CIAC State Open boys swim, dive preview and players to watch

History and depth speak for Greenwich. Coach Terry Lowe’s Cardinals have won 16 of the 21 State Opens played since 2000, including the last eight in a row. They dominated Thursday’s LL class meeting, scoring 924 points and finishing more than 400 in the lead. The Cardinals have tons of talent, led by jumper Whittaker Grover and swimmers Aiden Bucaria and Liam Flaherty, among others, but they also beat teams with numbers as their swimmers puncture the psyche for the faster runs. This is most evident in the relays, where the Cardinals own the No. 1 seed in all three races. Ridgefield, who finished second at the FCIAC and Class LL meetings, should cause quite a stir at the Open, with three-time state champions New Canaan (Class L) and Pomperaug (Class M) also in contention for the top 5. The Panthers have their own dynasty running and have won 13 state crowns since 2007, including three in a row.

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Whittaker Grover, Sr., Greenwich: The Yale-tied Grover has done nothing but win since joining the Cards as a freshman. He won four FCIAC titles in four years and holds the conference scoring record. He has also won two consecutive Class LL titles and a State Open crown after missing state meetings in his first and second seasons. Ben Bradley, Sr., Norwalk/McMahon: Bradley was just a point behind Grover in the LL finals and also finished second at the FCIAC meeting. The closest competitor was more than 70 points behind Grover and Bradley.

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Aiden Bucaria, Sr., Greenwich: Bucaria, who will swim for Boston College next year, picked up four gold medals at the Class LL meeting and is the No. 1 in the 100-meter breaststroke. Jack Clancy, Jr., Ridgefield: The junior won the 200 and 500 freestyles in the LL class and secured the top seed list in both races with the fastest times in the four class meetings. Elliott Lee, Jr Daniel Hand: The 2022 GameTimeCT All-State Swimmer of the Year continued to shine as a junior. He is the Class M 200 IM and 100 Butterfly Champion and has verbally accepted Yale. Peter Horan, Sr., Neustadt: The West Virginia team recorded two Class L victories on Thursday and is the top seed in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke. Deacon Mascarinas, Jr., New Canaan: Mascarinas helped lead the Rams to a treble by winning four races, two individual and two with relays, at the Class L meeting. Kalen Anbar, Sr., Norwalk/McMahon: The Duke commit is a contender for the 200 IM and 100 chest. Riley Twiss, Sr., Staples: In the LL final, the senior won the 100 butterfly and was runner-up in the 200 freestyle.

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