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NEW CANAAN, Conn. Standout swimmer Christian Higgins will be honored as the New Canaan Sports Person of the Year at the seventh annual Fairfield County SportsNight dinner on Oct. 17 at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich. Higgins, captain on the perennially strong Wilton YMCA Wahoos Men's Team, was the Connecticut Swimming Athlete of the Year in 2010. He had a fantastic meet at the YMCA Short Course Championships this past spring to help lead the Wahoos to third place. The highlight of the meet for Higgins was when he set national records in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events. Higgins won the 100 breaststroke in 53.69 to break a two-year-old record of 54.27. Higgins added that record one day after he won the 200 breaststroke in 1:56.29 to break his own previous record of 1:57.61, set last year. Higgins also placed second in the 200 individual medley and third in the 400 IM. Higgins, who graduated from New Canaan High School in June, is now a freshman and one of the prized recruits for the defending NCAA champion California Golden Bears. A seven-time high school All-American, he has senior national cuts of 1:02.29 in the 100-meter breaststroke and 2:15.53 in the 200-meter breaststroke. His top times by yardage are 55.52 in the 200-yard breaststroke and 2:00.63 in the 200-yard breaststroke. He currently holds 24 Connecticut state swimming records. Higgins was a member of the USA Swimming Junior World Cup Team in 2009-10 that competed in Berlin, Stockholm and Barcelona, and he was also on the USA Swimming Junior Pan Pacific Team in 2010. Competitors had to be among the top two 18-and-under swimmers in their respective events to make those teams. The newest members of the Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame and 15 Sports Persons of the Year from county communities will be recognized at the annual dinner. Sports personalities scheduled to attend include former Yankees pitcher Tommy John, ex-NY Giants football player Bob Hyland, Lowes Moore, who played with the New Jersey Nets, former world boxing champion Travis Simms and Wes Matthews, a two-time NBA champion with the LA Lakers.
Tickets are at $125. For information, call Tom Chiappetta at (203) 984-4806 or email tomchip21@aol.com.
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