Nearly two dozen from Conard and Hall competed in the Class L State Trials this past week, with several setting school records and moving on to the finals and State Open.

Mindy Zhao o fHall competes in the breaststroke. Courtesy photo

Submitted

Twelve swimmers and two divers from Conard and nine swimmers from Hall competed in Class L State Trials on Thursday and Saturday, both teams kicking off their post season runs with fast swims and school records.

Conard’s Gabby Alekshun and Mia Rosario competed in the diving portion of the meet on Thursday evening in Middletown placing  eighth and ninth and qualifying for the State Open. This will be Alekshun’s second appearance at the State Open; she previously competed there in the 2022 season, while Rosario will be making her first appearance.

Hall’s Medley Relay team of Lexi Dominguez, Mindy Zhao, Claire Culmo, and Ziggy Edney started the meet strong, dropping 3 seconds off their entry time, and will be competing in the top heat at Class L Finals. The Conard Medley Relay team also turned in a strong performance behind Rosie Alonzo, Ella Hall, Rachel Mathews, and Echo Jo who will race again in that event at Finals.

In the 200 Freestyle, Conard’s Gracie Lowney took down a 15-year-old school record, dropping over 4 seconds from her seed time to place second over all with a 1:53.28, a time she hopes to improve upon at State Finals. Hall’s Miriam Youel cut more than 5 seconds off her seed time as she swam to a third place finish. Kayla Lowney and Lucy Pincince of Conard both saw significant improvements in their 200 Freestyle swims, each dropping over 3 seconds from their time and advancing to State Finals. Conard’s Celia Filotto and Hall’s Bianca Cocco rounded out the event for their teams with strong performance, however neither will advance in the event.

Teammates Claire Haverly and Lucy Pincince congratulate each other after the 100 Free. Courtesy photo

The 200 Individual Medley and 50 Freestyle proved to be strong events for both teams with Zhao, Mathews, and Alonzo all dropping time and advancing to Finals in the Individual Medley, and Edney, CeCe Peck, and Lyla Harhay advancing to Finals in the 50 Freestyle. Hall’s Hannah Fink and Conard’s Ellie Harhay swam well in the Individual Medley, but ultimately couldn’t crack into the top 24 spots to advance, while Claire Haverly holds an alternate position in the 50 Freestyle and hopes to swim again at Finals.

The 100 Butterfly field was stacked with more than 36 individuals qualifying for Saturday’s meet, making advancing to Finals incredibly difficult as compared to past years. Hall’s Claire Nordquist improved her time and holds an alternate position for Finals, while Mathews, Dominguez, and Fink all swam well but ultimately will not advance in the event.

Conard and Hall both showed their strength again in the 100 and 500 Freestyle with G. Lowney, Edney, L. Harhay, and Pincince all moving on to Finals in the 100, and Youel, Jo, K. Lowney, and Filotto advancing in the 500. Both Haverly and Cocco turned in strong performances in the 100 Freestyle, and E. Harhay in 500 Freestyle, but they were edged out of the top 24 spots.

Lexi Dominguez of Hall competes in the backstroke. Courtesy photo

In the 200 Freestyle Relay Hall’s Zhao, Edney, Culmo, and Youel blazed to a second overall finish, while Conard’s Haverly, Pincince, L. Harhay, and G. Lowney finished eighth, placing both relays in the top heat at Finals with a chance to improve on their swims.

The 100 Backstroke proved to be another stacked field of competitors. Hall’s Dominguez swam an impressive race that qualified her for Finals, while teammate Nordquist holds an alternate spot. Despite strong swims from both Alonzo and Peck, neither was able to break into the top 24 in the event.

In the 100 Breaststroke Hall’s Zhao improved her entry time by 3 seconds and broke her own school record that she set in 2023 with a time of 1:07.34, earning her a spot in the top heat at Finals and a chance to improve on her record. Conard’s Hall, who battled a late season injury, was able to compete Saturday and improve on her entry time and will swim again at Finals. Hall’s Ann-Yee Lim also improved on her entry time but will have to wait and see if she gets one more swim as she holds an alternate spot for Wednesday evening’s meet.

In the final event of the night, the 400 Freestyle both teams swam well, with Conard’s Haverly, Peck, Jo, and G. Lowney placing eighth and earning a spot in the top heat at Finals, while Hall’s Youel, Culmo, Dominguez, and Cocco placed ninth and will also return to swim on Wednesday evening.

The Class L Finals will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at Cornerstone Aquatics Center in West Hartford.

Class L Trials. Courtesy photo

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