Staples Excels at Opens

By Eliot Schickler

March 24 – The Staples boys swimming team got standout performances from junior Zach Slater and freshmanNathaniel Boley at State Open on Saturday at Yale University. Slater came up big in diving while Boley had command performances in the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke to lead Staples to 32nd place in the 56-team field with 46.5 points, beating 33rd-place Middletown (42) but falling short to 31st-place Manchester (51). Pomperaug (489) won State Open.

“I was very happy to have a good performance at the biggest meet of the year and having my teammates there back me up,” Boley said.

“Everyone that was there did well,” Wreckers Coach Jeff Schare said. “Zach did well and was consistent.”

Proof of how well Staples did was it finished ahead of Class S champion Weston (32), who placed 35th. In beating Weston, the Wreckers finished ahead of a team they lost to in the dual meet season.

“I was really happy with what we did at Open,” Staples senior captain Mac Mombello said. “Everyone was happy with what Zach did. Nathaniel is one of our best swimmers and has a lot of potential.”

Going in, Slater was seeded 18th in diving and after eight dives, he was in 16th place but nailed his last three dives to place 10th with 383 points to earn All-American consideration.

“It feels really good because it means I’m one of the best divers in the country and it’s a great feat for me,” Slater said. “I was so concentrated and I had so much fun. It also helped that I’m a morning person and the event was in the morning and not many people were awake yet.”

Performing three difficult dives to close out, starting with a two and a half, followed by a front one and a half full twist before closing out with an inward double, enabled him to move up the leader board. Nailing all three challenging dives also helped.

“Saving my most difficult dives for last, helped,” Slater said. “I was very optimistic on how they’d go before I did them.”

Boley finished tied for 14th in the 200-yard freestyle (1:46.41) and qualified for YMCA Nationals with his time. He was also .4 seconds short of the school record.

“This whole year, I tried to make my national cut,” Boley said. “I’ve been looking forward to it since the beginning of the season. I was nervous and I wasn’t sure what would happen. I knew I had to try my best.”

In the 100-yard backstroke, Boley took 16th place (55.16). He did the backstroke shortly after swimming in the 200-yard freestyle relay race.

“I had a good start and I knew the person I was next to,” Boley said. “I knew two to three people in the heat and I focused on my start and turns.”

Boley could end his career as Staples’ best all-time swimmer. He already eclipsed Jeffrey Helt’s time in the backstroke and is .006 second short of overtaking Stefan Tziolis in the 100-back. Helt and Tziolis were senior captains on the 2008-09 team and are swimming in college.

The Wrecker freshman wonder-kid has already beat two-time Staples captain and currentUniversity of Wisconsin swimmer Chris Wiederecht’s time in the 200-free.

“Nathaniel is a standout as a freshman and not just at Staples but throughout the state,” Schare said. “If he stays healthy, he can be one of the best swimmers around.”

Boley, Mombello and juniors Scott Feder and Cory Bacon carried the 200-yard freestyle relay team to 20th place (1:31.90).

“We all pushed each other and gave Staples a chance to place,” Bacon said. “I love to anchor because I can wrap up the race. We were neck and neck with the relay next to us and it pushed me go hard and amped me up to go faster.”

Mombello said, “We all had best times. The relay did great, Nathaniel had a great leadoff split. It was a great race and we did well.”

The Wreckers hope their surprising performance will help them in the future.

“It’s a young team and we hope to build on it,” Schare said.

Reprinted from the Westport News

Congratulations to Nathaniel and Zachary

Congratulations to Nathaniel Boley and Zachary Slater who have been named to The (Norwalk) Hour All-Area team.  In addition, Nathaniel was named to the Connecticut Post All-Star Swimming & Diving Team.  Great job!

Wreckers Take 7th Place at Class LL Championship

By Eliot Schickler

Placing as high as last year turned out not to be a problem for the Staples boys swimming team. Last year, Staples took sixth at the Class LL championships with three college-bound performers on the squad. The Wreckers placed seventh at the Class LL championships on Wednesday with 298 points at Wesleyan University, falling way short of sixth-place Ridgefield (399.5) and beating eighth-place Norwalk (220) by a convincing margin. Last year, Ridgefield, who moved up this year, took second in Class L, thus Staples virtually held place and didn’t lose to a team it beat last year.

“Starting all over is a difficult thing to do,” Wreckers Coach Jeff Schare said. “After what we graduated last year, it looked difficult, but we were able to match what we did last year and I’m very proud of them.”

Greenwich (664) easily won the 19-team field, beating second-place Fairfield Prep (555). After trials last Saturday, Staples was in seventh place.

“They matched expectations,” Schare said. “We had a great trial meet, which set us up for today. Everyone matched or bettered what they did on Saturday.”

Wreckers senior captain Cameron Bruce said, “I wasn’t surprised and I expected us to do well.”

Junior diver Zach Slater placed fifth in diving by scoring 347.10 points. Freshman Tanner Blank took 20th (222.50).

“I was really concentrated, I was having fun and I was trying my best,” Slater said. “It was one of my best performances and I felt I was on.”

Next up for Slater is State Open tomorrow morning at Yale University. Last year, he was seeded last but moved up the standings into 12th place. This year, he’s seeded 18th.

“It will help me on Saturday,” Slater said. “This meet was a warmup for Saturday. I hope to do as well or better than last year.”

Freshman Nathaniel Boley scored 41 points in individual events and contributed to the relays.

“I think I did OK,” Boley said. “My teammates did well and I was happy to support them.”

Boley’s best performance was in the 100-yard backstroke where he placed fifth with a time of 55.58 seconds. Following in him in the 100-back were sophomore Matt Wisher (56.79) and Bruce (58.25), who placed 10th and 18th, respectively.

“I got a good start and I worked to keep it up in the end,” Boley said.

Boley took eighth in the 200-yard freestyle (1:47.50). Junior Corey Bacon (1:53.17) was 16th in the 200-free.

“I had an OK race even though it wasn’t my best performance,” Boley said. “I focused on my turns and hitting the walls.”

Bacon (56.58) and junior Scott Feder (58.31) were 18th and 21st, respectively, in the 100-yard butterfly.

“I’m very happy with how I swam,” Bacon said. “There is room for improvement and I hope to improve on Saturday [tomorrow at the State Open at Yale], which is my main goal. I have to get ready for YMCA Nationals.”

Staples did well in relays with Boley and Bacon playing big roles. Boley, senior captain Mac Mombello, sophomore Kyle Bacon and Cory Bacon led the 200-yard freestyle relay team (1:32.81) to sixth place and in the 400-yard freestyle relay, Boley, Kyle Bacon, Wisher and Corey Bacon powered it to eighth place (3:27.78).

“We were really pumped and went in with a great heart,” Cory Bacon said. “We had a positive outlook and we were able to do it.”

Wisher, sophomore Joss Abel, Feder and Mombello carried the 200-yard medley relay team (1:44) to eighth place. Wisher (2:03.96), Abel (2:05.44) and Bruce (2:08.70) were 11th, 15th and 21st in the 200-yard individual medley. Mombello was 16th in the 100-yard freestyle (52.32) 23rd in the 50-yard freestyle (23.86).

Kyle Bacon took 21st in the 100-free (52.07). Abel was 11th in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:03.72) and junior Steve Siecienski scored a point by finishing 24th in the 500-yard freestyle (5:19.53. Siecienski dropped 3.73 seconds from trials.

“I’m extremely happy with our placement,” Bruce said. “A lot of guys stepped it up. Steve Siecienski did amazing in his 500. Everyone swam well, especially at trials. We peaked at the right time.”

Reprinted from the Westport News

Staples Swimmers Compete in State Championships

By Andy Hutchison

HAMDEN — Unlike most sports teams, in which entire lineups are in uniform in state tournaments, high school swimming teams are broken up and only the fastest make the cut for the state championships. In the case of the Staples High School boys’ swimming team, more than half of the team members got to the Class LL qualifying meet at Hamden High School on March 13.

Of 31 roster members, 18 were on hand for the competition as they contended for the right to swim in Wednesday’s championship meet at Wesleyan University in Middletown (after press time). That presence, Coach Jeffrey Schare and his swimmers pointed out, didn’t go unnoticed.

“When you come here with all of your teammates like that it’s a confidence booster,” Schare said. “That shows some depth.

”??The Wreckers went up against the best of the state’s Class LL swimmers, including perennial powerhouses Greenwich and Fairfield Prep. Among Staples’ top swimmers are some of the underclassmen, including freshman standout Nathaniel Boley, whom Schare said is the team’s best swimmer. As good as Boley is, this week marked the first time he’s experienced high school state championship swimming.

“It’s definitely nerve-wracking but it’s good to have the opportunity to be able to participate at such a high level of high school swimming,” Boley said.

The support of his teammates, and bonus of having so many of them on hand, is beneficial, Boley said. “It definitely makes it feel like we’re racing as a team,” he explained. “It’s good to have everybody’s support behind you when you swim. It’s good to have everyone here.”

Staples’ Zachary Slater placed fifth in the diving portion of the championships, which took place March 11 in Hamden, with a score of 347.10. Staples had several strong performances at the swim trials two days later.

The 200-yard medley relay team of Matthew Wisher, Joss Abel, Scott Feder and Edward Mombello placed seventh. Boley placed eighth in the 200 freestyle and was fifth in the 100 backstroke. Boley, Mombello, Kyle Bacon and Cory Bacon comprised the 200 free relay team which was sixth. The 400 free relay team of Boley, Kyle Bacon, Matthew Wisher and Cory Bacon, was eighth.

Complete results are available online at www.casciac.org. Staples’ best finishers will compete in the State Open, which brings together teams from all of Connecticut’s class sizes, at Yale on Saturday, March 20.

Reprinted from the Minuteman

LL Trials at Hamden

Please arrive at noon on Saturday , March 13th. Bus departs at 12:15 for Hamden and LL Trials.

Remember to hydrate and get plenty of sleep!

LL Diving

Congratulations to Zachary Slater and Tanner Blank who placed in the LL diving tournament.  Zach placed 5th with a score of 347.10 and has qualified for the State Open competition.  Tanner placed 20th with a score of 222.50.

Boley Leads Staples at FCIACs

By Eliot Schickler

March 10 - The Staples boys swimming team finished seventh at the FCIAC championships last Thursday with 161 points. Staples fell short to sixth-place Wilton (196) and beat eighth-place Norwalk (141).

“It was an impressive night of swimming and diving for Staples – every individual race and relay time was a personal best,” Wreckers Coach Jeff Schare said.

Host Greenwich (408), Westhill (308) took second and New Canaan (302) was third in the 11-team field.

Freshman Nathaniel Boley was Staples’ top swimmer and won two medals. Boley grabbed the silver medal with a second place finish in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 55.50 and took sixth in the 200-yard freestyle (1:46.76).

“I had some good swims and I was ready for my race,” Boley said. “Our team had good performances.”

He was followed by sophomore Matthew Wisher (56.20), who took home a bronze medal,, and senior captain Cameron Bruce (58.86, 12th place), respectively, in the 100-back. Junior Michael Goodgame also swam the 100-back (1:00.29).

“Matt and I were in the top heat and we were ready to score points,” Boley said.

Wisher said, “The atmosphere of the FCIAC championships was good, it was my last individual event and I went after it. I was surprised [because] I was a full second faster than trials. I was very happy and I hope to go faster at States.”

In the 200-free, junior Cory Bacon (1:51.64) and Goodgame (1:54.73) followed Boley, placing 11th and 16th, respectively.

“I got a pep talk from my teammates before the race and I was excited after the race,” Boley said.

Junior Zach Slater also medaled for the Wreckers, taking fourth in diving (354.50). Senior Matt Mirkine (235.25) took 13th in diving.

“The key to my performance at FCIACs was staying strong and trying to nail every dive,” Slater said. “I’ve been working hard recently trying new dives and trying to make old dives perfect. I was very crisp at FCIACs.”

All three Staples relays did well. Boley, senior captain Mac Mombello, sophomore Kyle Bacon and Cory Bacon led the 200-yard freestyle relay team (1:33.70) to sixth place. Cory Bacon, Kyle Bacon, Wisher and Boley powered the 400-yard freestyle relay team (3:29.60) to seventh place. Wisher, Abel, freshman Matt Wetmore and Mombello led the 200-yard medley relay (1:48.94) to eighth place.

In other individual events, Cory Bacon took 13th in the 100-yard butterfly (56.92) and Kyle Bacon was 14th in the 100-yard freestyle (52.30). Abel finished 14th in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:07.03) and Wisher was 16th in the 200-yard individual medley (2:09.12).

Next up for Staples will compete in the Class LL championships next Wednesday at Wesleyan University.

Reprinted from the Westport News

CIAC Tournament Team

Team Banquet – April 14th

Invitations were mailed last Saturday.   We have asked for a response by March 26th.  Contact Linda Bruce for details or if you have any questions. Thank you!

Staples All-County team members

Congratulations to our Staples All-County team members:

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