A small group of swimmers would represent the Joel Barlow/Bethel High boys swim team at the South-West Conference finals last week.
The Falcons had just eight swimmers compete last Friday, March 1, all swimming in multiple events. Together, they accounted for 117 points, helping the team take seventh out of 10 at the Masuk High pool.
Defending champ Pomperaug easily won its 12th straight league crown, this time with 711. Weston was a distant runner-up with 376 and Newtown took third with 320.50.
Despite having a small team, the Falcons competed in most of the events. Their first points came in the opening event, the 200 yard medley relay, with James Jandura, Lance Hansen, Alex Eriksen and Sofiane Hilmi taking sixth in one minute, 52.87 seconds, beating their seed time by more than five seconds.
Hansen earned Barlow/Bethel’s points in the 200 IM. Taking ninth in 2:09.08, he beat his seed time by nearly half a second.
Two scored for the Falcons in the 50 free. Eriksen posted their fastest time in 23.46, good for fifth. Hilmi also scored with a 25.45, beating his seed time and taking 18th.
Beating his seed time by more than six seconds, Eriksen took tenth in the 100 free win 52.53, 0.07 seconds behind Immaculate’s Marco Diaz. Hilmi also competed, finishing 20th in 57.16 to beat his seed time as well.
Hansen, Hilmi, Jandura and Eriksen formed the 200 free relay team that took seventh in 1:39.68, good for seventh, an improvement of more than five seconds from their teed time.
Barlow/Bethel’s highest finish was in the 100 backstroke. With a 58.12, Hansen not only beat his seed time by more than a second, he was fourth overall. Jandura also earned points, taking 16th in 1:09.75 to improve his time as well.
Although he did not score, Jacob Pedicini competed in the 100 breaststroke, taking 26th in 1:19.34, beating his seed time by 0.42 seconds and completing the meet for the Falcons.
Barlow/Bethel next competes in the state Class M finals on March 11 at Wesleyan University in Middletown.
