MIDDLETOWN — The Cheshire girls swim team was hardly in over its head in returning to Class LL this season. In fact, they own those seas.
On Tuesday night, the Rams toppled Greenwich, the nine-time defending Class LL champion, at Wesleyan University.
Cheshire established the lead behind double-winners Sophie Murphy and Julia Stevens, then sealed the victory by capturing the evening’s final event, the 400 freestyle relay.
The last time Greenwich did not win Class LL was 209. That year, the Cardinals were out-pointed by … Cheshire.
Tuesday night’s crown was state class title No. 29 for Cheshire — 42 overall when you add in the 13 State Opens the Rams have won.
Who knows, maybe No. 14 is waiting on Sunday down at Yale. In the past two State Opens, Cheshire was second only to Greenwich.
Tuesday’s title was the third straight for Cheshire. The Rams had raised the flag in Class L in 2017 and 2018 before enrollment moved them up to Class LL in 2019.
Only those letters changed for Cheshire this year. The Rams extended their dual-meet win streak to 67 during the regular season and then, on Tuesday, saw Murphy defend her state titles in the freestyle sprints. The junior won the 50 in 23.88 seconds and the 100 in 51.11.
Stevens, meanwhile, followed through on her top seeds in the distance freestyles. The senior captured the 200 in 1:52.31 and the 500 in 4:58.14.
Teammate Nora Bergstrom was right on her heels in both races. Bergstrom was third in both the 200 (1:54.01) and the 500 (5:05.47).
At the end of the line, Murphy, Stevens and Bergstrom teamed with freshman Avery Potyrala to close out the 400 free relay in 3:31.33.
The Rams were second in the 200 free relay behind Potyrala, Sarah Chen, Bergstrom and Murphy (1:38.30). They were second in the 200 medley with Jillian Stevens, Julia Stevens, Tori Newton and Chen (1:46.93).
Jillian Stevens took a third (57.58) in 100-yard backstroke. Emma Glover placed fourth (1:07.65) in the 100 breaststroke.
Southington: The Blue Knights were led at the Class LL meet by junior Meghan Hammarlund, who broke her own school record in placing sixth in the 100 butterfly in 56.68 seconds.
Hammarlund also finished eighth in the 100 backstroke in 59.42. She holds the school record in that event as well at 59.24.
Hammarlund was on the seventh-place 400 free relay (3:42.30) with senior Gianna Perugini, junior Andie Nadeau and freshman Emma Jekubovich.
Sheehan: Katherine Webb and Leila Sofiane swam in championship heats for the Titans at the Class S Championship at SCSU.
Webb had a pair of sixth-place finishes. She swam a 1:11.87 in the 100 breaststroke and a 2:18.87 in the IM.
Sofiane was eighth in the 500 freestyle in 5:38.84.
Webb and Sofiane were also on the sixth-place 200 freestyle relay with junior Amy Bui and senior Rachel Kerrigan. The quartet clocked in at 1:47.18.
Webb, Sofiane and Kerrigan also qualified for the championship heat of the 400 free relay with sophomore Lili Nagy-Leranth after swimming a 3:51.77 in trials. The team was disqualified during Tuesday’s finals.