By David Fierro
From winning the team championship, to earning All-American Consideration performances, to breaking school/individual records, Greenwich High School’s varsity swimming/diving team had plenty to be thrilled about at the 2025 CIAC State Open Championships before a large crowd at the legendary Kiphuth Exhibition Pool at Yale University on Nov. 16th.
Of course, the most thrilling aspect for the Cardinals during another sensational State Open meet was garnering another CIAC Championship plaque.
Greenwich, which placed second in the team standings one season ago, was second to none this year, capturing the team title at the State Open Championships, amassing an astounding 721 team points at the ultra-competitive 56-team meet. Ridgefield was the runner-up with a team score of 611.5 points, Cheshire placed third (322 points), Wilton was fourth (242.5) and Norwalk/McMahon finished fifth (229 points) in the team standings.
“We dominated, we had a couple of school records and a bunch of All-American times,” said Greenwich coach Brendan Heller, who has guided the Cardinals to the Triple Crown in three of his five seasons at the helm.
For Greenwich, the Triple Crown is winning the State Open, Class LL and FCIAC team championships, which they did so once again this fall in highly impressive fashion. The Cardinals entered the meet in prime position to excel at the State Open due to achieving outstanding efforts at the CIAC Class LL Championships, held at Cornerstone Aquatics Center in West Hartford on Nov. 12th.
The Class LL Championships, which also served as a qualifier for the State Open Championships, saw Greenwich win the team title with a squad score of 1,038.5 points and qualify numerous athletes for the State Open.
The State Open Championships has featured an exciting race for first place between Greenwich and rival Ridgefield since the 2021 season. The Cards claimed the State Open title in 2021, 2023 and this past Sunday, while the Tigers finished as the runner-up. Ridgefield won the State Open in 2022 and 2024, with GHS placing second in the team standings. However, this was the year of the Cardinals, who followed an undefeated regular season and victories at the FCIAC and Class LL Championships with a tremendous triumph at the 2025 State Open.
Ridgefield won the State Open Championships’ first event – the 200-yard medley relay – with a time of 1:47.27. Mairead Luhman, Dalia Katra, Zsofia Milak and Ellen Griffin swam the Tigers to the gold medal in the race. Greenwich’s quartet of junior Julia Kozma, freshman Alden Charette, senior captain Melissa Geiger and senior Lily Norton combined for a close second-place time of 1:48.08 in the 200-yard freestyle.
From there, the State Open competition turned in Greenwich’s favor. Greenwich senior captain Wesley Wales won the first-place medal in the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 1:50.75. Ridgefield freshman Mary Kelly finished second in 1:52.07 and Tigers teammate Ava Ward, a senior, took third (1:53.16). Freshman Elsa Wang earned a fifth-place finish for the Cardinals in the 200-yard freestyle (1:54.00), while teammates Olvia DeVries (a sophomore, 1:55.51) and senior captain Ainsley Sahrbeck (1:55.96) were ninth and 10th, respectively.
Wales also captured the State Open 100-yard freestyle title, touching the wall in 51.34 seconds. Junior Annabelle Superchi from Cheshire was the event’s runner-up, in 51.87 Ward of Ridgefield (52.06). Also sparking Greenwich in the 100 freestyle with key team points were Wang (11th, 54.51 seconds) and junior Isadora Nassa (54.92).
As was the case at the Class LL Championships on Nov. 12th, the Cardinals compiled a pool full of points in the 500-yard freestyle at the State Open. Cardinals junior Ellison Charette won the 500 freestyle with an all-American consideration time of 4:57.57, giving GHS 30 more points in the team standings. Ridgefield’s Mary Kelly was second in the 500 (4:58.77). The victory marked Ellison Charette’s first gold medal in the 500 freestyle, after previously finishing second and fourth in this event.
Greenwich’s Geiger, who has committed to attend Boston College, where she will swim, posted a third-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:05.60, followed by sophomore teammate Olivia DeVries (fourth place, 5:06.47). Sahrbeck was seventh (5:10.79) in the 500 freestyle for the Cardinals, who scored 103 points in the event at the State Open.
Ellison Charette had the Cardinals’ best showing in the 200-yard individual medley at the State Open Championships, earning the fifth-place medal with a time of 2:09.55. Senior captain Isabel Guzman finished ninth for GHS (2:12.05), while teammates Sara Jee, a sophomore (2:12.89) and Nassa (2:13.05) were 11th and 12th, respectively in the race. Superchi of Cheshire took home the 200 IM title (2:06.27) and Fairfield Ludlowe senior Ella Gussen finished second in 2:06.96.
Junior Kensington Worden achieved an All-American consideration time and established a GHS school record in finishing second at the State Open in the 50-yard freestyle. Worden touched the wall in 23.40 seconds, which broke the GHS school record previously set by the great Meghan Lynch in 2020. Lynch earned a time of 23.79.
Manchester High School senior Riley Anderson was the State Open 50-yard freestyle champion, posting a State Open record time of 22.39 seconds. Sophomore Analie Whitridge was 23rd in the race (25.42) for the Cards.
Another school record was set by the Cardinals in the 200-yard freestyle. Ellison Charette, Kozma, Wales and Worden combined for a State Open championship/All-American consideration time of 1:35.53. The foursome came just 0.5 seconds from also setting a state record.
Greenwich entered the State Open Championships with a healthy amount of points in the team standings thanks to its divers. Greenwich also won the diving event, which was held November 13th at Middletown high school. Alden Charette won the State Open 1-meter diving title with an 11-round score of 517.85 points.
New Canaan senior Emma Kelly placed second on the 1-meter diving board with a score of 505.90 points. Alden’s score established a new school diving record for GHS. Greenwich was the only team in the State Open with three divers. Senior captain Olivia DeVito finished 15th (371.35 points) and sophomore Clemmie Whittle placed 23rd in her first State Open competition (343.50 points).
Kozma and Geiger made it to the podium in the 100-yard butterfly at the Open. Kozma finished fifth in the 100 butterfly (57.82), while Geiger took sixth in 57.87. Anderson of Manchester claimed the State Open title in the 100 butterfly, clocking in at 53.45. Sophomore Norah Eldredge placed 15th (1:00.85) and teammate Meredith McDermott (a freshman, 1:01.92) was 24th in the butterfly for the Cards.
Worden had a fifth-place finish in the 100 breaststroke, posting a personal-record time of 1:06.35. Jee was seventh in the breaststroke, which saw Cheshire sophomore Mackenzie Hearrin claim the State Open gold medal in 1:04.89. Guzman was 20th in the race for the Cards, clocking in at 1:09.76.
Alden Charette swam a time of 59.12 seconds in the 100-yard backstroke, good for eighth place at the Open in the event. Kozma was a blink of an eye behind her in ninth place (59.16) and Whitridge placed 17th (1:00.68). Norwalk/McMahon senior Katharine Fedor is the State Open champion in the 100 backstroke (56.45).
The Cardinals ended the State Open in splendid style, finishing second in the 400-yard freestyle race with a time of 3:28.66. Ridgefield won the 400 freestyle relay title (3:27.56, All-American consideration). Greenwich’s quartet of Worden, Ellison Charette, Geiger and Wales established an All-American consideration time in the 400 freestyle relay.
Greenwich now has an unprecedented 24 team championships at the State Open and another Triple Crown, concluding a perfect, storybook season.
