The East Hampton High School boys swimming team finished in third place, behind West Islip and Hauppauge, in the League II meet at Hauppauge High School last Thursday, West Islip finished with 305 points, Hauppauge with 244, East Hampton with 219, Sayville-Bayport with 151, Northport with 113, Lindenhurst with 108, Deer Park with 82, and North Babylon with 62.
In other postseason action, East Hampton’s wrestling team tallied 30 points in the League V meet, 18 of them earned by Caleb Peralta, who was a finalist at 126 pounds. Santi Maya, a fellow senior, was decisioned by Kings Park’s Dean Renna 11-8 in the 132-pound quarterfinal round. Other Bonackers who reached the quarters were Josue Elias, at 110; J.P. Amaden, at 132; Luke Castillo, at 138; Augustus Hayess, at 152, and Aman Chugh, at 189.
East Hampton’s girls track team struggled at Sunday’s small schools indoor championship meet, failing to score a point “for the first time in a long time,” the team’s coach, Yani Cuesta, said, adding that “this was the first time, though, that we’ve taken so many to this meet. We’re still very young and inexperienced. They will be stronger and wiser next year.”
The 4-by-200-meter relay team of Khalila Martin, Dylan Cashin, Melina Sarlo, and Ryleigh O’Donnell placed seventh in that event; O’Donnell was eighth in the 1,500, and Cashin was ninth in the 3,000. Sarlo probably would have had a personal record in the long jump, Cuesta said, had her stride not been thrown off as the result of wearing spikes for the first time.
Briana Chavez, who placed 18th in the 3,000 in 12 minutes and 26.65 seconds, was the sole member of Cuesta’s team to turn in a personal best performance that day. “Briana has improved in each and every meet,” said the coach, adding that “it’s such a pleasure to watch an athlete grow and improve.”
As for the boys winter track team, its coach, Ben Turnbull, said that P.J. Ramundo had placed eighth in the small schools 3,200, giving him “an outside chance of racing at the state qualifier,” and that Brayan Rivera had finished 12th in the 1,600.
Back to swimming, Craig Brierley, the team’s coach, said in an emailed report that “we finished with three league champions — the 200 medley relay team of Nicky Badilla, Dan Piver, Tenzin Tamang, and Aidan McCormac; Tamang in the 200 individual medley, and Aidan McCormac in the 50 freestyle. We also finished with 22 lifetime best times as well, and if an athlete did not go a best time he was very close to it.”
The team had finished its regular season in third place.
The 200 medley relay team beat Hauppauge’s runner-up team by two seconds. Tamang beat his nearest competitor by seven seconds in the 200 individual medley. McCormac bested a field of 23 in the 50 free.
A number of others earned points for East Hampton. In the 200 free Piver and Luke Tarbet were seventh and eighth, and Emmet McCormac was 12th. Cristian Sigua was seventh in the 200 individual medley. In the 100 butterfly Tamang was second and Tarbet was seventh. In the 100 free Aidan McCormac was third and Badilla was fifth. In the 500 Piver was second, Owen Robins was fifth, and Daniel Rossano was 12th. The 200 free relay team of Tarbet, Ottavio Pettrocino, Tamang, and Aidan McCormac placed fifth. In the 100 backstroke Badilla was second and Sigua was fifth. Abe Stillman was 11th in the 100 breaststroke, and the 400 free relay team of Robins, Emmet McCormac, Piver, and Badilla came in third.
Sigua was named as swimmer of the meet by East Hampton’s captains. “As a freshman swimming in his biggest competition of his young career, Cristian handled himself like a veteran,” Brierley wrote. “He quietly accepted the responsibility that was asked of him and gave his absolute best.”
The county meet is to be Saturday at Stony Brook University, beginning at 10 a.m. East Hampton’s qualifiers include Tamang in the 200 individual medley, the 100 butterfly, the 100 freestyle, the 200 freestyle, and the 500 freestyle; Nicky Badilla, in the 200 individual medley, the 100 free, and the 100 backstroke; Aidan McCormac in the 50 free and 100 free; Tarbet in the 100 butterfly, and the 400 free relay team of Tarbet, Aidan McCormac, Tamang, and Dan Piver.