Greenwich High Wins Connecticut Class LL Girls State Title

2021 CIAC Class LL State Championships

• November 17, 2021
• New Haven, CT
• SCY 
• Full results

Top 5 teams

1. Greenwich 785
2. Ridgefield 610
3. Glastonbury 581
4. Staples 435
5. Hall 395

The Greenwich High School girls won the Connecticut Class LL late last month, continuing a state swimming dynasty that spans decades. The Cardinals have won 23 state titles since 1980, including dominating much of the last decade, winning the team title every year from 2010-2018. 

Greenwich was led by sophomore Payton Foster, who won the Cardinals only individual state title. Foster won the 500 free by over two seconds, touching in 4:58.56 ahead of Hall’s Meghan Tiernan. In her other individual event, Foster, who does her club swimming for Chelsea Piers, finished third in the 200 IM in 2:03.60. Both of those swims are off of her lifetime bests of 4:54.59 and 2:00.35. 

Foster also played a key role in Greenwich’s winning 200 medley relay as well, leading off with a 27.65 backstroke split, the second fastest in the field. She was joined by Michelle Weissler, Ceterina Li and Sena Bozkurt to take the state title in 1:47.14. 

The big star on the day was freshman sprinter Annam Olasewere of Staples High School who swept the sprint freestyles in state record fashion. Olasewere, who is Foster’s club teammate at Chelsea Piers, won the 50 free in dominant fashion, touching first in 22.67. She later returned to win the 100 free by almost a full second in 50.14, also a new state record. She also helped lead Staples to the state title in both the 200 and 400 free relay, anchoring the 200 relay in 22.55 and anchoring the 400 relay in 49.45. She was joined on both relays by seniors Jessica Qi and Ella Alpert along with her twin sister Ayaan Olasewere. 

Also winning two individual state titles was Trumbell’s Lauren Walsh, who won the 200 IM and 100 breast. Walsh, who qualified for last summer’s Wave I Olympic Trials while competing for Rapids Swim Team, narrowly won the 200 IM in 2:01.57. She outtouched Enfield-Somers senior Aislin Farris, a UNC commit, who finished second in 2:01.57. Walsh was dominant in her other individual race of the day, winning the state title in the 100 breast in 1:02.69 to top the field by nearly three seconds. Walsh remains a publicly uncommitted senior. 

Other individual event winners:

• 200 free: Avery Kudlac (Glastonbury): 1:52.25
• 100 fly: Kathleen Murray (Ludlowe): 55.80
• 100 back: Aislin Farris (Enfield-Somers): 56.82