'Day of the Freshmen' for Granby Memorial Swimmers Against Classical

For the co-ed swimming and diving team, Friday’s meet against Classical in Hartford will be known as the “Day of the Freshmen.”

Indeed, head coach Rich Gadoury lavished praise on his first-year swimmers, as the Bears raced to an 89-74 victory to improve to 3-3 on the year.

Freshmen who stepped up against Classical included Kaylee Jerman (2nd 100 back, 3rd 500 free) and Taylor Schwalm (2nd in the 200 free).

“[Schwalm] got out-touched in the 200 free; she easily could have won the race,” Gadoury said. “It’s great to see that.”

Schwalm and Jerman also combined with Ian Downey and Jon Budlong to place first in the 200 medley relay.

“It’s unbelievable,” Gadoury said of his freshmen. “They stepped up and went above and beyond the expectations I had of them. They raced and they were competitive and that’s what I like to see out of my freshmen.”

Other noteworthy results included Budlong winning the 200 IM, Connor Bowman placing first in the 50 free, Erin Walsh taking the diving portion of the competition, Jamie Moffa touching out first in the 100 free and Tucker Bowman winning the 500 free.

Their performances come at a pivotal time for Granby Memorial, particularly for the girls, who will compete in the Splash Classic - the de facto state championship for girls who compete on co-ed teams - in late February.

“I think for them to be competitive in that meet, today was a turning point,” Gadoury said.