Sports

Shorthanded Hawk Swimmers Challenge New Fairfield-Danbury In Close Setback

By Andy Hutchison

Published: Feb 08, 2026 6:50 am

Down a few key team members who were out of the lineup, Newtown High School’s boys’ swim and dive team kept things close in a 94-89 loss to visiting New Fairfield-Danbury on January 30. The Nighthawks had some good swims in the meet.

“Quite a few of our guys swam really well,” said Coach Ryan Eberts, noting that Alex Gadbut, Kyle Albrecht, and Jack Pettit, in particular, had big days in the pool. “We missed a few key kids and it hurt. They swam really hard.”

In the first event, the 200 yard medley relay, Elias Kolb, Finn Clancy, Albrecht, and Gadbut swam to second place in 1:47.19, less than a second behind New Fairfield-Danbury’s winning relay time as the visitors took an early 8-6 lead.

Gadbut won the 200 freestyle race in 1:54.61, helping the Nighthawks move in front 17-13 in team scoring. The meet continued to go back and forth. New Fairfield-Danbury went ahead 26-20 by taking the top three spots in the 200 individual medley race. Albrecht won the 50 free in 23.99 as NHS pulled to within 32-30. After the diving event and a win in the 100 butterfly, New Fairfield-Danbury pushed its advantage to 54-34. Albrecht was second in the 100 fly with a time of 59.00.

Finn Clancy won the 100 free in 53.32 and Gadbut took first in the 500, making his final touch in 5:09.10 as the Hawks got the deficit down to five at 64-59. Finn Clancy, Jeremiah Stone, Connor Kelly, and Albrecht won the 200 free relay in 1:40.94 and NHS went ahead 69-68 in team scoring.

Beau Clancy’s second-place finish in the 100 backstroke, with a time of 1:04.66, kept Newtown in front, 77-76. Then, in the 100 breaststroke, Sam Irving took second in 1:10.86. The score was 85-84 NHS heading into the final event, the 400 free relay. In the last swim, the team of Kelly, Pettit, Brady Wennerholm, and Irving placed second in 4:00.57.

The Hawks had the following third-place finishes: 200 medley relay — Beau Clancy, Irving, Bradley George, and Wennerholm in 1:59.02; 200 free — Kelly in 2:10.83; 50 free — Kolb in 24.60; 100 free — Kelly in 58.06; 500 free — Irving in 5:36.59; 200 free relay — Kolb, George, Pettit, and Gadbut in 1:41.55; 100 back — Kolb in 1:08.21; 100 breaststroke — Finn Clancy in 1:09.23.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.

Beau Clancy races for the Nighthawks in a 94-89 loss to visiting New Fairfield-Danbury on January 30. —Bee Photos, Hutchison

Kyle Albrecht races in the 100 yard butterfly event.

Alex Gadbut had some strong swims to help keep the Hawks close in this meet.

Jeremiah Stone competes for Newtown.

Elias Kolb races for the Hawks.

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Shorthanded Hawk Swimmers Challenge New Fairfield-Danbury In Close Setback

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