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Middletown holds off Avon in tight CCC swimming battle

Seniors on the Avon High boys swimming were recognized earlier this week on Senior Night in a win over Newington. From left to right, Sam Johnson, Kyle Emery, Annie Hayes, Sarah Preleski, Zaire Griffin, Jared Culbertson. Missing is Laura Pringle. (Photo courtesy Bob Emery)

NEW BRITAIN, Feb. 3 – The Avon High boys swimming team was challenged Friday night in a tight 95-89 loss to Middletown in Central Connecticut Conference action at the Central Connecticut State University pool in New Britain.

It was another step in preparing for Tuesday night’s big CCC North White Division battle with defending division champion Wednesday at the CCSU pool beginning at 7 p.m. Avon and Wethersfield (2-3, 1-0 CCC North White) are the two leading contenders to win the division.

The Falcons have won eight of their first 10 meets of the year and are 2-0 in the CCC North White division with victories over Rocky Hill and Newington.

The 99-82 victory over Newington came on Wednesday night and the Falcons hosted their annual Senior Night celebration, recognizing the seven seniors on the squad – Jared Culbertson, Kyle Emery, Zaire Griffin, Annie Hayes, Sam Johnson, Sarah Preleski and Laura Pringle.

Since Avon doesn’t have a girls swimming team in the fall, the girls are allowed to swim on the boys team in the winter. They can qualify to compete in the CIAC Class M championship meet but they must meet the boys time criteria for qualifying.

Against Middletown, Max Jarmeko (200 free), Adam Zapatka (500 free) and Kyle Emery (100 back) won individual events. Middletown won six of nine individual events two of the three relays. The Falcons did have six second place finishes.

Avon’s Kyle Emery gets ready before the backstroke in a recent meet. (Photo courtesy Bob Emery)

The Falcons used a balanced effort to beat Newington. Adam Zapatka (200-yard freestyle, 500 free), Max Jaremko (200 IM), Brendan Downey (diving) and Kyle Emery (100 free, 100 back) and Sam Johnson (100 breast) each won individual events. Technically, Johnson didn’t win because he swam the event as an exhibition to prevent Avon from running up the score but he was the fastest swimmer in the 100 breast stroke.

Avon did sweep all three relays. In the 200 medley relay, the Falcons (Emery, Johnson, Justin Arroyo, Andre Richard) won with a time of 1:47.38 while the Avon team of Jaremko, Zaire Griffin, Arroyo and Richard) prevailed in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:36.17.

The Falcon team of Zapatka, Emily Foley, Richard and Jaremko was first in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:39.54 but swam the event as an exhibition.

In a 96-85 win over Berlin, Richard (50 free), Jaremko (200 free, 100 fly), Downey (diving), Zapatka (500 free) and Emery (100 back) captured individual events. In the 99-84 win over Rocky Hill, Emery (200 free), Arroyo (50 free), Zapatka (100 fly) and Jaremko (100 free) won individual events.

Middletown 95, Avon 89
At New Britain
200 medley relay: Middletown (Jacob Forrester, Jayson DeFrance, Matt Joy, Tim Joy) 1:44.02, Avon (Kyle Emery, Sam Johnson, Justin Arroyo, Andre Richard) 1:45.58, Avon (Adam Zapatka, Alec Traktovenko, Annie Hayes, Zaire Griffin) 1:53.74
200 free: Max Jaremko (A) 1:51.77, Adam Zapatka (A) 1:55.50, Andrew Ivans (M) 1:58.93
200 IM: Matt Joy (M) 2:12.53, Jayson DeFrance (M) 2:14.95, Justin Arroyo (A) 2:17.95
50 free: Tim Joy (M) 23.30, Andre Richard (A) 23.59, Zaire Griffin (A) 24.14
Diving: Tahj Mitchell-Westbury (M) 241.05, Brendan Downey (A) 224.20, Tyler Wenzel (M) 223.45
100 butterfly: Jacob Forrester (M) 57.37, Stephen Lombardo (M) 1:00.96, Dylan Drescher (M) 1:01.17
100 free: Tim Joy (M) 50.64, Kyle Emery (A) 50.74, Zaire Griffin (A) 52.74
500 free: Adam Zapatka (A) 5:01.96, Max Jaremko (A) 5:03.57, Andrew Ivans (M) 5:29.62
200 free relay: Middletown (Luppachino, Drescher, Joy, Joy) 1:36.25, Avon (Jared Culbertson, Zaire Griffin, Max Jaremko, Andre Richard) 1:36.68, Middletown 1:42.16
100 back: Kyle Emery (A) 56.14, Jacob Forrester (M) 56.29, Cameron Moskey (M) 1:03.15
100 breast: Jason DeFrance (M) 1:05.56, Sam Johnson (A) 1:08.59, Alec Traktovenko (A) 1:11.80
400 free relay: Avon (Jaremko, Zapatka, Arroyo, Emery) 3:34.20, Avon 43:53.98, Avon
Records: Avon 8-2

Avon 99, Newington 82
At New Britain
200-yard medley relay: Avon (Kyle Emery, Sam Johnson, Justin Arroyo, Andre Richard) 1:47.38, Newington 1:51.94, Avon (Adam Zapatka, Alex Traktovenko, Emily Foley, Zaire Griffin), 1:56.71
200 free: Adam Zapatka (A) 1:58.06, Justin Arroyo (A) 2:06.04, Jared Culbertson (A) 2:10.05
200 IM: Max Jaremko (A) 2:10.44, Michael Allo (N) 2:13.08, Sam Johnson (A) 2:20.49
50 free: Robert Nagy (N) 23.56, Andre Richard (A) 23.60, Maksym Ugrak (N) 24.42
Diving: Brendan Downey (A) 225.65, Jacob Mermelstein (N) 177.95, John Famiglietti (N) 168.55
100 butterfly: Maksym Ugrak (N) 1:00.25, Annie Hayes (A) 1:07.26, Vihn Dau (N) 1:08.29
100 free: Kyle Emery (A) 51.49, Max Jaremko (A) 52.18, Robert Nagy (N) 52.58
500 free: Adam Zapatka (A) 5:04.46, Sarah Preleski (A) 5:48.86, Sean Vasi (N) 5:15.15
200 free relay: Avon (Max Jaremko, Zaire Griffin, Justin Arroyo, Richard Andre) 1:36.17, Avon (Alex Traktovenko, Sam Johnson, Chris Chute, Jared Culbertson) 1:42.59, 3. Avon
100 backstroke: Kyle Emery (A) 56.09, Sean Abrams (N) 1:07.25, Luke Fote (N) 1:09.96
100 breast stroke: Michael Allo (N) 1:07.65, x-Sam Johnson (A) 1:07.94, x-Justin Arroyo (A) 1:09.36
400 freestyle relay: x-Avon (Adam Zapatka, Emily Foley, Andre Richard, Max Jaremko) 3:39.54, Newington 3:42.49, x-Avon (Jared Culbertson, Sarah Preleski, Annie Hayes, Kyle Emery) 3:53.94
x-swam exhibition, points don’t count in final team totals
Records: Avon 8-1, 2-0 CCC North White

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