A Weston hurrah at Olympic swim trials
Last week's US Olympic swimming trials in Omaha provided an informal reunion for former Weston High stars Brian Kelly, a recent graduate of Brown University, and Eric Nilsson and Eliza Butts, who will enter their senior and junior years, respectively, at Northwestern University and the University of North Carolina.
Although the trio did not advance to any of the final heats against the elite competition, they had qualified for the competition in several events.
Kelly, recipient of Brown's Thomas Temple Award for dedication and sportsmanship and the Ken Miller Scholar-Athlete Award, finished 94th in the 100-meter freestyle and 31st in the 50-meter freestyle.
Nilsson was 22d overall in the 400-meter freestyle, with his time of 3:55:50 just under a second short of qualifying him for the second round. He also was 32d in the 200-meter butterfly and 34th in the 200-meter freestyle. Butts finished 94th in the 100-meter freestyle.
Kelly, a two-time Globe All-Scholastic while swimming for Weston, capped his high school career with his fourth Dual County League All-Star selection after setting the school record in the 100 freestyle. He also helped lead the Wildcats to their sixth consecutive Division 2 state championship by finishing second in the 100- and 200-meter freestyles at states.
Named the Globe's Swimmer of the Year twice, Nilsson was a member of three state championship teams at Weston, where he holds multiple swim records, and earned multiple high school All-America honors. A former Massachusetts Swimmer of the Year, he was also a three-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American.
Butts, who began competing in club swimming at age 7, was a three-time Globe All-Scholastic and two-time Globe Swimmer of the Year who set state records in the 50 and 100 freestyle and was a state champion in four events her senior year. She earned high school All-America honors in four events and was twice named the Massachusetts high school Swimmer of the Year.
Lightning strikes for state soccer crown
The Dover-Sherborn Soccer Club's Lightning boys' 14-and-under team won its division for the first time at the recent Massachusetts Youth Soccer Tournament of Champions in Lancaster. Winners of the Boston Area Youth Soccer Division 2, the Lightning reeled off eight consecutive victories to sweep through the playoffs and then defeat Revere, 1-0, in the state title game.
"Our first tournament together was in third grade at the Medway Cup. We went 0-4," recalled head coach David Cottrell, who is assisted by Ty Howe, Fred Jordan, and Peter Szuch. "We did not score one goal. Teams were only putting four and five kids on the field against us so as not to run up the score. The players on this team have come a long way."
The Lightning players - Benjamin Newbert, Michael Reavill, Christopher Flight, Zak Garrett, Sam Hunter, Tucker Cottrell, Charles Blizard, Toby Howe, Jake Grossbaum, Walker Littlehale, Steven Aston, Perry Fitz, Sean Forward, Geoffrey Stevens, Jackson Szuch, Sam Jordan, Ryan Rizzo, and Bradley Miles - finished 15-1-2 overall while outscoring opponents 68-12.
Marvin Pave can be reached at 508-820-4223 or marvin.pave@rcn.com.
