Naugy returns to State Open

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NAUGATUCK — The Naugatuck High School boys swim team recorded its best postseason since 2011.

The Greyhounds swam to second place in the Naugatuck Valley League championship, landed in the top ten at the Class L championship at Wesleyan University, and finished up with four swimmers moving on to the State Open at Yale University this past Saturday.

“That’s the first time we sent anyone to the State Open since 2011,” Naugatuck head coach Jim McKee said. “From a coach’s standpoint if there is a competition going on we want to be a part of it.”

Naugatuck finished ninth at the Class L meet March 16 posting a score of 253.5 points. New Canaan won the Class L title with 788 points.

The 400 freestyle relay team of Brian Goggin, Omari Solomon, P.J. Morrissey and Evan Bomberry took fourth in 3:24.09 at the Class L meet, and finished 22nd at the State Open in 3:24.69.

“The kids were walking on air after the Class L (meet) with four kids qualifying for the State Open,” McKee said. “It’s always good when you have to rent a bus to go to the states. I wasn’t sure I was only going to need a motorcycle until the last event, the 400 relay.”

Bomberry swam to 10th in the 200 freestyle at the Class L meet in 1:48.28, which qualified him for the State Open. He swam to 24th in the event at the State Open in 1:49.48.

Bomberry also added a ninth-place finish at the Class L championship in the 500 freestyle in 5:01.38.

“Getting to the State Open is not an easy thing,” McKee said. “Your time needs to be the fastest 24 times in the state. We didn’t swim as fast as we did at the NVL but every meet is different. It’s not about what you have done it’s what you do on that particular day.”

Brian Goggin had a good showing at the Class L meet finishing eighth in the 100 freestyle in 50.96.

Solomon just missed the top ten finishing 12th in the 100 backstroke in 58.24, just six-tenths of a second out of the top ten. Eric Cruz was 20th in diving with a season-best score of 256.80.

The 200 freestyle relay team of Colby Storm, Goggin, Robert Spino and Bomberry swam to seventh at the Class L meet in 1:33.77. The 200 medley relay team of Nick Fox, Storm, Solomon and Graden Beasely finished ninth in 1:47.45.

“I’m pleased with how the season went,” McKee said. “Anytime you need to rent a bus for the State Open that is a good season and we haven’t done that since 2011.”

Naugatuck will graduate seniors Storm, Fox, Nick Ryan, Martin Lippai, Lucas Pimentel, Jensen Mezzio, Matt Jackman and Ivan Glorioso. The Greyhounds will return a strong junior class — Beasley, Bomberry, Cruz, Morrissey, Spino, Solomon, Matt Goggin, Ben Rossi, Brandon Thomas, Matt Triscritti and Steffanie Dube — to lead the team next year and finish what they started after taking runner-up at NVLs.