It’s rare to bask in the warm sunshine at East Hampton High School in spring. More often than not, parents are bundled in down coats and fleece blankets, whatever sport they’re watching. But on May 16, parents from 25 schools and 38 track and field teams cheered on 707 male and female athletes from across eastern Long Island at the East End Classic, with bright blue skies and temperatures in the 70s. Sean Knight, East Hampton’s head track and field coach, had to remind his athletes to hydrate as they sat in the sun.
The Bonackers put on quite a show for fans that day, with several standout performances on both the boys and girls teams.
Liam Knight, a senior, set his second 400-meter school record in just two days. He finished in 49.5 seconds, placing second at the invitational, after running 49.9 seconds in a dual meet against West Islip last Thursday. After the event, he raced home to jump in an ice bath before returning to take third place in the 200 meters, with a time of 23.08.
Halfway through his 400-meter run, Knight had no idea he was running that fast. “I thought I was going slower than my record. At the last 100, I looked at the clock and thought ‘Oh, crap. I can destroy it.’ ”
His father, Coach Knight, was beaming with pride. “I’ve never seen someone put in the work day to day like that kid does. He leaves school, goes home and lifts, goes to track, then goes to swim, then at night he’s either using the leg machines or he’s sitting in an ice tub. His recovery methods are unbelievable.”
Liam Knight gave some of the credit to the team’s new starting blocks. Donated by the Kendall Madison Foundation and approved by Sharon Bacon, the blocks are, he believes, a Bonac advantage.
“The new blocks are amazing. Having them is just a big confidence booster ‘cause I know I have the best of the best right behind me. We definitely take excellent care of them. We store them in the car and make sure there is no dirt on them,” he said.”
Clash Zamora, a track athlete with Down Syndrome, ran his first 1,600-meter race in 8:32.96. Zamora, who normally races 5Ks around 11 minutes per mile, said his stomach hurt afterward because he ran so fast.
“My man Clash has been preparing for this race for the last two months,” said Thomas Brierley, an assistant track and field coach. “And he’s a very busy athlete. He does the unified bowling, he does the unified basketball, and then when he has the time he comes out and runs with us. The fact that he came out with us today and did this mile shows how much determination this kid has.”
Jasper Samuelson, a sophomore, won the 800-meter run in 2:00.79 and was outstanding in the 1,600 meters finishing in 4:32.63, which was good for second place overall and first among the freshman and sophomores. Watts Comly-Bolick, a sophomore, took second among the underclassmen with a 4:45.18 in the 1,600 meters before winning the open 3,200 meters in 10:38.36. Max Bellenoue, a senior, led the second heat of the open 1,600 meters in 4:55.58.
“All around the boys’ mile was amazing,” Bellenoue said. “That was my best all-season but shy of my best overall by a couple of seconds. The East End Classic is always fast. It was a fun race.”
The girls track and field team also broke a school record and celebrated its class of 2026 at the Classic, sending off 10 graduating seniors.
“These young athletes have been the backbone of our program,” said Nick DeLuca, their assistant coach. “They’ve competed with heart, supported their teammates, and represented our school with pride.”
Sara O’Brien, a captain and five-year distance runner, and hurdler, set a new school record in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles, with a 65.99. That was a personal record for O’Brien, and broke the previous school record of 67 seconds set by Crystal Winter in 2000. O’Brien finished second in that race. Next fall, she heads to Trinity College, where she will major in marine biology and run track and field.
“It just hasn’t hit me yet, maybe because I’m running in college. I’m just so excited to continue and excited that this season and this team have been so awesome and has benefited me so much,” O’Brien said.
Leah McCarron, a four-year sprinter, jumper, and thrower, won the shot put, throwing 31 feet, .75 inches. She’s heading to UMass Boston to major in exercise science and compete on the track and field team.
“I’ve still got four more years of this so I can’t get too sad right now. I’m going to do the [Boston] marathon. I’ve never done a marathon,” McCarron said. “I’ve met my best friends through this team. The seniors this year are some of my closest friends, amazing people. And today, it’s an amazing day.”
Abby Bermeo joined the team for the first time this season and became one of Bonac’s core discus throwers. She’ll be attending the Worcester Polytechnic Institute for architectural engineering.
Angie Castillo is a four-year sprinter who has become a leader in the pole vault. She placed third in the classic, reaching 7 feet. Castillo will be attending Barnard College, where she will major in human rights in the pre-law program.
Vicky Chen, a team captain and three-year sprinter, jumper, and pole vaulter, won the pole vault, reaching 8 feet, 6 inches. She also took fourth place in the high jump, with a personal record of 4 feet. Chen will be attending Northeastern University, where she will major in business administration and marketing.
Elizabeth Daniels, a three-year shot-putter and discus thrower, took fifth place in the discus, with a throw of 76 feet, 2 inches. Daniels is heading to Central Connecticut University where she will major in biology and compete in Division 1 swimming.
Sophia Figueroa, a four-year sprinter, jumper, and hurdler, took third place in the 100-meter high hurdles, with a season’s best 17.12. She will attend Rochester Institute of Technology where she will major in industrial design and architecture.
Amy Fleming, a first-year shot putter and discus thrower, took 10th in both events, throwing 61 feet, 1 inch in the discus and 21 feet, 5.75 inches in the shot put. She’s off to Curry College where she’ll major in special education and psychology
Bennett Greene, a captain and four-year runner, has become a star in the 1,500 meter racewalk. She came in third, finishing in 8:37.72. Greene will attend SUNY Cortland, where she plans to major in anthropology.
Shirley Jiang, a four-year athlete, has done everything from sprinting and distance to throwing and jumping. She will attend Cornell University and major in environment and sustainability.
Both the boys and girls track and field teams will be sending athletes to the Suffolk County Championship meets later this month. Seeding takes place tonight.
