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10/03/2023 12:46 PM

H-K Girls’ Swimming, Cross Country Grab Victories in Big Meets


Junior Liv Macaluso qualified for State Swimming Championships in the 100-yard butterfly and the 200-yard individual medley in H-K’s 77-53 win against Old Lyme-Valley Regional-Old Saybrook on Sept. 21. Photo courtesy of Lauren Thebeau
Freshman Gianna Dabkowski swam the freestyle anchor leg of H-K’s 200-yard medley relay win against Old Lyme-Valley Regional-Old Saybrook. Photo courtesy of Lauren Thebeau

Girls’ Swimming and Diving

On Sept. 21, the H-K girls’ swimming team hosted Old Lyme/Valley Regional/Old Saybrook and won 77-53. Cougar girls took first and third in the opening 200-yard medley relay, and held the lead for the remainder of the meet.

H-K junior Olivia “Liv” Macaluso qualified for State Championships in the 200-yard individual medley, swimming 2:36.26, and in the 100-yard butterfly, with a time of 1:08.29. Eleven swimmers scored the winning points for H-K: Elsa Shatraw (freshman), Emma Sajus (senior), Gianna Dabkowski (freshman), Layla Hayward (senior), Maggie Miller (sophomore), Olive Forristall (freshman), Olivia Campo (junior), Olivia “Liv” Macaluso (junior), Peyton Tyler (senior), Sofia Campo (junior), and Veronica “VV” Pypa (junior).

Top 3 finishes for H-K included the 200-yard medley relay team of Shatraw, Forristall, Hayward, and Dabkowski in first place. In third place was Tyler, S. Campo, O. Campo, and Pypa.

The 200-yard freestyle included Miller in first place and Sajus in second. Macaluso won the 200-yard individual medley, with Forristall in second place.

In the 50-yard freestyle, first place was Hayward and second was Dabkowski. Macaluso claimed first place in the 100-yard butterfly, with Sajus in second.

In the 100-yard freestyle, Dabkowski was first, Tyler was second, and O. Campo finished in third.

Miller won the 500-yard freestyle, with Shatraw following in second. The H-K 200-yard freestyle relay team of Forristall, Sajus, Hayward, and Macaluso won the race, and the second place team was O. Campo, S. Campo, Miller, and Dabkowski.

Shatraw claimed first place in the 100-yard backstroke, with Tyler behind her in third. Forristall also won the 100-yard breaststroke, with S. Campo getting third. In the 400-yard freestyle relay, Miller, O. Campo, Shatraw, and Tyler took first place, and Sajus, Pypa, Hayward, and Macaluso came in second.

Girls’ Soccer

H-K girls’ soccer hosted Valley Regional on Sept. 27 and won 5-2. The next day, the team played host to Westbrook and won 2-0. On Sept. 30, the Cougars traveled to Weston and took a 3-2 loss.

Field Hockey

Field hockey hit the road to Canton on Sept. 26 and fell 3-0.

Girls’ Volleyball

Cougars girls’ volleyball played host to Hale Ray on Sept. 26, when they won 3-0. Three days later, H-K hosted Morgan and also won 3-0.

Cross Country

On Sept. 27, the H-K boys’ and girls’ cross country teams competed in their only league meet of the season, as they traveled to John Winthrop Middle School in Deep River to compete in the Large School league meet. They faced Valley Regional, Morgan, North Branford, East Hampton, and Cromwell.

Both teams won the meet, and went undefeated on the afternoon to have their dual meet record at 5-0 on the season. The boys are now 116-0 in dual meets dating back to 2014, as they defeated Morgan by a score of 15-50, Cromwell 15-50, North Branford 15-50, Valley 15-50, and East Hampton 20-43.

The H-K boys ran as a pack at the front of the race over the 3.1 mile course, and were led by freshman Evan Berardino who placed second (19:24). Crossing the line in the exact same time as Evan in places third-ninth were Jack Cozean, Cash Smigel, Daniel McCourt, Matthew Lara, Alex Frederickson, Sawyer DiMatteo, and Luke Hedges.

The girls’ team also went up against the same five league teams, going 5-0 on the afternoon. The Cougars defeated Morgan 15-50, Cromwell 15-50, Valley 20-43, East Hampton 15-50, and North Branford 15-50. Also running as a pack over the 5,000 meter course, the girls were led by freshman Emi Schweitzer, who placed third in a time of 23:21. Finishing as a pack in the same time in places fourth-ninth were Keira Sehl-Albert, Grace Mitchell, Charlotte Behnke, Julia Downing, Delaney Aronson, and Amelia Riggs.