By David Fierro
Just past the midway point of its season, the Greenwich High School boys swimming team has passed each test it has faced so far, its latest coming this past Saturday against longtime, non-conference rival Fairfield Prep.
Receiving two individual wins from senior Felix Flakstad, while getting a number of impressive performances from senior Kegan Clark and numerous other athletes, the Cardinals added another win to their 2023-2024 resume, putting them in a familiar position at the halfway point of the season – undefeated.
Greenwich improved its record to 5-0 with an impressive 106-80 victory over visiting Fairfield Prep, before a big crowd at Greenwich High this past Saturday night.
“I thought we came through with flying colors,” Greenwich legendary coach Terry Lowe said. “We swam great, we had come very competitive races out there and good swims.”
The Cardinals earned first-place finishes in eight of the 12 events on their way to defeating the Jesuits, one of the premier teams in the SCC.
Igniting the Cardinals were their senior captains Clark and Flakstad, who keyed the squad in the individual and relay races.
“To be honest with you, we came in as underdogs,” said Flakstad, a captain. “It’s a rare statement for us to say at Greenwich High School, but today, we truly were. We were undermanned – a few key people. So we weren’t expecting to come out on top, but I’m proud of the boys – a lot of great swims, a lot of lifetime best times at a midseason meet like this – that’s unexpected.”
Nine-time defending State Open team champion Greenwich began the meet by finishing second in the 200-yard medley relay. Fairfield Prep registered a first-place finish in the race, with Owen Tharrington, Gabe Swarowsky, Timothy King and Brandon Bonilla posting a time of 1:40.65. Greenwich placed second in the 200 medley relay, with Wim McCarthy, Colin Bucaria, Hadden Wood and Charles Ginste finishing the race in 1:44.18.
Clark, a captain, touched the wall first in the 200 freestyle for the Cardinals, clocking in at 1:50.09, giving GHS six key points.
“My 200 freestyle, was really smooth, I took it out well, just enough to have enough energy to come back and be ready for the next race,” Clark said.
Timothy King of Fairfield Prep finished second in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:53.07 and Jack Smith, a sophomore, placed third for the Cardinals in 1:53.72.
Flakstad earned top honors for the meet in the 200-yard individual medley. He recorded a winning time of 1:57.94. Owen Tharrington of Prep was the runner-up in the 200 IM (1:58.13), followed by teammate Evan Van Velzor (2:02.52).
“The 2 IM I am good friends with the guy that came in second,” Flakstad noted. “We train together at Chelsea Piers, I’ve known him a long time. I wasn’t expecting to beat him.”
“I was really happy with my time – in-season only two seconds off my lifetime best time,” Flakstad continued. “To be where I’m at, I’m super happy. And that’s probably not one of the events I’ll swim at Opens. I’ll probably be swimming the 50 free instead.”
Flakstad was also victorious in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:53.55. Evan Van Velzor of Fairfield Prep was second in 4:54.33, while junior Hadden Wood finished third (5:03.94). Wood was also the 100-yard butterfly winner for Greenwich, touching the wall in 53.16 seconds. Timothy King of Prep took second (54.45) and GHS junior Jake Melley was third (56.30).
The Cardinals, who have won the team title at the FCIAC Championships 52 out of the last 53 years, also received a winning effort from sophomore Colin Bucaria, who registered a first-place finish in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.53). Gabe Swarowsky of the Jesuits had a second-place finish in the breaststroke (1:04.66), followed by Cardinals freshman Connor McMahon (1:05.85).
In the 100 freestyle race, Clark placed second with a time of 48.36, a blink of an eye behind freshman John Cunningham, who clocked in at 48.29.
“I think it was a great meet,” Clark said. “I know we were missing some people. We told the kids before the meet that some of them would have to step up and they did.”
On the 1-meter diving board, senior Jacob Winston of the Cardinals was the victor, totaling 239.40 points through six rounds. Teammate Will Hanna, a sophomore, finished second in the diving competition (172.35 points) and junior Colin O’Donovan, also of GHS, took third (157.45).
The Cards trailed the Jesuits, 34-28, following the 50-yard freestyle, but took the lead for good at 41-37 after the diving portion of the meet – thanks to the 1-2-3 finish on the board.
Melley was third in the 50 freestyle event (23.00), which was won by Cunningham of Prep in 21.87. In the 100 backstroke, Cardinals freshman Hunter Bodey posted a second-place finish (1:00.09). Jesuits junior Owen Tharrington touched the wall first in 52.50.
Greenwich’s relays were on point against Fairfield Prep. Besides winning the 200 medley relay, the Cards took first in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relay.
“We are psyched to win a good, competitive meet,” Lowe said. “The relays were good, we had good starts and hard swims.”
Clark, Charles Ginste Melley and Flakstad combined for a winning time of 1:29.59 in the 200 freestyle relay. The Cardinals put the finishing touch on the meet, with Flakstad, Wood, Melley and Clark winning the race in 3:17.72.
“The relays were amazing,” Clark said. “The 400 relay I thought I was going to have to work very hard to bring it home. They all did a great job of giving me that nice lead to come home with.”
“Going into that meet, we were feeling a little shaky, but after this meet, we have a completely new mindset how different kids are going to work out,” Clark continued. “Our goal is to get as many kids to states as possible and I think we’re going to get a lot there.”
Said Flakstad: “Our relays were amazing. We had one sophomore step up in the 200 free relay. The 400 freestyle relay was the icing on the cake. We had great swims by everybody, great splits and it was a great way to end the meet with a win.”
Greenwich is in action again with another home meet on Friday against FCIAC rival New Canaan.
“When you have people step up like we had, that goes to show how deeply everybody cares about the success of the team and that’s how we won,” Flakstad said. “So many people are stepping up, so many people are training well. I think by the end of the season we will be in great shape.”
“Going into that meet, we were feeling a little shaky, but after this meet, we have a completely new mindset of how different kids are going to work out,” Clark noted. “Our goal is to get as many kids to states as possible and I think we’re going to get a lot there.”
