David vs Goliath at the CT Senior Swim Championships

Beating teams double and triple their size, the Weston Swimming women captured first place this past weekend at Wesleyan University. This four day championship meet occurred during sweltering temps, but Weston Swimming athletes kept their cool and outperformed their competition. Head Coach Ryan Loechner claimed, "This is a historic win for Weston Swimming. After eleven years of coaching this team, and a former swimmer at Weston myself, it is gratifying to see how our team has evolved and developed from what was a small town team to one that produces some of the most elite swimmers in Connecticut."

Day one achievements included 1st place finish by Lizzy Colwell (New Canaan), 2nd place by Samantha Kim (Weston), 6th place by Bella Gary (Weston), 10th for Nicole Linell (Weston) and 22nd place for Sarah Franco (Weston) in the 100 Breast. Megan Phelan (Fairfield) earned a 21st spot on the 200 backstroke. Weston residents Charlotte Proceller and Alexa Pappas finish 3rd and 11th in the 50 free event respectively. In the 400 Medley Relay, Weston earned some big time points. Coming in 1st was the team of Pappas, Colwell, Proceller and Tara Brunner (New Canaan) and in 5th place was the team of Andie Daignault (Norwalk), Kim, Lauren Daignault (Norwalk) and Phelan.

Day two featured 3rd place finish for Pappas, 13th for Proceller and 19th for Phelan in the 100 backstroke. In the 400 Individual Medley, Gary, Colwell and Kim earned 2nd, 3rd and 10th respectively. Cheshire Seadogs women took the top scoring spot on Friday on the back of their amazing 800 free relays but Weston athletes were determined to grab it back! With nearly a 100 point swing from Friday to Saturday, Weston ladies stormed back to take a 50 point lead into the final day.

Day four started with the most challenging event of the meet, the 200 fly. Gary dug deep and gave her team points with an 11th place finish. The 100 freestyle had solid Weston Swimming representation with Brunner in 4th, 10th place for Proceller and 13th for Pappas. The 200 Individual Medley Final had three Weston swimmers too! Colwell, Gary, and Kim earned 3rd, 6th, and 9th places. At this point, Weston Swimming was in the lead by the narrowest of margins. Top finishes in the 200 Free Relay were needed in order to take the top spot! Weston relays rose to the challenge! The A relay of Brunner, Pappas, Lauren Daignault and Proceller earning first place and the team of Colwell, Franco, Kim and Phelan placed 13th.

"Long Course Senior Championships is a tough meet as many college swimmers come back to Connecticut and compete, so I couldn't be prouder of these young women for taking first place," stated Senior Coach Chris Riley. Weston Swimming President, Charlie Bailey, agreed, "It is a testament to the vision of our coaches and the dedication of our swimmers that we were able to achieve this level of success at Seniors. This success doesn't happen overnight, it begins with our youngest swimmers and builds, year by year, until they reach this top level."

Weston Swimming competes in Connecticut Age Group Championships this weekend in Cheshire for swimmers 14 and under. After that, a large contingent of swimmers will be heading to Eastern Zone Championships in Richmond, Va and Senior Zone Championships in Buffalo, NY. The final meet is Summer Junior Nationals at Stanford University where Alexa Pappas will compete in backstroke and Samantha Kim in breast stroke.

Weston Swimming will be holding their tryouts for the 2019-20 year on August 3 from 8:30-9am and on September 3 from 5:15-5:45 . To find out more, contact Head Age Group Coach John Scaldini at john@westonswimming.org or Head Coach Ryan Loechner at ryan@westonswimming.org. You can also register for a tryout by going to Weston Swimming's Registration Page.

Weston Swimming is a non-profit, year-round competitive USA Swimming program based in Weston, CT. Our talented staff of dedicated and registered ASCA coaches work together towards one common goal - success for every swimmer at every level. Our team goal is to produce happy, confident and well-rounded athletes, both in and out of the pool. In addition to developing our swimmers' technical skills, we encourage and promote team spirit, sportsmanship, health and fitness. Swimming becomes a character-building experience, instilling confidence in our athletes. Our program inspires swimmers to dedicate themselves to achieving the highest level of
competition and personal performance while also developing a life-long friends and an interest in the sport of swimming.