Avon’s Strassner swims to top 5 finishes at Class M meet

Freshman Riley Strassner

MIDDLETOWN, March 13 – Avon High freshman Riley Strassner earned a pair of top five finishes at the Class M boys swimming championships at Wesleyan University. He finished fourth in the 100 meter freestyle and fifth in the 200 freestyle. 

It’s an impressive performance. Only 10 swimmers in school history have finished in the top three of their respective event.

Strassner joins a group of five Avon individual swimmers who have finished fourth. The most recent was Zac Cesaro, who had a pair of fourth place finishes a year ago in the 100 and 200 freestyle. 

Strassner helped the Falcons finish 12th in Class M with 169 points. Avon has finished between 11th and 13th place for the past five years. 

Strassner had a season-best time of 48.33 seconds in the 100 freestyle, where he finished fourth. His time of 1:46.19 in the 200 free was his best time of the year and earned him a fifth place medal. 

Both times earned Strassner an invitation to Saturday’s State Open championship meet at Yale. 

The only other top 10 finish from the Falcons came from the 200 individual medley relay team, which finished eighth with a season-low time of 1:52.24. Kathryn Emery, Will Holloman, Megan Foley and Ben Hartigan comprised the team. 

Charlie Anderson finished 14th in the 50 freestyle in 23.38 seconds and 20th in the 100 freestyle in 50.34. 

In the 100 backstroke, Emery finished 17th in 1:01.34, winning her C final race, while teammate Lauren Cooper was 23rd in 1:03.36. Holloman was 14th in the 100 breast stroke in 1:06.02. 

Avon’s 400 freestyle relay (Anderson, Wall, Cooper, Strassner) finished 15th with a season-low time of 3:41.95. The Falcons’ 200 freestyle relay team (Stephen DelGallo, Jeff Cox, Devon Chamber and Ben Hartigan) finished 19th with a time of 1:42.54.