If the East Hampton boys swim team thought they were going to sail up to Ithaca College for the New York State championship meet on Friday and Saturday, their practice pool had other ideas. After battling illnesses and blizzards, Nick Chavez, Jasiu Gredysa, Liam Knight, Aidan Menu, and the alternate Zeb Ryan also had to deal with a broken boiler at the Y.M.C.A. East Hampton RECenter in the days leading up to their biggest meet of the year.
This is when teamwork makes the dream work. Lars Merseburg, whose son Oskar swims on the team, manages the Montauk pool and found time for the Bonackers to train there.
Craig Brierley, the head coach, said that was essential for the boys’ mind-set. “Having those practices leading to the travel day was most importantly a mental boost because the work they have been putting in prior had them as prepared to race as they would ever be.” And it appears that those practices did the trick. By the end of the state championship weekend, the Bonackers finished first among the Section XI teams competing, overcoming adversity to rise to the top.
Five days before leaving, the team wasn’t even sure they would have enough swimmers to race their relays. Gredysa got sick, but managed to recover in time. Ryan got sick four days later and wasn’t able to make the bus. “We missed his leadership and positive energy,” Coach Brierley said. “But Jasiu rallied enough to join and compete.”
On Friday, the first day of competition, the 200-yard medley relay team of Chavez, Gredysa, Knight, and Menu qualified for the finals with a 19th place finish of 1:39.15. The same group qualified for the finals in the 200-yard freestyle relay, finishing 14th with a time of 1:28.71. Knight struggled in the 200-yard freestyle qualifiers, having to jump back in the pool immediately after the medley relay. He finished 47th with a time of 1:52.14, but Brierley says he shook it off and kept his focus. Chavez also finished 47th in the 50-yard freestyle that day, with a time of 22.33. Brierley called it an impressive finish in a stacked field. Chavez went on to finish 21st in the 100-yard backstroke, with a time of 53.30, which earned him a spot in the finals. Knight finished 40th with a 56.04.
With everything on the line in the finals on Saturday, the team stepped it up big time, according to Coach Brierley. The 200-yard medley relay started the day off incredibly strong, earning all-state honors with an 18th-place finish of 1:39. That was their best time of the season.
They raced the 200-yard freestyle relay even faster, finishing 17th with a time of 1:28.64 that also earned them all-state honors. It was another season best in what Coach Brierley called a “blazing fast event.” Chavez went on to earn all-state honors in the 100-yard backstroke, finishing in 53.30. That time was good enough for 19th place, an impressive achievement on short rest after the relay.
An enormously supportive coach, Brierley praised all of his swimmers for their accomplishments leading up to the states. Chavez, a junior, qualified for this year’s state meet in two relays and two individual events, after just missing the 100-yard backstroke qualifying time in 2025. Brierley applauded his growth and said he’s excited to see what Chavez can do next season.
Gredysa, who swam on the varsity team for the first time this season, was an essential member of the relay teams, competing even while not at full strength. “A key relay contributor, [he] fought through illness, and delivered despite not being 100 percent. [His] teammates hugely appreciated his grit,” Brierley said.
Knight, the only senior in the group, was swimming at states for the second time. Brierley said, he “dropped blistering 20-point freestyle splits for the first time — his leadership drove the group’s success.”
As for Menu, it’s hard to believe that he’s only a freshman given his accomplishments this season, especially on the relay teams. “He swam with upperclassman poise and maturity,” Coach Brierley said. “Huge potential ahead!”
The Bonackers were supported in Ithaca by Kathy Masterson, East Hampton’s athletic director, who announced her retirement earlier this month. She’s spent her last two weekends rooting for Bonac swimming and wrestling upstate, enjoying every last moment before she steps down at the end of the school year. In his message to team families, Brierley said, “We want to give a special THANK YOU to our awesome athletic director, Kathy Masterson, for joining us at the meet.”
Following the championship meet, Brierley also took the opportunity to shout out his entire team for a successful season. Several of his swimmers will be recognized at the Section XI awards dinner later this year. In addition to the all-state honors, the 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay earned all-county honors. Chavez was awarded all-county honors in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke. Knight was also recognized for his 100-yard backstroke. On the all-league level, the 200-yard freestyle relay will be honored, along with Chavez in the 200-yard individual medley, Menu in the 50-yard freestyle, Gredysa in the 100-yard butterfly, and Knight in the 100-yard freestyle, capping off an exceptional season in the pool.
“From week one to week 16, the team showed huge growth — times consistently improved, relays sharpened, and we grew closer each week to create a strong team bond that fueled the success,” said Coach Brierley, complimenting the captains, “Liam, Zeb, and Dylan, for their leadership skills that lifted the team to new heights. Our alumni will be proud that this team has left the program in a better place from where they started.”
