West Hartford Swimmers End Season with All State Awards and School Records
Conard and Hall Swim and Dive Teams broke several records during the season.
![Conard High School 200 Free Relay Team finished 2nd at State Opens and at the Class LL Finals capturing All-State honors. From left: Clara Capone, who also captured All State in the 50 free and 100 free, Emma Dowd, Marisa Haverty, Maria Armillei. Submitted photo](https://we-ha.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/conard-200-free-relay-team.png)
Conard High School 200 Free Relay Team finished 2nd at State Opens and at the Class LL Finals capturing All-State honors. From left: Clara Capone, who also captured All State in the 50 free and 100 free, Emma Dowd, Marisa Haverty, Maria Armillei. Submitted photo
Submitted by Conard Swim Coach John Coach Smachetti
Conard and Hall Girls Swimming and Diving teams wrapped up the season in late November at the Class LL Finals at Southern Connecticut State University on Nov. 17 and the State Open Meet at Yale University on Nov. 21.
Class LL Finals
In the Class LL finals, Conard finished seventh overall, while Hall finished 12th.
In the opening event, the Conard medley relay medaled with a fifth place finish (Clara Capone, Bridget Williams, Annie Kirklin, and Maria Armillei).
![Hall High School junior Tara Tiernan placed 2nd in 200 Free and 4th in 500 Free at State Opens. Tiernan captured All-State honors in 200 and 500 Free at Class LL Finals. Submitted photo](https://we-ha.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/tara-tiernan.png)
Hall High School junior Tara Tiernan placed 2nd in 200 Free and 4th in 500 Free at State Opens. Tiernan captured All-State honors in 200 and 500 Free at Class LL Finals. Submitted photo
In the 200 freestyle, Hall’s Tara Tiernan earned All State honors with a second place finish and a new Hall record in the event. Emma Dowd and Marisa Haverty had season-best times for Conard.
In the 50 freestyle, Capone captured All State honors as she placed second in the event while teammate Armillei placed ninth.
In the diving event, Conard’s Libby McMahon, Kirsten Bednarz, and Kiley Phelan had strong showings.
In the 100 fly, the lone finalist for the two teams was Conard’s Libby Phillips.
In the 100 free, Capone earned her second All State honors with a third place finish, while Armillei captured 11th. Tiernan had another strong swim, capturing her second All State award with a second place finish in the 500 free and Haverty placed 20th.
In an exciting 200 freestyle relay Conard’s Capone, Dowd, Haverty, and Armillei placed second, just getting out-touched by Greenwich. The second place finish earned the four girls All State honors. Their time of 1:38.78 was a new Conard record.
Hall’s team of Tara Tiernan, Jeanne Wang, Kelly Tiernan and Alissa Palmer dropped 3 seconds from their trials time to qualify for the State Open. The only competitor in the backstroke for either team was Conard’s Tatiana St. Juste, finishing in eighth place. Hall’s Emily LaSpada and Conard’s Bridget Williams had solid swims in the 100 breaststroke.
In the last event, the 400 freestyle relay, the Conard team of Lauren Manning, Dowd, Haverty, and Kyla Barry placed 11th and qualified for the State Open.
State Open
At the State Open Meet at Yale University on Saturday, Nov. 21, highlights included the Conard 200 Free Relay team of Clara Capone, Emma Dowd, Marisa Haverty, and Maria Armillei finishing in second place in the state with a time of 1:38.57, breaking the school record they had set just a few days earlier in the Class LL Finals.
Hall’s Tara Tiernan broke her own school record in the 200 Free with a time of 1:51.07 and a solid second place finish. Tiernan also finished fourth in the 500 free with a time of 5:03.53.
Conard’s Clara Capone and Maria Armillei finished fifth and 17th respectively in the 50 Free and finished ninth and 21st in the 100 free.
Conard’s 200 Medley Relay team of Capone, Bridget Williams, Annie Kirklin and Armillei finished 13th in the state.
In other relays, Hall’s 200 relay team of Tiernan, Jeanne Wang, Kelly Tiernan and Alissa Palmer finished 23rd in the 200 Free Relay and in the final event of the meet, the Conard team of Dowd, Lauren Manning, Haverty, and Kyla Barry finished 19th.
Overall, the Conard girls placed 13th in the state while Hall placed 23rd.
Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford!