Athletes at Haddam-Killingworth High School teamed up with students from Morgan and Valley Regional to form a co-op boys’ swimming team for the 2019-’20 season. The Cougars attained a high level of success throughout a campaign that saw the squad finish with an overall record of 9-1 and then post a second-place performance at the Nutmeg Conference Championship.

The Haddam-Killingworth/Morgan/Valley Regional (H-K/M/VR) swim team was led by senior captains Jimmy Clemente, Eli Houlton, and Zach Houlton, who all attend H-K. Junior Kyle Mazziotti also competed for the team, as did fellow H-K students Colby Kish, a sophomore, along with freshmen Jack Ferguson, Connor Schipritt, Nolan Braren, and AJ Campo de la Vera.

While H-K’s athletes formed the nucleus of the roster, the Cougars were bolstered by a few swimmers from two other schools this winter. One of those athletes was Connor Levy, who is a sophomore at Morgan. Valley Regional juniors Egan Rothrock and Matt Skowronek also made key contributions for the squad. Mary Kate Almeida served as the team’s head coach.

H-K/M/VR opened up its season by earning a 99-69 home victory against Oxford on Dec. 19 and followed that up with a 91-75 win over Granby at home on Jan. 10. Ferguson took first place in the 100 freestyle (1:58.18) and the 500 freestyle (5:19.79) versus Granby. Clemente finished first in the 50 freestyle (25.11) and the 100 butterfly (1:00.68), while Mazziotti won the 100 freestyle (50.66) and 100 backstroke (57.12). Rothrock earned top honors in the 200 individual medley (2:19.81), and Levy won the 100 breaststroke (1:17.77).

The Cougars also claimed first place in all three relays at the meet. The 200 medley relay of Campo de la Vera, Rothrock, Clemente, and Skowronek took first place with a time of 1:58.01; the 200 freestyle relay of Clemente, Levy, Ferguson, and Mazziotti finished first in 1:43.92; and the 400 freestyle relay of Mazziotti, Ferguson, Levy, and Rothrock placed first at 3:47.70.

H-K/M/VR saw continued success when it defeated the Suffield-East Windsor-Ellington-Windsor Locks co-op team by an 89-81 final in its third meet of the season. The meet featured a dramatic conclusion for the Cougars, who needed to win the 400 freestyle relay in the final event of the day in order to emerge victorious. H-K/M/VR’s quartet of Mazziotti, Ferguson, Eli Houlton, and Zach Houlton recorded a time of 3:30.47 to take first place and seal the victory for their team.

Zach Houlton also finished first in the 200 freestyle (1:50.50) and the 500 freestyle (4:58.95). Eli Houlton was first in the 200 individual medley (2:05.48) and the 100 butterfly (55.49), and Mazziotti came in first place for 100 freestyle (51.54) and the 100 backstroke (58.42).

The 200 medley relay of Mazziotti, Ferguson, Clemente, and Eli Houlton finished first with a 1:45.86, while the 200 freestyle relay featuring Rothrock, Clemente, Levy, and Mazziotti placed first at 1:38.96.

The Cougars improved to 4-0 by notching a 94-74 win against the Foran-Law co-op on Jan. 22. H-K/M/VR then swept a tri-meet at Waterford High School by defeating Waterford (111-71) and St. Bernard (114-24) on Jan. 28. After that, the Cougars raised their record to 7-0 with a 98-83 versus Lyman Hall-Coginchaug just two days later.

Mazziotti took first place in the 50 freestyle (26.45) and the 100 backstroke (1:04.15) during the tri-meet sweep. Eli Houlton was first in the 100 freestyle (1:01.48) and 200 freestyle (2:11.75), while Zach Houlton captured first in the 400 freestyle (4:31.27) and the 100 breaststroke (1:16.07). Ferguson won the 200 IM with a time of 2:29.89.

The 200 medley relay of Mazziotti, Ferguson, Clemente, and Zach Houlton came in first place by posting a mark of 2:00.90, and the 400 freestyle relay of Ferguson, Mazziotti, Eli Houlton, and Zach Houlton finished first at 4:03.85.

Facing Lyman Hall-Coginchaug, Ferguson earned the top spot in the 200 freestyle (2:00.78) and 100 breaststroke (1:07.47) with Eli Houlton placing first in the 200 IM (2:06.02) and 100 butterfly (59.45). Mazziotti won the 100 freestyle (52.59) and 100 backstroke (56.59), Clemente was first for the 50 freestyle (25.22), and Zach Houlton swam his way to first place in the 500 freestyle (5:02.60).

The Cougars’ 200 medley relay of Mazziotti, Zach Houlton, Clemente, and Eli Houlton finished first (1:47.00); the 200 freestyle relay featuring Ferguson, Kish, Rothrock, and Clemente also took first place (1:41.19); and the 400 freestyle relay of Eli Houlton, Mazziotti, Ferguson, and Zach Houlton came in first place (3:37.45).

H-K/M/VR completed its regular season by earning a 61-59 win against Classical-University on Feb. 18. Mazziotti took first place in the 200 IM (2:10.75) and the 500 freestyle (5:14.81) for the Cougars. He also joined forces with Ferguson, Clemente, and Campo de la Vera to take first place in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:53.16.

The Cougars’ 200 freestyle relay of Mazziotti, Zach Houlton, Eli Houlton, and Rothrock posted a mark of 1:41.19 to come in first place. The 400 freestyle relay of Zach Houlton, Eli Houlton, Clemente, and Ferguson finished first with a mark of 3:46.46.

Eli Houlton took first place in the 50 freestyle (23.84) and the 100 backstroke (59.88) for H-K/M/VR. Ferguson finished first in the 100 breaststroke by swimming a time of 1:08.79 to help the Cougars get the win.

On March 5, H-K/M/VR turned in one of its top performances of the season when the team came in second place at the Nutmeg Conference Championship. The Cougars scored a total of 286 points to earn runner-up honors at Windsor Locks High School in their last meet of the campaign.

Eli Houlton and Mazziotti each won a pair of individual events and also swam on a victorious relay at the Nutmeg Championship. Houlton finished first in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:47.12 and also won the 500 freestyle by posting a time of 4:53.40. Houlton was named the Swimmer of the Meet.

Mazziotti had a fine day in his own right by winning both the 100 freestyle (49.80) and the 100 backstroke (55.37) for H-K/M/VR. The Cougars’ 400 freestyle relay of Clemente, Mazziotti, Ferguson, and Houlton took first place at 3:27.84.

The 200 medley relay of Mazziotti, Ferguson, Clemente, and Kish came in second place with a time of 1:46.29. The 200 freestyle relay of Kish, Rothrock, Levy, and Connor Schipritt went a 1:37.97 to take second place.

Ferguson placed second in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.50) and took third in the 500 freestyle (5:17.65) at the meet. Clemente finished fourth for the 100 butterfly (59.51) and placed sixth in the 50 freestyle (24.75).

Rothrock came in fourth place for the 200 IM (2:14.36) and the 100 breaststroke (1:08.02). Kish took fifth in the 100 backstroke (1:05.27), while Levy finished sixth in both the 200 IM (2:19.35) and the 100 butterfly (1:04.59). Skowronek finished sixth in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:16.99 to help H-K/M/VR finish second in its conference.