Lakeville swimmer heads to nationals

LAKEVILLE — Later this month, Phoebe Conklin, 14, will swim in three events at the YMCA National Long Course Swimming Championships in Ocala, Florida.

The decorated swimmer has been racking up records for the past few years with the Northwest Connecticut YMCA Lasers Swim Team. Now in her third season with the team, Conklin qualified for nationals in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly.

“I’m excited to get to a new level of swimmers,” said Conklin before a recent practice at the Winsted YMCA pool.

To make nationals, she met the qualifying time standards for each event.

“The qualifying times are designed for 18-year-olds,” said Lasers coach Dave Steel. “For a 14-year-old... just to make the meet is an accomplishment.”

Steel has coached Conklin since she was 10. “She broke one of the team records her second week on the team and she’s been breaking records ever since.”

When asked who she looks up to in the swimming world, Conklin pointed to her two teammates that also qualified for the national meet: Elias Krukar of Goshen and Anthony Ficalora of New Hartford. Both are 17 years old and have been with the Lasers since 2016.

“They always push me, and they always encourage me to make sure I’m the best I can be,” said Conklin.

Krukar will compete in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle and Ficalora qualified for the 100-meter backstroke.

“They’re two rabbits for her to chase,” said Steel, noting that three Florida-bound swimmers is a single-season record for the Lasers.

With nationals scheduled for July 28 to Aug. 2, the athletes were utilizing their remaining practice time to fine tune mechanics.

“The whole season we’ve been conditioning. Now towards the end we’re doing more technique like hand placement in the water,” said Ficalora.

From left, Anthony Ficalora, Phoebe Conklin and Elias Krukar qualified for the national YMCA swim meet.Photo by Riley Klein

“And how our bodies are moving through the water,” Krukar added.

“We’re all sprinters so we’re at the point where it’s like the tiny stuff we need to change about our race,” Conklin explained.

Conklin graduated Salisbury Central School last month and is heading to Housatonic Valley Regional High School this fall. Her parents, Megan and John, both work at Salisbury Central and brother Hunter is a rising senior at HVRHS.

Megan Conklin, first grade teacher at SCS, said she was overjoyed when her daughter qualified for the national meet. “I was at The Boathouse and John called me with her time. I had to go out in the driveway because I was sobbing, I was so excited,” she said. “This has been her dream.”

Northwest Connecticut YMCA Chief Executive Officer Brian Ohler congratulated the three swimmers on their accomplishments and praised coach Steel for the success of the program.