only to Owen Tharrington of Fairfield Prep (1:55.31). Senior Alejandro Campo de la Vera was 21st (2:17.08), and then Tristan Smith finished 25th (2:19.53).

In the 100 butterfly, freshman Lucca Giordano came in 11th with a time of 58.34, while de la Vera finished 17th (59.58). For the 100 freestyle, senior Joshua Colandrea came in 23rd (53.17), and then senior Knoop Onno was 27th (55.13). In the 500 free, sophomore Jackson Smith swam to 14th with a time of 5:26.26.

Jackson Smith finished 18th for the 100 backstroke in 1:03.04, and Onno was 31st for the 50 freestyle (24.61).

In relays, the foursome of sophomore Jackson Smith, Ferguson, de la Vera, and Onno was ninth (1:51.68) for the 200 medley. H-K was also ninth for the 400 free relay with Onno, Colandrea, Campo de la Vera, and Ferguson (3:37.29). The 200 free grouping in Giordano, Onno, Colandrea, and Ferguson finished 12th (1:39.33).

The SCC Championship placement came on the heels of a very successful dual-meet portion of the campaign, where the Cougars went 5-3-1 overall and claimed the SCC Division II crown with an undefeated divisional mark of 5-0-1.

Head Coach Steven Cusano recalled that it was actually the one division draw with Shelton on Senior Night on Feb. 13 that was one of the more thrilling meets of the winter.

“Going into the season, we knew we had a couple of tough matchups against SCC Division I teams to help us fare well for the Division II teams,” said Cusano. “When you have 10 guys on your competitive roster, it can be tough to go against deep teams, but we went 5-0-1 in our division. Against Shelton, we were down going into the last few events. Then, Alejandro Campo de la Vera and Jack Ferguson helped us on a relay to come back and tie it. It was a pretty fun night for us as a team.”

Furthermore, with H-K and its small roster, the Cougars do not sport any divers. Yet it was a triumph over Foran-Law and then later Lyman Hall that served as crucial and collective confidence boosts for the club and personified what the H-K spirit is all about.

“Against Foran-Law, we were tied with them after they dove, but we won the last relay to win the meet. It let us know that we are a mighty team,” said Coach Cusano. “The meet against Lyman Hall gave us confidence that the team could win any meet. We ended up doing what needed to be done. It was a lynchpin for us and a turning point. We knew then that the division was within our grasp. We have diversity and depth this year as a team. Jack Ferguson was undefeated in all races this year, and I can put him in a relay, breaststroke, and he can win. Having a top-end swimmer is great, but also so is having a deep and diverse squad.”

No matter the background of each athlete or whichever town or school they hail from, the common thread amongst the boys in the locker room has been concrete camaraderie and cohesion as the Cougars traverse the waters of the SCC.

“This is a tight group with only 10 guys on the competitive team,” Cusano said. “Onno Knoop brings elements on our bus rides to keep the atmosphere light. There is no separation on the team between the schools.”

The Cougars now ready themselves for the Class M State Championship, which will take place on Wednesday, March 15, at Southern Connecticut State University with a 6 p.m. start time. H-K may not be near the top of the team standings at the end of the night, but there is still plenty on the line in terms of solo goals and program history.

“With states, it will be more of a focus on individual efforts,” said Cusano, whose team had seven athletes qualify for the meet. “We have guys on the cusp of state records and All-State Team consideration. We won’t be competitive as a team in Class M, but we will be seeing what swimmers can push themselves to their best solo efforts and times. It is our job as coaches to push the guys to their best potential. Jack Ferguson could be the first Class M All-State Team swimmer in H-K’s history. All of these things will give us something to chase at the state level.”

The Cougars’ full roster is comprised of H-K members in sophomore Tyler Anderson, freshman Joseph Breton, Campo de la Vera, Colandrea, Ferguson, sophomore Riley Schipritt, sophomore Jackson Smith, and freshman Kellen Thompson; and then Valley Regional swimmers in sophomore Tristan Smith, Knoop, and Giordano.

Cusano is in his third campaign as the Cougars’ head coach this winter, and he is being assisted by Kate Meyer in the pool.