Competing in a different division featured similar results for the Joel Barlow High School girls swim team at the state Class S championships.
The Falcons, who placed eighth at the Class M meet a year ago, had since moved to Class S based on school enrollment. With 274 points this time, they again took eighth overall in a field of 23 teams on Nov. 15, at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.
Defending champ Weston easily took the team title with 741 to win its ninth straight championship. Daniel Hand of Madison was a distant second with 546 and Woodland Regional was third with 435.
The Falcons had only seven swimmers competing, with nearly all of them scoring in multiple events. Their first points came in the 200-yard medley relay with Sofia Sannella, Isabella Mancini, Abby Bonoff and Grace Blawie posting a combined time of two minutes, 12.96 seconds.
Bonoff scored Barlow’s points in the 200 individual medley, taking 12th in 2:29.90. The Falcons took four medals in the meet, including two gold ones by Audrey Gil.
The first came in the 50 free, which she won in 24.04. Brooke Serlin was sixth in 25.76, 0.02 second ahead of Sheehan’s Kaylynn Chen. Brookley Gil also scored, taking 20th in 27.64.
Audrey Gil also took the gold in the 100 free with a winning time of 52.48. Serlin was two places later in 56.13 for the silver. Both qualified to compete in the event at the State Open, as did Brookley Gil, who was 19th in 1:00.80.
Going the distance in the 500 free, Bonoff went the distance in 5:56.05 for 17th, beating her seed time by more than four seconds and also qualifying for the State Open. The silver medal in the 200 free relay went to the Gil sisters, Blawie and Serlin, in 1:44.30.
Barlow’s final points came in the 12 free relay. This time, Bonoff, combined with the Gils and Serlin for a 349.6, and improvement of more than three seconds over their seed time and good for fourth overall.
