The Bonac boys swim team remains undefeated in League II, improving its record to 3-0 after a decisive 77-31 home win over Lindenhurst High School on Dec. 15. The Bulldogs brought a small squad to East Hampton and were unable to fill every event, creating opportunities for the Bonackers to test new waters.
“We asked many of the boys to step up and race in new or additional events outside their usual lineup,” said Coach Craig Brierley. “That naturally brought some nervous energy to the deck, but the team rose to the challenge beautifully.”
Liam Knight, a captain, qualified for the New York State meet with an impressive 54.44 in the 100-yard backstroke. His fellow captain, Zeb Ryan, qualified for the Section XI meet with a 1:02.33 in the 100-yard butterfly and was named the team’s swimmer of the meet for his performance.
“Zeb has been focused on his season goal of making the county meet qualifying time in the 100 butterfly and when he accomplished that milestone he was thrilled,” Brierley said. “His fellow captains wanted to recognize not just the result, but the dedication, hard work, and consistent effort Zeb has put in day after day to make it happen.”
More than a dozen swimmers posted personal best times at the meet. The 200-yard freestyle C relay team of Oliver Coppola, Levon Muse, Tony Pillajo, and Sebastian Ruiz swam a personal best of 2:02.09. The 400-yard freestyle B relay also clocked a best time of 3:56.26 thanks to strong swimming from Knight, Pema Edwards, Ronan Walters, and Dylan Knapik.
The Bonackers had a second meet that week, the third annual Long Island Challenge at the Farmingdale Aquatic Center on Dec. 18. Swimmers must qualify for the competition — a face-off between Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Four Bonac swimmers made the cut — Nick Chavez, Jasiu Gredysa, Knight, and Aidan Menu. Unfortunately, Gredysa and Menu fell prey to the illness going around this holiday season and were unable to participate. That meant the team had to cancel its relay. In spite of that, Chavez and Knight performed well.
“Despite the setbacks, the meet was incredibly fast,” Brierley said. “Our two participating swimmers rose to the occasion with outstanding performances and earned enough points to place 18th out of 29 teams.”
Knight finished fourth in the 200-yard freestyle with a 1:46.6, good for his second state-qualifying time of the week. He also swam a personal best in the 100-yard freestyle, shaving off .3 seconds to finish in 49.13, which earned him a sixth-place finish.
Chavez took 10th place in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:04.39. He also dropped .3 seconds from his 100-yard backstroke, finishing seventh with a 54.08.
While the team enjoys some time off over the holidays, Brierley said the swimmers will still be working toward their goals. “Consistency remains key. The more the swimmers can stay committed to our training plan — even with the holiday schedule — the stronger they’ll be positioned to achieve their personal goals, perform at their best in upcoming meets, and peak when it matters most at championships.”
