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Health & Fitness

BHS Swim defeat Alumni in 10th Anniversary Meet

Splashed in the New Year on Friday at the WCSU pool

   As the BHS Swim team celebrates it's 10th anniversary as a varsity team this year, one of the largest BHS squads of 40+ swimmers and divers on this year's team took advantage of a star-studded alumni team, wore them down and posted a 103-97 win.

   The Alumni opened the meet with their fourth consecutive win in the 200 Medley Relay with Tate Rogers, Benson Thai, Brendan Fox and Kevin Gallagher posting a very respectable 1:58 time. Alumni also took third in the relay with Chris Wong, Andrew Guercio, Kyle Rogers and Patrick Garrity coming in slightly over the 2 minute mark.

   The 200 Free race was a fine showing for the BHS freshman with Gavin Lee and David Hayes taking 1st-2nd, while the Alumni took 3rd with Kyle Rogers & Guercio swimming 100 each, Fox and last year's captain Katie Bozzuti finished 4th and 5th without bending alumni advantages.

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   In the difficult 200 individual medley, two more freshman in Ian Folan and Noah Curtis took 1st and 2nd again for the BHS team, while the alumni's secret weapon of 2008 captain and top 10 in the state Benson Thai pushed them hard to be only  nipped at the end to finish third.

   The 50 Free is always the bragging rights event as the "fastest in the pool," last year's captain Kevin Gallagher came back and swam an amazing sub-25 second. BHS record holder in diving, Luigi Romano swam equally as fast to capture second, sophomore speedster Molly Gallagher captured third. Gallagher is looking for a top finish in this year's Splash meet in late February as well as aiming at the long lasting record of 27.49 by Sarah Soldano in 2005.

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   The 100 Fly was captured by BHS captain Tucker Bjornson, breaking the alumni meet record time and its former holder Brendan Fox who finished second. At this point in the meet, the score was tied 39-39.

   The 100 Free saw BHS captain Kenny Darrah and Hayes taking 1-2, while the 500 Free saw Gavin Lee and Bjornson also taking the top spots.To keep the meet close, the Alumni needed top finishes in the 200 Free relay, but Hayes, Kevin Michalka, Lee and Darrah crushed the alumni of Guercio, Davidson Abiali, K. Rogers and Garrity. BHS took thrid as well with Lindsay Guercio, Curtis, Patrick Daly and Anthony Rodriguez swimming well.

   Using the last of the "Alumni advantages," BHS captain Tucker Bjornson awarded the Alumni +20 "gift" points giving the Alumni a 75-69 lead with three events left. Current BHS coach Tate Rogers (Class of '09 captain) rewarded this gift of kindness with a "alumni advantage" win in the 100 back as he and Chris Wong swam 50 meters each to take a 10+ second win. Brendan Fox took the event trophy though with a legitimate 2nd place with a blazing sub-1:10 time. Alumni felt a little confident with their now 86-74 lead with only two events.

   Having already used former top 3 in the SWC for three years in the breaststroke already in too many events, BHS captain Molly Nichols and senior Alex Corbo came up big with a 1-2 finish nipping last year's top 20 SWC breaststroker Johnny Esposito. Finishing fourth, sophomore Will Abiali nipped his alumni brother Davidson (Class of '12) to finish 4th.

   The Alumni clinging to a 90-86 lead needed to finish 1st in the final event, the 400 Free Relay. Exhausted and admitting their defeat, the Alumni gave the meet to the BHS teams of Lee, Hayes, Darrah and Bjornson (1st) and Matt Harkins, Folan, Michalka and freshman Peter Gallagher (2nd).

   The diving was fought to a draw between current BHS senior star Alex Nackid and former captain and state record holder for BHS, Luigi Romano to finish the meet at BHS 103, Alumni 97.

   Following the meet was a pizza party and awards ceremony where alumni Caitlin Pirro won "Best Alumni Swimmer of the meet" for her always great attitude. The Alumni Fund for the year end donation to Children's Tumor Research grew and a 16 page "10th Anniversary BHS History Book" was distributed (available to anyone who wants one, please reply to this blog and I will mail.)

Thanks to the following Alumni in attendance:

Margie Zowine (coach 2001-2007), Kristina Villamana (captain 2005), Juan Ayala (2012), Davidson Abiali (2012), Tate Rogers (captain 2009), Kyle Rogers (2011), Benson Thai (captain 2008), Brendon Fox (2008), Kevin Gallagher (2012), Patrick Garrity (captain 2011), Chris Wong (2012), Andrew Guercio (captain 2011), Luigi Romano, (captain 2008), Caitlin Pirrio (2012), Kayla Lance (captain 2011), Katie Bozzuti (captain 2012) and Johnny Esposito (2012).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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