The most surprised person at the FCIAC girls' swimming championship meet stood next to the pool, pumping his fist with an ecstatic grin after every win. New Canaan head coach David Fine cheered home every one of his girls as they racked up 488 points on their way to a resounding victory, winning the school's first FCIAC swim championship since 1997. Afterward, the New Canaan girls pulled their coach into the pool to celebrate.
"This did surprise me a little bit. They came out and swam faster and better than I've seen them do in a while," Fine said. "We weren't even really talked about after last year's performance here. I think this is a feeling I'll never forget."
New Canaan was set for a good day after an excellent showing at last Wednesday's trials. Few expected it to give the other teams the trouncing it did. Greenwich finished in a distant second with 299 points. Wilton rounded out the top three with 289 points. The Warriors' K.C. Moss was named Most Outstanding Swimmer, breaking the FCIAC record in the 200-meter breaststroke.
The Rams' relay teams blew away the competition, running up their score in the most important events. The Rams took the 200-meter medley relay with Adelyn Graf, Erin Dunstan, Emma Tobey and Maddie Rusch; the 200-meter freestyle relay with Jenna Egan, Ali Rusch, Cara Egan and Maddie Rusch; and the 400-meter freestyle relay with Livi Kroll, Allie Skaperdas, Jenna Egan and Cara Egan. The 400-meter freestyle team ended the meet in dramatic fashion, beating Greenwich by 0.28 seconds.
New Canaan also dominated the 50-meter freestyle with Maddie Rusch coming in first at 24.75 seconds and her teammate Jenna Egan right behind her at 24.88 seconds. Other Rams that performed well included Patty Kilbride finishing second and Cara Egan coming in third in the 200-meter freestyle.
"These girls have worked hard since the day after last year's championship meet, knowing this was their goal," Fine said. "This is something really special. Tomorrow we'll go back to work and get ready for the state open."
Click here for full meet results.
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