BEACON FALLS — Even though the Woodland boys swim team didn’t pick up any event victories Tuesday in an 89-81 loss to Seymour, Hawks coach Tom Currier is proud of the way his scrappy team is competing in dual meets.
“We have a solid three relays, and even our B-relays are scoring points, which is always nice,” Currier said. “Having that third lane score points makes these meets closer than they would be without them.”
Woodland holds a 3-2 dual-meet record as it approaches the midway point of the regular season this weekend. The Hawks’ loss to Seymour on Tuesday was their first defeat in Naugatuck Valley League competition. They’d previously earned wins over Oxford, Crosby-WCA and Kennedy.
There have been many bright spots so far for Woodland. Defending NVL diving champion Riley Clark broke his own school record last Friday in a victory at Kennedy. He missed Tuesday’s meet against the Wildcats after suffering a minor hand injury, but Currier said “he’s doing great when he’s on the board.”
Currier is also pleased with the efforts of junior Greg Aldrich (breaststroke, individual medley) and senior Chase Chura, among others. He’s been happy to see the group of a half-dozen freshmen acclimate well to the high school waters, too.
“Our sportsmanship is great. We’re working hard,” Currier said. “We have great attitudes and we’re seeing lots of PRs. Every meet, everybody’s improving. Our freshmen are pulling their weight and our upperclassmen are doing great. They’re all clicking right at their in-season bests right now, which is right where we want to be.”
Currier’s hope for the second half of the season isn’t anything dramatic — he just wants to get in the pool a little bit more often.
“No more snow days,” he begged, even as Woodland missed another practice Wednesday due to bad weather. “If we have practice, we really have to work them hard. We’re just teaching them that it’s all in their heads. We’re hitting the meat and potatoes of our schedule now.”
Woodland will visit perennial NVL contender Sacred Heart on Friday before hosting Wilby on Tuesday.
