The first meet after winter break was a wild one for the Bonac boys swim team. The head coach, Craig Brierley, called the adventure on the road “one for the books.”
The team shared a bus with boys hoops, and after battling heavy traffic to drop the basketball team in Hauppauge, the swimmers arrived in Sayville too late for a full warmup. After two weeks off and with an unusual pool before them, the Bonackers battled for the league win.
“Sayville’s pool is 25 meters long — instead of the 25-yard short-course most of our home and league pools use. That extra length per lap — about 10 percent more distance — changes stroke rhythm, turn timing, and pacing,” Brierley said.
The swim team rose to the challenge and came home with its fourth win of the season, defeating Sayville 77-65 and improving its record to 3-0 in League II and 4-2 over all, with several swimmers achieving personal bests.
“The boys handled it like champions,” Brierley said. “They raced with heart and delivered a number of best times throughout. We’re proud of how they turned every obstacle into fuel for performance.”
Sebastian LeChartier, a Southampton High School freshman, was the swimmer of the meet, selected by the captains for his dedication and 30.12-second performance in his 50-yard backstroke leg of the 200-yard medley relay.
“Sebastian has shown true commitment from day one: always showing up to training, putting in hard work in the pool, and bringing a relentless work ethic every single practice. Another thing that makes him especially valuable is his versatility — he can step into any event when we need him, giving us real flexibility when building the lineup. No matter what stroke or distance he’s asked to swim, you can count on Sebastian to give it everything he’s got for the team. Way to Go, Sebastian!”
Among the other outstanding performances, Liam Knight swam a Section XI meet qualifier in the 100-yard breaststroke, finishing in 1:07.23, a personal best. Knight also had a personal best time of 22.7 seconds in his 50-yard freestyle leg of the 200-yard medley relay.
Luca Speranza achieved a personal record of 36.86 seconds for his 50-yard breaststroke leg of the 200-yard medley relay. Chris Walters had personal bests in two relays: finishing his 50-yard breaststroke leg of the 200-yard medley relay in 40.92 seconds and his 100-yard leg of the 400-yard freestyle relay in 1:16.76.
Nick Chavez set a personal record of 23.11 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle. Dylan Knapik achieved a personal record of 1:08.05 in the 100-yard butterfly. Aidan Menu lowered his personal best to 5:48.86 in the 500-yard freestyle. Owen Grisch swam a personal best of 27.37 seconds in his 50-yard leg of the 200-yard freestyle relay, while Ronan Walters swam a personal best of 26.74 seconds in his 50-yard leg of the 200-yard freestyle relay.
The boys are now in the peak competition phase of their season. Coach Brierley says their training is ramping up and they’re setting new goals, with the Sayville meet giving them solid momentum heading into the back half of the season.
