Three Teams at the Top of Their Games

When Kathy McGeehan was asked Monday if the East Hampton High School girls volleyball team she coaches should be considered league champs, she said, “Oh my God, don’t say that . . . this league may not be decided until the last ball hits the floor.”

McGeehan’s crew, 9-0 as of that day in league play, and 10-0 over all, was to have played a tough opponent, Islip, yesterday, has Miller Place at home Monday, and finishes up the regular season with Westhampton Beach, its perennial rival, at home next Thursday.

Meanwhile, the team is to play in a high-powered tournament in Horseheads, N.Y., near Elmira, this weekend. East Hampton and Elwood-John Glenn, an undefeated Class B team (East Hampton’s an A) are to be Suffolk’s representatives.

In its sole match this past week, East Hampton defeated Amityville 3-0. Madyson Neff led the way offensively with 10 kills, Elle Johnson had 30 assists, the team recorded 15 aces, and Molly Mamay had 12 digs.

Likewise, Craig Brierley, East Hampton’s girls swimming coach, demurred when on Monday this writer asked if his team, 4-0 that day in League III meets, hadn’t wrapped up its second league title in a row — last year’s being its first ever.

Today’s meet with once-defeated Harborfields at the Y.M.C.A. East Hampton RECenter is the last of the regular season. Brierley said he thought his team, which has only two seniors on it, had a good chance to win.

In the past week, Bonac’s swimmers had wins over Stony Brook, a nonleague opponent, and West Islip.

“We had five first-place finishes in the 11 events at Stony Brook, including two of the three relays,” Brierley said in an emailed account. “There were only four lanes, which helped keep the meet exciting, though Bonac poured it on in the final three events [the 100 backstroke, the 100 breaststroke, and the 400 freestyle relay] to win the meet 53-40.”

At West Islip — another school with a four-lane pool — last Thursday, East Hampton nevertheless won easily. “Again, we were limited to only two entries per event,” said the coach, “instead of the usual three, which again made for an exciting meet.”

“Oona Foulser won the 200 freestyle by 1.14 of a second; Jane Brierley posted a blistering 24.90 in winning the 50 free, missing the state cut by .06, but qualifying for the county meet in that event; Emma Wiltshire swam a lifetime best 1:02.00 in winning the 100 free, and Sophia Swanson dropped 10 seconds from her time in the 500, which she won in a county-qualifying time of 5:38.67.”

Emily Dyner, for recording a personal best in the 100 backstroke and a near-best in the 100 butterfly, was named as swimmer of the Stony Brook meet by the captains, who, according to Brierley, “appreciate the freshman’s hard work and consistency in taking on challenging events like the 100 fly and 100 back throughout the season.”

Jane Brierley, an eighth grader, was dubbed swimmer of the West Islip meet. “The captains,” said the coach, “were in awe of Jane’s determination in her races [the 50 free and 100 breast, each of which she won] and how she consistently has given a maximum effort in any race she has been in all season. . . . She’s been showing great promise.”

While the girls volleyball and girls swimming coaches weren’t quite ready to claim a league title on Monday, 

Rich King, in his first year as the golf coach, was. 

By virtue of his team’s recent 6-3 win here at the South Fork Country Club over Westhampton Beach, the Bonackers finished at 8-2 in league play, a mark that tied them with Westhampton for the league championship. Southampton, which was to have played Pierson Monday, may have made it a three-way tie at the top.

“We played our best golf of the season here against Westhampton,” said King, whose lineup comprised Turner Foster, a senior, at one, Nate Wright, a senior, at two, J.P. Amaden, an eighth grader, at three, Trevor Stachecki, an eighth grader, at four, Ryan Bahel, a senior, at five, and Aiden Cooper, a sophomore, at six.

The league qualifiers are to be played at the Rock Hill Country Club in Manorville next Thursday. The county championships (Foster won two years ago and was the runner-up last year) are to be played on Oct. 30, also at Rock Hill. The state golf tournament is to be played next June.

“Turner and Nate have great shots at making the county tournament,” King said.