As if emotions weren't high enough for the Brookfield Girls Swimming and Diving team (8-1) on Senior Night, they had to deal with a meet against a top opponent that came down to the final relay heat of the night.
With the score 86-85 in favor of the Lady Bobcats against perennial power Lauralton Hall (7-2-1) head coach Brandt Nigro put forth his top team to ensure the victory and they came through with a big time win in the 400 Freestyle Relay to make sure the seniors went out with a bang and a 96-89 win.
"We had arguably our best four swimmers in that spot," Nigro said of having to use what was a backup plan but turned out to be much needed against a Lauralton team that swam tremendously. "It wasn't just backup, we needed it. If it wasn't there we would have lost this meet."
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Senior twin sisters Megan and Kalli Melville were joined by freshman Anna Brown and sophomore Maddy Smart to give the team its eighth straight win in SWC competition. Megan staked the relay team to a lead and Kalli anchored the race by finishing things off.
Brookfield trailed through the first six events but kept chipping at the lead with strong performances from Megan and Kalli in the 200 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly, freshman Sam Palicz in the 50 Freestyle and the always-steady senior diver Sean McMullin. McMullin pulled the team to within 40-37 by setting a personal best score of 181.15.
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"The bigger the meet the more we need her, she stepped up," Nigro said of McMullin, who has now taken first place in seven of nine meets on the year. "Not a bad record when you have to carry the weight every day."
"It's actually been really difficult," McMullin said of carrying the load, adding that she travels regularly to train in New Fairfield and trains with Next Generation Diving at Yale University. "I kind of learned to deal with the pressure myself. I'm really happy about [the record] but I know I can do better."
Brookfield took the lead for good when Smart and Megan Melville took first and second in 100 Freestyle. Strong races by freshman Steph Ferrarie and Andrea Jelaska and Brown in the 500 Freestyle allowed the Lady Bobcats to maintain the lead going into the 200 Freestyle Relay.
"We did it with two freshman and a sophomore," Nigro said of the crucial points earned by his younger swimmers. "Big meet, senior night, all the pressure on their shoulders and they stepped up."
Brookfield went to Smart and the Melville twins, who were joined by senior Taylor Errichiello for a dominant win in the first of the big relay races that set up the victory and gave the team a 75-64 lead.
Lauralton Hall would not go quietly as they showed their championship pedigree by winning the 100 Backstroke and 100 Breastroke to pull to within one point and set up the dramatic finish.
"This Lauralton Hall team swam out of their mind today," Nigro said of the Lady Crusaders. "We've had a lot of great meets this year and it was time for another team to have a great meet and we had to be prepared and we had to be able to step up."
The seniors have "single handedly brought this program to where it is this year," Nigro said of his seniors. "They all got better. Every single one of them swam in the off-season. If they weren't where they are at right now we would not have the record we have and we would not have won today. This is definitely their team. We have a great freshman class and some outstanding younger swimmers but this is definitely the seniors' team."
