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02/25/2024 03:43 PMFor its first venture of a season under a new headmaster, the Greater New Haven (GNH) Warriors boys’ swimming and diving co-op team has certainly passed any tests with flying colors. The Warriors have cleared the regular season preparation, and are ready for their final exams of the postseason.
With first-year Head Coach Lauren Perrone, the Warriors finished the dual-meet portion of their campaign with a strong 7-3-1 mark. GNH now readies itself for the SCC Championship, taking place on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at Southern Connecticut State University at 4:30 p.m. For state-level competition, the Class LL State Championships will be contested on Tuesday, March 12 at Wesleyan University at 6 p.m.
GNH, comprised of kids from the towns of East Haven, North Haven, and Guilford, boasts five senior captains in the water this year. East Haven’s Josue Bravo-Leon competes mainly as a freestyle swimmer–qualifying for states in Class LL in the 50, 200, and 500 freestyle heats. Guilford’s Alex Hansen has been competing predominantly in the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly.
“Josue is an incredible athlete, student, and friend. Josue is compassionate and unconditionally supports his teammates. Josue does an impressive job representing East Haven by having pride in himself and his team. We will miss Josue next year, but believe he will succeed in whatever he decides to do, whether that be in or out of the water,” said Perrone, assisted by Abrielle Osborne. “Alex Hansen is an irreplaceable member of this team, not only because of his athletic abilities, but for the contagious energy and work ethic he brings to both practice and meets. Alex is motivated and determined to be successful, and currently has made the automatic state cut for LLs in both of his events. Alex cares deeply about the success of each of his teammates and team as a whole, which makes him a selfless leader. We are proud of all he’s achieved this season, and cannot wait to see what he will accomplish in the future.”
Moving further into the captain’s log, Sam Mayo is another dynamic Guilford participant–earning slots in Class LL for the 50, 100, and 200 free. Fellow Guilford resident William Cong has reached states for the 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, and 100 breaststroke.
“Sam is not only an incredible captain, but an individual who brings unmatched determination, work ethic, and dedication to the sport, and most importantly, his team. Sam’s ability to push himself means there are no limits to what Sam can and will achieve in and out of the water. Sam’s leadership has created positive mentorship opportunities with some of the younger or newer athletes. Sam pushes his teammates to be their best selves in and out of the water,” said Perrone. “Will has grown leaps and bounds in his leadership role. Will embodies what our team represents, not only in the water, but within his school community as well. Will has consistently held the title as GNH’s top competitor in the 100 breaststroke. Will’s ability to get out there and race no matter what speaks to his character and drive to be successful. Will’s positive energy makes him well-liked amongst his teammates, which means he will be missed next year.”
Lastly, Victor Zito of North Haven plans to continue his swimming career at the University of Saint Joseph, and will be studying education.
“Victor Zito is a kind leader, who is hardworking and successful in and out of the pool. Victor has swam a variety of events this season that have supported the success of his team,” Perrone said. “Victor has a positive attitude and is determined to continue to be successful in the postseason. Victor is a leader who has the ability to build relationships with each member of the team, including younger athletes. As someone who currently works in education, I can confidently say that Victor’s personality and character will be incredibly valuable in the field. We are excited to see all that he will accomplish.”
Beyond that quintet, the Warriors have housed some valuable athletes within the underclassmen ranks. North Haven’s Kyle Januszewski, a junior, brings the competitive fire in the 100 backstroke, and is never afraid to go the extra mile for the team’s betterment.
“Kyle’s upbeat personality has created an incredible atmosphere for the GNH team. Kyle motivates his teammates to be the best they can be,” said Perrone. “Kyle is dedicated to his team, and would be the first one to step up if his team needed something. Kyle shows exemplary sportsmanship. He is not afraid to bring some heat in his races, especially in the 100-yard backstroke. Kyle is ready to enter the postseason meets with not only a positive attitude, but a drive and determination to be successful.”
Sophomore Griffin McCarroll from East Haven has made the automatic LL cut for the 100 backstroke. He additionally never sees a task as something that is too daunting or unnerving.
“Griffin has been nicknamed ‘MVP’ since the beginning of the season. Griffin not only excels and pushes himself and his teammates to success, but is the first one to always happily volunteer to do events that are outside of his comfort zone,” said Perrone. “Griffin embodies our GNH values. Griffin is ready to bring some speed to championships. Griffin is ready to live up to the legacy that our graduating class will be leaving behind.”
Another sophomore hailing for East Haven, Cameron Foster, has the most automatic LL qualifying times across the team in the 200 IM, 50 free, 100 butterfly, 500 free, and 100 backstroke.
“There are so many things to be said about Cameron. Cameron has emerged as a leader who fires up his team with his personality, dedication, and determination to succeed no matter the circumstances,” Perrone said. “Cameron is always prepared to swim whatever he needs to in order to lead his team to success. Cameron is an example to other athletes across all sports that when you show up, work hard, and have a positive attitude, anything is possible.”
Coming into the co-op fold, Perrone now in reflection explained that she did face some apprehension at the onset of the campaign. Yet it has all worked out, as she has helped construct a program in her vision that is an accurate representation of what a team of tip-top athletes, students, and overall people looks like.
“I tried not to show it, but I was nervous coming into my first season as a head coach. I had a goal to embody excellence. I wanted to build a program that embodied what it means to be a student-athlete,” said Perrone. “Athletics are more than showing up for practice and performing well in meets. Being a student-athlete means you push yourself in and out of the pool to achieve more than what you imagined. Training as a student-athlete demonstrates that hard work, determination, resilience, and dedication are transferable skills.”
As Perrone expressed a great deal of gratitude towards her SCC coaching colleagues in helping her acclimate to the coaching lifestyle in the league, she is even more grateful of the strides made by each athlete–regardless of background or hometown.
“Coming out of our regular season and into the postseason, I feel an incredible sense of pride and accomplishment for my student-athletes. I am also incredibly thankful for the mentorship of the SCC coaches, including coaches Todd Rainey and Ken Pierson. The SCC is truly a special place to have begun my coaching career,” said Perrone. “We had a goal of three towns coming together to create one cohesive team, and we accomplished that. Each athlete played a special role in ensuring the success of their team. My hope is for every athlete, whether they are competing in the postseason or not, to walk away from the season and say, ‘wow, look what we accomplished.’”
Completing the roster for the GNH Warriors this season are Guilford athletes in Mayo, Cong, Hansen, senior Jeffrey Cheng, Andrew Lucas, senior Coleman Tandler, junior Johnson Dong, and junior Devin Lu; East Haven’s Dan Le (freshman), McCarroll, junior Michael Mercedes Castellanos, sophomore Mateo Valencia Zuluaga, junior Samuel Valencia Zuluaga, Kelvin Gustavo Ramon, Bravo-Leon, Foster, and freshman James Vigliotti; plus North Haven members of Zito, Januszewski, freshman Samnang Mui, sophomore Remy Mui, freshman Arjun Nichols, junior James Midgley, and sophomore Robert Salvatore.