By Kim J. Harmon

By KIM HARMON

Published: Mar 23, 2007 12:00 am

By Kim J. Harmon

MIDDLETOWN â The competition was tough at the South-West Conference championships earlier this month and just as tough last week at the CIAC Class L championships at Yale University in New Haven and Wesleyan University in Middletown but, undaunted, the Newtown High School swim team closed out the season by reshaping its record board.

With four new school records and one near miss, the Nighthawks captured fifth at the CIAC Class L state championships last week with 211 points. Fairfield Prep â with the aid of three Newtown swimmers (see below) captured the title easily with 526 points, well ahead of Xavier (320), Ridgefield (304) and Cheshire (289).

âWe were really gearing up for the state trials and finals,â said head coach Matt Childs. âWe expected to finish about fifth, but we swam a lot faster than I expected. We had a lot of good swims and finished behind some really good teams.â

Freshman Alex Kron set two records â the first in the 200 freestyle prelims with a 1:49.93 finish and the second in the 500 freestyle prelims at 4:58.53. Kron ended up finishing sixth in the 200 free and ninth in the 500 free.

Stefan Toi set a new record in the 200 individual medley finals at Wesleyan with a 2:01.29 finish, re-setting the one-year-old record put up on the board by Brendan Deveney.

And the 400 freestyle relay foursome of Luke Fiore, Kron, Anthony Fiore and Toi set a new record in the finals with a finish of 3:20.68, good for fourth overall behind Prep, Xavier and Ridgefield. And the 200 medley relay foursome of Anthony Fiore, Toi, Nick Maurer and Luke Fiore had a near miss, coming up just .10 seconds short of new record with a 1:43.12 finish in the finals.

âIt went really, really well,â said coach Childs.

The âHawks went on to finish 18th at the CIAC State Open championships with 46 points. There were no new school records of personal bests, but the 200 medley relay took 12th, Toi was 15th in the 200 individual medley, Anthony Fiore was ninth in the 100 back, and the 400 free relay finished 15th.

Results â

CIAC CLASS L

TEAMS â 1. Fairfield Prep 526, 2. Xavier 320, 3. Ridgefield 304, 4. Cheshire 289, 5. Newtown 211, 6. Farmington 187, 7. Simsbury 171, 8. Amity Regional 153, 9. Notre Dame-West Haven 142, 10. Naugatuck 133, 11. Staples 116, 12. Newington 108, 13. Hall 54, 14. (tie) Ledyard/Stonington and Conard 44, 16. Masuk 36, 17. West Haven 16, 18. Windsor 8.

INDIVIDUAL EVENTS

200 medley relay â 1. Fairfield Prep 1:37.09, 2. Xavier 1:39.79, 3. Cheshire 1:40.23, 5. Simsbury 1:42.32, 6. Newtown 1:43.12. 200 freestyle â 1. Tyler Naumann (Xavier) 1:45.74, 2. Patrick White (Fairfield Prep) 1:46.03, 3. Matthew Watson (Fairfield Prep) 1:47.00, 4. Thomas Brown (Ridgefield) 1:47.21, 5. Andrew Golankiewicz (Fairfield Prep) 1:47.44, 6. Alex Kron (Newtown) 1:51.46, 20. Wes Hood (Newtown) 1:55.12, 24. Kevin Herring (Newtown) 1:56.62. 200 individual medley â 1. Andrew Grinalds (Fairfield Prep) 1:56.78, 2. Daniel Platow (Fairfield Prep) 1:57.60, 3. Aaron Rocheleau (Newington) 1:59.33, 4. James Remigino (Xavier) 2:00.58, 5. Stefan Toi (Newtown) 2:01.29, 6. Anthony Fiore (Newtown) 2:04.91. 50 freestyle â 1. Richard Ulatowski (Notre Dame-WH) 21.14, 2. Oswaldo Torres (Fairfield Prep) 21.69), 3. Michael Gilligan (Cheshire) 21.96, 4. Matthew McLean (Simsbury) 22.00, 5. Connor Pennoyer (Fairfield Prep) 22.40, 6. Thomas Finnucan (Amity) 22.96, 15. Luke Fiore (Newtown) 23.46. 100 butterfly â 1. Andrew Grinalds (Fairfield Prep) 52.75, 2. Christopher Wiederecht (Staples) 52.93, 3. Oswaldo Torres (Fairfield Prep) 52.98, 4. Edward Becker (Fairfield Prep) 53.29, 5. Matt Marrington (Farmington) 53.61, 6. Edward Testa (Cheshire) 54.81, 8. Stefan Toi (Newtown) 54.88, 15. Nick Maurer (Newtown) 57.03, 20. Matt Iassogna (Newtown) 58.36. 100 freestyle â 1. Richard Ulatowski (Notre Dame-WH) 46.74, 2. Matthew McLean (Simsbury) 47.66, 3. Michael Gilligan (Cheshire) 47.99, 4. Ryan Pramer (Fairfield Prep) 49.49, 5. John Driessen (Ridgefield) 49.82, 6. Thomas Finnucan (Amity) 51.67, 8. Luke Fiore (Newtown) 50.45, 23. Kevin Herring (Newtown) 53.24. 500 freestyle â 1. Tyler Naumann (Xavier) 4:47.36, 2. Matthew Watson (Fairfield Prep) 4:48.81, 3. Thomas Brown (Ridgefield) 4:50.19, 4. Patrick White (Fairfield Prep) 4:50.21, 5. Kristopher Fleming (Cheshire) 4:52.91, 6. Christopher Wiederecht (Staples) 4:53.23, 9. Alex Kron (Newtown) 5:03.60. 200 freestyle relay â 1. Fairfield Prep 1:28.86, 2. Cheshire 1:29.64, 3. Ridgefield 1:30.49, 4. Notre Dame-West Haven 1:31.67, 5. Xavier 1:32.75, 6. Naugatuck 1:33.91, 7. Newtown 1:36.01. 100 backstroke â 1. Aaron Rocheleau (Newington) 53.11, 2. Daniel Platow (Fairfield Prep) 54.34, 3. Nicholas Naumann (Xavier) 54.68, 4. Jameson White (Farmington) 55.23, 5. Edward Testa (Cheshire) 56.60, 6. Anthony Fiore (Newtown) 56.62, 15. Wes Hood (Newtown) 59.42. 100 breaststroke â 1. James Remigino (Xavier) 1:00.31, 2. John Driessen (Ridgefield) 1:00.92, 3. Taylor Wood (Simsbury) 1:01.49, 4. Colin McCormick (Cheshire) 1:01.60, 5. Charles Helm (Cheshire) 1:02.96, 6. Dylan Heer (Xavier) 1:03.91, 11. Allen Hubbard (Newtown) 1:06.03. 400 freestyle relay â 1. Fairfield Prep 3:13.53, 2. Xavier 3:18.91, 3. Ridgefield 3:20.14, 4. Newtown 3:20.68, 5. Farmington 3:23.67, 6. Naugatuck 3:26.83.

Thousands Raised For Newtown College Students Through Newtown Scholarship Association’s New Autumn Fundraiser

Cub Scouts Pack 270 And Real Food CT To Host For Local Food Pantries, Neighbors In Need

NUSAR Officers Elected

Housatonic Valley Waldorf School Planning Annual Harvest Festival November 7-8

Joseph C. Tessitore

Yes, elections have consequences — Democrats lost. Now it’s time to deal with it instead of trying to turn every local race into a national political drama. Dragging “Project 2025” into a Newtown election is a stretch that borders on absurd. Our local government isn’t deciding national policy — it’s fixing roads, managing budgets, and keeping taxes reasonable. If you think Washington politics are running Town Hall, you haven’t been paying attention. Jeff Capeci and the local Republican team are focused on what actually matters here at home: fiscal responsibility, public safety, and smart development. That’s the kind of leadership Newtown needs — not scare tactics and conspiracy-laced talking points pulled from cable news.

Elections Have Consequences XVII

I’m not sure the author of that letter was actually at the debate, because she seems to have missed the portion near the end when Bruce Walczak couldn’t explain (remember?) how the town pays for its roads. That moment was uncomfortable to watch — and it underscored exactly why experience in town government matters. Jeff Capeci didn’t rely on “pat answers”; he relied on facts. His understanding of how Newtown operates — how projects are funded and how to actually get things done — comes from years of hands-on service, not theory or guesswork. And let’s be honest: it’s not a bad thing that Jeff Capeci was “practiced.” I want someone who prepares for a debate, who does their homework, and who takes the role of First Selectman seriously enough to be ready. Winging it might sound authentic, but it’s not leadership. At several points, Bruce struggled to follow along. He had to have a question repeated because he couldn’t hear, and at yet another point Jeff had to ask for clarification because no one could understand what Bruce was saying. It was clear he wasn’t answering the questions that were actually asked. It was shockingly reminiscent of a recent debate on the national stage.

After The Debate, I’m With Bruce

... he’s “not a politician.” That may sound appealing, but it’s a little disingenuous — Bruce has been trying to become one for the better part of twenty years. He’s run for local office multiple times, often under different party banners. That’s not the résumé of an outsider; that’s the record of someone who has been seeking political office for decades. Newtown voters deserve honesty. You can’t say you’re “not a politician” while campaigning for office year after year. Leadership isn’t about slogans — it’s about results, collaboration, and credibility.

It’s Time for Bold Change in Newtown

Open Letter to Dave Ackert. Mr. Ackert, you are a very angry and mean-spirited person who, in my recent memory, has never done anything but complain and has never shown anything but a one-dimensional uncompromising way of thinking. Want to change Newtown in a way you feel would be better? Then why don’t you RUN FOR OFFICE and stop hiding behind your ranting posts and letters and stop thinking that world revolves around you. Hating Trump (or Trump derangement Syndrome) HAS NOTHING to do with Newtown! Zero! I have talked with Democrats and “Never Trumpers” while out campaigning and knocking on doors that think critically and feel the same way. The Democrats have raised the taxes in Newtown to an unsustainable level and plan on making Newtown even more unaffordable in the future if they retain the majority. If you are not happy with how low (sarcastic) your taxes are? Vote for the Democrats. They will be more than happy to remedy that situation. They just passed a generational tax increase that if you read between the lines, essentially means if you don’t agree with the way they are stealing the innocence and charm out of Newtown, then leave. They have shown no regard to all the people that are struggling to pay their current taxes or rely upon the food pantry to put food on their table. At least the Republicans here in Newtown are dealing with real local issues and quite honestly have shown more common sense in the way the taxpayer’s money is spent. I think some of your arguments are valid, but I would like to see you use the intelligence God gave you in a more constructive way than just criticize. I am serious about you running for office. It would force you to see the big picture and maybe wield your influence in a more productive way.

Open Letter to Newtown’s Voting Majority

I appreciate your optimism about keeping national politics out of local government — we all want leaders who put Newtown first. But calling Paul a “centrist” just doesn’t match what we’ve seen. If you look at his comments online or watch the recent debate, Paul was the first to go negative and came across more like a national political candidate than a neighbor. That’s not the tone of someone trying to bring people together. Now, Paul is another story entirely. He’s honest, articulate, and clearly knows what he’s doing. Frankly, I think local Democrats would have been better off putting him at the top of their ticket.

I’m With Bruce And Paul

<< Oct 2025 >>
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
28	29	30	1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31	1

Log In

By Kim J. Harmon

Leave a Reply Cancel reply