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The Lakeview High boys swim team won the Berkshire League title Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville. The newly opened school won its first league swim crown. (Steve Barlow/For Hearst Connecticut Media)
LAKEVILLE - The Lakeview High swim team Saturday captured the first Berkshire League championship in its brief school history, ending a 13-year stranglehold on the title by Northwestern, and it didn't surprise the Bobcats' coach one bit.
"I felt we were going to be league champs on day one," said Fran Marchand.
The Highlanders captured the league meet at the Hotchkiss School with 853.5 points to Lakeview's 683, but the overall BL crown is based on points accumulated in dual meets and at the BL meet. In the final BL standings, the Bobcats edged Northwestern 28-27.
Lakeview is in its second year of existence since the merger of the former Litchfield and Wamogo high schools. Litchfield last won the BL swim title in 2001 while Wamogo never accomplished the feat.
What enabled Lakeview, the runner-up in 2025, to pull off the triumph?
"First of all, we have three big guns in Elias (Krukar), Tucker (Marchand) and James (Campbell)," said Marchand, who coached Wamogo for six years before taking over Lakeview. "Those guys lead the rest of the team in how to practice hard, how to practice perfect - and it's contagious. The rest of the team followed them to the championship."
Krukar swept the 50 free and 100 free, winning in 21.82 and 47.97 seconds, respectively. Campbell dominated the distance swims, taking the 200 free in 1:52.08 and the 500 free in 5:11.18.
Both of them were also part of two winning relays for the Bobcats.
In the 200, they combined with Grant Parker and Nathaniel Stull to swim a BL-record time of 1:32.34, eclipsing the previous mark set in 2008 by Shepaug. In the 400, they joined Marchand and Sully Santovasi to swim a first-place time of 3:25.67.
If their coach was supremely confident at the start of the season, his top swimmers had more of a wait-and-see attitude.
"I knew we had the physical ability," said Campbell. "Whether we had the mental ability to bring out the kind of performances we needed when we needed them, that was a different question."
On Jan. 24, the Bobcats outswam the Highlanders 94-89 for the first time and repeated the feat on Feb. 3, 97-86. That put them in the driver's seat.
"After we beat Northwestern for the first time, it became a reality to us that we could beat them and win the championship," said Krukar.
The Bobcats arrived at Hotchkiss behind by 53 points after the diving competition, held separately before the meet, and knowing they needed to finish at least second to secure the BL title. Almost all of them swam their best times, according to Marchand.
"We came out of the first Northwestern meet with 38 lifetime best times," he noted. "Today, it was closer to 48, 49. That's kids who swam the best they ever have."
Northwestern won the 200 medley relay in a time of 1:44.48 and got a BL-record time of 54.47 in the 100 backstroke from Anthony Ficarola, breaking the 17-year-old mark set by Lewis Mills' Leon Gunzl.
"Every kid dropped their best times today," said Northwestern co-coach Jason DiMauro. "In the regular season, we struggled against a very, very good Lakeview team. They have some extreme superstars."
The Bobcats had one unusual aspect this season: three captains in Krukar, Campbell and fellow senior Elliot McArdle. Normally, there's just one.
"Coach couldn't decide on just one of us," Krukar said. "He felt each of us brought something the others lacked. Together, we really complemented each other."
Shepaug's Liam Denning was the high point scorer for boys. He won the 200 individual medley (2:02.61) and the 100 breaststroke (1:00.30) and was part of the Spartans' third-place 200 medley relay.
Shepaug's Victoria Bargellini was high point scorer for girls. She was second in the 100 fly, fourth in the 100 backstroke, and part of the Spartans' third-place 200 medley relay and sixth-place 200 free relay.
Berkshire League swim championships
Team results:Northwestern 853.5, Lakeview 683, Shepaug 377, Nonnewaug 250, Housatonic 84.5, Thomaston 31.
Individual results
200 medley relay: Northwestern (Anthony Ficalora, Reid Nadeau, Quinn McCormack, Braylen D'Amore) 1:44.48; 200 free: James Campbell (L) 1:52.08; 200 IM: Liam Denning (S) 2:02.61; 50 free:Elias Krukar (L) 21.82; Diving: Nicholas Neunzig 396.05 100 fly: Maddox Poythress (Non) 55.75; 100 free: Krukar (L) 47.97; 500 free:Campbell (L) 5:11.18; 200 free relay:Lakeview (Krukar, Grant Parker, Nathaniel Stull, Campbell) 1:32.34; 100 back: Ficarola (NW) 54.47; 100 breast: Denning (S) 1:00.30; 400 free relay: Lakeview: Krukar, Sully Santovasi, Tucker Marchand, Campbell) 3:25.76.
Final standings: Lakeview 28, Northwestern 27, Shepaug 17, Nonnewaug 10, Housatonic 3.
This article originally published at Lakeview captures its 1st Berkshire League swim title, ends Northwestern's 13-year reign.
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