Bonac Boys Swimming Bounces Back With Win After Season-Opening Loss

The East Hampton/Pierson/Bridgehampton boys swim team rebounded from its season-opening nonleague loss to Half Hollow Hills/Kings Park on November 28 with a 79-69 victory over Deer Park/North Babylon on December 7 at the East Hampton YMCA RECenter.

Feeling confident going into the meet, Bonac head coach Craig Brierley said that confidence only grew after his team took first and third place in the opening event, the 200-yard medley relay. Liam Knight, Nicky Chavez, Emmet McCormac and Owen Robins took first place in 1:53.19, while Cristian Sigua, Abe Stillman, Jack O’Sullivan and Jack Ziemer placed third in 2:04.22.

The Swimmer of the Meet, chosen by East Hampton senior captains McCormac, O’Sullivan and Robins, was Sigua, an East Hampton junior, for his willingness and efforts in his races. Nursing an ankle injury leading up to last week’s meet, Sigua did what he could to make sure he was physically ready. Although unsure of his capabilities, he still declared himself ready, and thanks to his efforts in the three relays that he swam in that contributed 18 points to the team’s point total, he played a big part in the team’s victory.

“Cristian is a hard-working member of the team,” Brierley wrote in his weekly write up. “His decision to compete in the meet was an inspiration to his teammates.”

A number of Bonac swimmers swam qualifying times for the Section XI Championship. Knight, who qualified for the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard individual medley in the season opener, added the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke to his list. McCormac also qualified in the 50 free, Chavez qualified in the 200-yard individual medley and the 200 medley relay team that took first place last week also qualified for counties.

The Bonac swim team will be the “Little Engine That Could” this season with just 16 swimmers on the roster, which is considerably smaller than previous seasons. Brierley, who will continue to coach the team this season with Thomas Brierley, couldn’t pinpoint why exactly the boys team is small this season, joking “maybe the colder pool water in the winter is discouraging.”

But added, “we don’t require experience as we love to teach students to swim. I am going to have to do a better job at recruiting — never had to before.”

Six of the 16 on the roster hail from Pierson, to which Brierley said, “thank goodness for the Pierson boys. We are lucky and glad to have them.”