Spartans extend a tradition of excellence

Title-hungry rivals perhaps sensed perennial Berkshire League swim champion Shepaug Valley High might be ripe for the taking this winter.

They sensed wrong.

Coach Todd Dyer's proud Spartans rose to the occasion March 6 at the Wolff-Zackin Natatorium on the campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs to claim their ninth straight Berkshire League title.

In doing so, the 2009-10 squad helped the 21st century edition of Spartan swimming nearly match the 10-year Berkshire title run of longtime coach Dick Ayer's teams from 1980 to 1989.

Overall, Shepaug has captured 26 league plaques in 31 seasons.

To achieve its feat, the Region 12 poolpeople rallied March 6 from third place at mid-meet to outpoint Lewis Mills, Litchfield, Northwest Regional and other pretenders to the throne.

Shepaug had built a 12-0 record in Berkshire League dual meets over the course of the winter yet needed at least a second-place finish at UConn to secure the championship.

"As we entered the BL championship... I knew that the meet itself would be closer than past years," reflected coach Dyer, "because we do not go as deep as we have."

"I was very happy with how the team swam at UConn, posting over 85 percent best times and some best times with significant drops. That said, the meet ended much closer than I expected and made for an exciting championship meet."

Headlining the effort for the Spartans was diver Cody Hemibrock, who posted a league record 374.3 in competition two nights earlier to claim a third straight league gold medal.

His victory and a ninth-place by Logan Ross gave Shepaug a head start toward the title but there was much work to be done in the pool March 6.

Megan Piersall, Pat O'Brien, Pat Firmender, Griffin DeCaro, Nick Velseboer, Gina DeMeo and Rich Baron earned Berkshire League all-star recognition that day and were back by a large contingent of Spartans who simply refusged to give up the league title.

"We had a number of great swims," analyzed coach Dyer, "and enough in the top 12 to do the job. A few swimmers swam the (meet) sick... I think if they had been 100 percent they might have gone faster."

The Spartans finished the meet with 346 points to 330 for Litchfield, 300 for Lewis Mills and 268.5 for Northwest. Gilbert, Wamogo and Housatonic Valley Regional so competed.

Claiming overall first places March 6 were Nick Velseboer with a 1:55.02 clocking in the 200-yard freestyle, Griffin DeCaro at 5:06.45 in the 500-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle relay of Velseboer, Firmender, Baron and O'Brien at 1:34.38 in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

"In reflecting on our season, this year I really do feel that the icing on the cake was the BL championship," said the Spartan mentor, who has won league titles each of his five years at the helm.

"Coming into the season I knew that we were not as deep as in past years and didn't know how we would fare in the dual meets. That question was answered early on as the returning swimmers and divers posted fast times and high scores and continued to improve as the season progressed."

Team chemistry has always been a hallmark of the Region 12 swim program and that didn't change this winter.

"I really felt the team came together this season to become a cohesive and tight knit group," reported coach Dyer, who charged his squad with a rigorous practice regimen and they responded to the challenge. "There was a core group of swimmers who committed to the morning challenge swims, 5:45 a.m. on deck, 6 a.m. in the water and again those swimmers showed the biggest improvements."

"As we came into the end of the season, our dual-meet depth had grown significantly from the beginning of the season and we outscoring other teams by a much wider margin than we started with," he noted.

For the Spartans, improving and winning became synonymous.

"Hard work had become the cornerstone of our success," said coach Dyer, "and this year was no exception."

Following state 'S' competition last night (Thursday) at Wesleyan University in Middletown, the Spartans will bid adieu to a strong cast of seniors.

Graduating in June will be Alessandro Criollo, Christina Dumas, Cody Heimbrock, Zoe Klavana, Kara Linder, Charlotte McConaghy, Adam Mennonna, Renee Mennonna, Patrick O'Brien, Megan Piersall, Michael Piersall, John Shusdock, Ashley Smith, Nicholas Velseboer, Tiffany Waldron, Evan Wright, as well as senior managers Sarah Good and Bruna Pires.

"Once again we are losing a tremendously talented senior class," concluded coach Dyer, "and the torch will fall to the returning swimmers and divers to carry the tradition on."