MONROE, CT — Masuk High’s boys’ swim team overcame a couple of tough South-West Conference foes it lost to during the regular season to take third place in the conference championship meet, at the Panthers’ home pool, on Friday, March 4.
Powerhouse Pomperaug won with 661 points, Newtown was second with 321, and Masuk scored 284 to beat out rivals New Milford (fourth with 267) and Brookfield (fifth with 265), both of which defeated the Panthers in a dual meet competition.
“I’m so happy for the boys and proud of them. It was really all them. They put in the work all season long, came to every practice, put in 110 percent effort at practice, overcame every obstacle along the way, kept rolling with the punches, kept their spirits high, and motivation higher. And in the end it paid off,” Masuk Coach Emily DeMace said.
“They swam their best times tonight and the look of pure joy and accomplishment when they looked up at that board after a hard race and saw their times says it all. The smiles were so big, and that’s what you want to see as a coach. They met their goals, which means we met ours as coaches.”
The 200 yard medley relay team of Keller Hall, Ryan Youngcourt, Sam McHugh and Brendan Kirberger was fifth with a time of 1:46.39.
In the 200 yard freestyle race, Kenny Clark was sixth in 1:50.45. In the 200 individual medley race, Kirberger placed sixth in 2:07.56.
Riley Sheppard gave Masuk another top-10 performance in the 50 free with a ninth-place finish in 23.62. In the 100 butterfly race, McHugh was second in 54.97, Hall placed third in a time of 56.83 and Sheppard was 10th in 58.38.
Clark was fourth in the 500 free with a time of 4:54.60 and Kirberger was seventh, clocking in with a time of 5:05.81.
Masuk’s 200 free relay of Youngcourt, Sheppard, Clark and Roan Riordan was sixth in 1:34.57.
In the 100 backstroke race, McHugh was fifth in 58.31 and Hall seventh in 59.44. Youngcourt placed eighth in the 100 breaststroke event in 1:07.85.
The 400 free relay team of Clark, Sheppard, Kirberger and Riordan was sixth in 3:30.66.
Masuk recorded 27 best times in the championship meet: The 200 medley relay, Clark in the 200 free, Riordan in the 200 IM, Kirberger in the 200 IM, Ganino in the 50 free, Kanjo in the 50 free, Smith in the 50 free, Sheppard in the 50 free, Youngcourt in the 50 free, Sheppard in the 100 butterfly, Hall in the 100 butterfly, McHugh in the 100 butterfly, Micu in the 100 free, Urkawich in the 100 free, Riordan in the 100 free, Clark in the 500 free, the 200 free relay A and B squads, Hall in the 100 backstroke, McHugh in the 100 backstroke, Urkawich in the 100 breaststroke, Cammarano in the 100 breaststroke, Malecki in the 100 breaststroke, Youngcourt in the 100 breaststroke, Smtih in the 100 breaststroke, and the 400 free relay A and B squads.
Masuk’s season will continue in the state championships in mid March.
