Printer Friendly Version - North Haven Boys’ Swimming Sees Best Showing at States with Coach Phelan

Sophomore JP Stoeffler finished 18th in the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.55 seconds for North Haven at the Class M State Championship. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

The North Haven boys’ swimming and diving team turned in its best showing at states in its four-year tenure with Head Coach Martha Phelan by sending four individuals and two relays to the recent Class M State Championship. The Indians recorded 111 points and finished in 16th place out of 22 teams at the state meet.

North Haven started states when senior Kyle Duby competed at the Class M Diving Championship at Bulkeley High School on March 8. Duby finished in 13th place with a score of 274.80 to net 14 points that counted toward the Indians’ total.

Then on March 16, the swimming portion of the State Championship meet was held at Wesleyan University in Middletown. Sophomore Will McCleery had a nice night for North Haven by placing 12th in the 500-yard freestyle and 14th in the 100 backstroke. McCleery’s time of 5:10.88 for the 500 freestyle was his lifetime-best mark in the event and scored 15 points for North Haven. In the backstroke, McCleery’s performance at the championship scored 12 points and followed up his lifetime-best time of 59.99 seconds from the Class M Trials that were held at Masuk on March 11.

Also at the Class M State Championship, sophomore John Stoeffler posted a time of 23.55 seconds in the 50 freestyle and finished in 18th place to score seven points for Coach Phelan’s squad. In the 100 breaststroke, junior Riley Powell recorded a lifetime-best mark of 1:08.24 at the Class M Trials and then came back with a 1:08.89 at the championship to finish 20th and score five points.

Two relays also set season-best times for the Indians at the Class M Championship. First, the 200 medley relay of McCleery, Powell, sophomore Kevin Powers, and junior Ryan Tanguay swam a time of 1:51.01 to finish in 11th place and score 32 points. Later in the meet, North Haven’s 400 freestyle relay quartet of Tanguay, Powell, freshman Carlo Frunzio, and Stoeffler came in 14th place with a season-best mark of 1:39.82, scoring 26 points for Coach Phelan’s club.

“Ending the high school season on a positive note bodes well for the 2017-’18 season,” Phelan said. “We are losing [Duby and fellow senior Jack Hildenbrandt], but have a competitive class of freshman coming in. North Haven continues to be a growing program with the majority of the team training offseason.”

Kevin Powers helped the Indians’ 200 medley relay swim a season-best time of 1:51.01 in the Class M State Championship, which took place at Wesleyan University on March 16. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

Freshman Carlo Frunzio and the North Haven boys’ swimming and diving team put forth their best showing at states in Martha Phelan’s four-year tenure as Indians’ head coach. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier