![NE Championship Swimming]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1646843348/suffieldacademyorg/ml05mpzmpbdwidqhnuzg/20220309_SwimHP.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1646843348/suffieldacademyorg/ml05mpzmpbdwidqhnuzg/20220309_SwimHP.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1646843348/suffieldacademyorg/ml05mpzmpbdwidqhnuzg/20220309_SwimHP.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1646843348/suffieldacademyorg/ml05mpzmpbdwidqhnuzg/20220309_SwimHP.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1646843348/suffieldacademyorg/ml05mpzmpbdwidqhnuzg/20220309_SwimHP.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1646843348/suffieldacademyorg/ml05mpzmpbdwidqhnuzg/20220309_SwimHP.jpg","width":2200}])
The Suffield Academy girls’ and boys’ swimming performed well at the end of season New England championships at Phillips Exeter, each finishing in fourth place. The three teams besting Suffield were Greenwich Academy, Andover, and Exeter in the girls, and Andover, Brunswick, and Exeter in the boys’ competition. In the end of season diving event at Deerfield on March 2, Avery Rappaport ’22 finished in 4th place securing 15 points for the swimming and diving teams.
Preliminaries for swimming events were held on March 5, with top 16 individual qualifiers and relay swimmers competing the following day for finals. Leading the way for the Suffield girls were Mackenzie Headley ’24 (1st in 100 breaststroke in New England, pool, and school record; 2nd in 100 butterfly), Cambell Rosow ’23 (8th in 50 freestyle; 6th in 100 backstroke), Karrah Hayes ’22 (13th in 200 IM; 6th in 500 free), Sophia Tosone ’22 (11th in 200 free; 8th in 500 free), Anna Calkins ’23 (16th in 200 IM; 13th in 100 back), Iza Zajac ’25 (14th in 50 free; 12th in 100 fly), Nora Boino ’24 (13th in 100 breaststroke), and Hadley Harris ’24 (16th in 100 breaststroke).
Suffield’s relays scored well with the 200 medley relay foursome taking 3rd place (Rosow, Calkins, Headley, Izac), 200 free relay powering to 4th (same quartet), and the 400 free relay earned 8th place (Hayes, Tosone, Harris, Boino).
For the boys, scorers were John Rusnock ’25 (3rd in 100 back; 4th in 200 IM), Nico Menendez-Featherston ’22 (3rd in 200 free; 4th in 500 free), Will Kainen ’22 (6th in 200 IM; 4th in 100 breast), Thomas Bowers ’22 (5th in 100 free; 9th in 50 free), Chase Stevens ’23 (12th in both 100 free and 100 breast), Trent Hieber ’22 (15th in 200 IM; 10th in 100 fly); Connor Booth ’23 (13th in 200 free; 12th in 500 free), Tyler Cooper ’22 (14th in 100 breast; 16th in 100 fly), Nate Morrin ’23 (13th in 100 fly), Kellen Booth (15th in 500 free), Joshua Mair ’24 (16th in 50 free), and David Bowers ’24 (16th in 100 back). The twelve male swimmers that qualified for the finals is believed to be a record for Suffield.
The boys relay teams also fared well. The 200 medley relay (Rusnock, Kainen, Hieber, T. Bowers) finished fourth, the 200 free relay (T. Bowers, C. Booth, Kainen, Menendez-Featherston) notched third place, and the 400 free relay (Rusnock, C. Booth, Stevens, Menendez-Featherston) sped to fifth place honors.
At meet’s end, a new D1 championship award was inaugurated and announced in honor of legendary Suffield coach Andy Lowe. The Andy Lowe Award will honor male and female swimmers who “best embrace the values of generosity of spirit, humility, and relentlessness.” The first recipients were Cyrus Kenkare from Hopkins School and Suffield’s Sophia Tosone. Head Coach Lowe said of Tosone: “Sophia is an exemplar of the criteria embodied by this new award. For four years her actions and bearing personify these traits. We are proud of her achievements and contributions to New England prep swimming.”
