When it comes to the FCIAC Boys Swimming Championships each season, it’s simply Greenwich High School and then everyone else.

History shows that the Cardinals have been the gold standard in the FCIAC and state for numerous decades and history repeated itself when the finals of the 2026 FCIAC Championships was held before a jam-packed crowd at Greenwich High School on Feb. 25th.

Winning seven events, posting four 1-2 finishes and producing a pool full of standout swims, Greenwich continued its amazing dynasty, capturing the team title at the FCIAC Championships for the 55th time in 56 seasons. The Cardinals finished the 11-event swim portion of the FCIAC Championships with 540 team points, then added on to that impressive total when their divers excelled at the FCIAC Diving Championships at Westhill High School on Feb. 26th.

Ridgefield placed second in the team standings at the FCIAC championship meet with 323 points before the diving portion of the meet and Wilton was third (307 points). Darien (193) and Staples (188) rounded out the top-five finishing squads at the FCIAC finals. Besides winning the FCIAC championship 55 times over 56 years, the Cardinals have won the title every year since 2008 under the guidance of legendary head coach Terry Lowe.

Indeed, Lowe was proud of his well-prepared team following another brilliant effort at the FCIAC Championships in which they made their mark in every event.

“It’s incredible how far these kids have come,” Lowe said after GHS won another FCIAC championship. “This was not a championship team at the beginning of the year. Now it looks like we have a real shot to go all the way to the State Opens.”

The Cardinals are captained by seniors Colin Bucaria, Charlie Koven and Wim McCarthy, all of whom have displayed exceptional leadership and skill throughout what is becoming, another season to remember, for Big Red.

“Everyone performed so well, I’m super happy with how everyone did, from the youngest guys to the older guys, it was pretty special,” Koven said. “It’s special to have FCIACs at home every year. Just one last time swimming at this pool – everyone left it out there. It was a really great time.”

“This team overperformed much more than we were expecting,” McCarthy said. “We had a bunch of season-bests, personal-bests. Everyone came out and performed as best they could, that’s all we could ask for.”

Koven gave Greenwich its first victory at the FCIAC Championships. He claimed the gold medal in the 200-yard freestyle race, touching the wall in 1:45.32. Teammate Hunter Bodey, a junior, finished a blink of an eye next, placing second in 1:45.35. Ridgefield junior Neil Kelly took third (1:45.54) and freshman Trevor Nelson gave GHS additional team points in the 200 freestyle, finishing 10th (1:48.93).

“The 200 free might be one of my favorite races ever,” Koven noted. “I saw going into that last turn that Hunter was right with me all the way across the pool and it was kind of a dog fight to the end. We train next to each other every day all the time.”

Bucaria won the next event for Greenwich, the 200-yard individual medley. Bucaria captured the FCIAC title in the 200 IM, clocking in at 1:55.93. The Cards also went 1-2 in this race, with sophomore Matt Bergner finishing second with a time of 1:57.64. Lucas Fontana of Wilton was third (1:58.08) and the Cardinals received a fifth and sixth place finish from junior Connor McMahon (2:02.97) and freshman Augustus Schuhmacher (2:03.23).

“Every year we’re pretty high in the competition, so it’s always the standard,” Bucaria said of the Cardinals adding to their collection of FCIAC championships. “We’re a really young team this year, so I’m really proud of all the young guys. We had a lot of outbreak swims. We’re a developing team and I’m excited to see what the young guys do.”

The Cardinals went 1-2 in the 50-yard freestyle as well, with sophomore Carl Johnson swimming to the FCIAC title in 21.92 seconds, giving the team 20 more points to its total. McCarthy swam a time of 22.20, good for the silver medal and Ridgefield junior Graham Muncy was third (22.53). Freshman Hudson Maciejewski finished fifth (22.56) and senior Giorgio Michailides (22.70) placed sixth for Greenwich in the 50 freestyle finals.

“I’m so proud of this team because of how hard it is to come to this level,” said Lowe, who paid tribute to the Cardinals’ captains. “They are great captains, they’re great team leaders and one of the reasons we are where we are.”

At the FCIAC Diving Championships, held on Feb. 26 at Westhill High School, Greenwich was sparked by Niko Kassaris, who earned a strong second place finish. Kassaris totaled 498.80 points over 11 rounds on the 1-meter diving board. Jake Simon of Darien claimed the FCIAC diving championship, earning 527.60 points.

The Cardinals were also paced by Matthew McFarlane’s third-place finish at the FCIAC diving finals. McFarlane totaled a score of 447.25 points and teammate Riley Anderson also rose to the important occasion, placing fifth (345.60).

Koven was the FCIAC champion in the 100 freestyle, winning the race in 47.71 seconds. Hirsh Iyer from Wilton, a senior, was the runner-up (48.09), while Neil Kelly of Ridgefield finished third (48.15). Senior William Hanna had a sixth-place finish in 49.24, Johnson took ninth (49.15) and Michailides was 11th (51.02) for the Cards.

Koven is undefeated so far this season in the 100 freestyle, an event he’s obviously dominated. He’s highly impressed with the work ethic and commitment the championship team has exhibited.

“This team is really amazing,” Koven said. “All year long, we’ve worked so hard. Everyone works together; we all go through it together. We have a tough training schedule. Everyone stays home during vacation; we have two practices a day with a weight session in between. They have bought into the program and I think that’s why we’ve been so successful.”

Jack Smith, also a senior, touched the wall first in the 500-yard freestyle for Greenwich. Smith earned the gold medal with a speedy time of 4:48.22. Teammate Trevor Nelson, a freshman, was second in the 500 (4:51.08), followed by Ridgefield freshman Tommy Casey (4:51.23). Greenwich freshman Henry DeHaven placed fourth in the 500 freestyle, clocking in at 4:54.84. Christopher McCauley, also of GHS, a freshman, was ninth (5:05.29) in the 500.

The Cardinals’ first relay win at the FCIAC Championships came in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Hudson Maciejewski, Bergner, Johnson and Koven combined for a winning time of 1:28.61, giving the Cards 40 team points in the process. Ridgefield was the runner-up in the 200 freestyle relay.

In the 200-yard medley, which began the FCIAC finals, Greenwich finished second, with Bodey, Augustus Schuhmacher, McCarthy and Johnson registering a time of 1:37.60. Wilton won the 200 medley relay title (1:36.51). The 400 freestyle relay, which ended the meet, saw Hanna, McCarthy, Bucaria and Koven combine for a second-place finish in 3:13.25. Ridgefield swam to a first-place finish in the event (3:12.90).

“‘I’m glad to see everyone around me put their best effort out there,” McCarthy noted. “We still have a lot to improve, so I’m excited to see where we end up. We can always put together a really solid relay. We have a lot left, we have time and we’ll make the best of it.”

“This meet was really critical as far as showing that we can step it up,” Lowe said. “We had four one-two finishes in the meet. The 400 free relay will give us a little incentive. Swim for swim, we were really doing a great job.”

Bergner had Greenwich’s best finish in the 100 butterfly, placing fifth with a time of 53.87 seconds. Junior Dane Paulson was eighth for GHS (56.84) and teammate Nathan Rudolph, a junior, took 10th (56.55).

Bodey claimed the gold medal for the Cardinals in the 100-yard backstroke. Bodey swam a 52.68, edging Wilton’s Hirsh Iyer for the 100 backstroke championship. The Cards earned plenty of points in the backstroke, with Hannah (54.16), McCarthy (54.84) and DeHaven (55.58) finishing, fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.

In the 100 breaststroke, Bucaria placed second in 59.76. Wilton senior Sam Jacobson won the race in 58.63. Schuhmacher, McMahon and Smith were fourth, sixth and ninth, respectively, in the breaststroke for GHS.

“I really wanted to get double gold, I’m not going to lie, but it worked out,” Bucaria said. “There was great competition, great swims, I’m proud of my team, they kept me going. So, it was a great day.”

Bucaria reflected on being a part of another FCIAC title-winning squad and his time as a member of Greenwich’s swimming team.

“It’s one of the best swimming experiences,” he said. “High school is so competitive, we’re all so tight knit, we’re training hard together all the time. It’s a great experience to swim together.”

Now that the Cardinals have added another FCIAC championship trophy to their collection, they’re seeking more title-winning hardware. The CIAC Class LL Championships.

The finals of the CIAC Class LL Swimming Championships takes place March 10th and the CIAC State Open Swimming Championships is scheduled to be held on March 14th. Greenwich has won the team title at the Class LL and State Open 11 straight seasons.

“We want to keep dropping time,” Bucaria said. “It’s only down from here. It’s early in the championship season. We’re all going to get faster.”