Norfolk Teens on the Winning Team

By Kailyn Patrick Nadeau  

Powered by six Norfolk athletes and 25 of their teammates, the Northwestern Regional 7 swim team held their own against Prospect’s Woodland High School in the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class S State Tournament on March 18 in West Hartford—until the very last race of the day.

It was their big chance to take the title, and it all came down to the very last race when Northwestern was one point below Woodland. If the team placed ahead of Woodland in the 400-freestyle relay, they would clench the state championship. The crowd roared and, for a moment, time seemed to stand still. When reality hit, their hearts sank, as Woodland won the Class S tournament with 489 points to Northwestern’s 486.  

Though their hearts were broken, Northwestern’s swimmers recovered when they realized they finished as the runner up—. a first in the team’s long history. Let’s face it, second place out of 22 teams, is something to be proud of! Their resilience is just one of the things that makes them great. 

Led by coaches Jason and Mary DiMauro, diving coach Chris Royer and Norfolk’s own Jake Green, practices are held six days a week in the pool with additional “dry land” practice before pool time on Saturday mornings. At the local level, Northwestern swim and dive has dominated the Berkshire League Championships for the past 12 years and 2025 was no exception, winning their 13th consecutive title on March. 

Their collective heart really scores points. Each year, the team chooses a local person or family who may be struggling, to raise funds for in their annual Swim-A-Thon event. Each swimmer asks friends, family, neighbors and even teachers to sponsor them, either with a monetary promise per lap or a flat donation. This year, they worked together to raise $15,800for a Northwestern student battling cancer. 

Six swimmers from Norfolk were on the team this year, proudly representing our little town. They include senior and co-captain, Carter Nadeau; juniors Brett Olson and Wilson DeShazo (all lifeguards at Tobey Pond), and freshmen Alexandra Luciano, Landon Nadeau and Reid Nadeau. 

Each of these teens met personal bests this season. If you see them around town, please offer your congratulations for another amazing season! 

The swim and dive team will be holding a bingo night fundraiser on April 5 at the Little Red Barn Brewers in Winsted. All money raised will go towards Saturday morning pool rentals and other team expenses. For tickets visit https://forms.gle/cDAADQuByXkM1hHC8 and for the buffet, https://fundraiser-jzqmc.tripleseattickets.com/registration/select