The East Hampton High School boys swimming team evened its record at 1-1 with a 78-66 win last Thursday over Deer Park-North Babylon at the Y.M.C.A. East Hampton RECenter.
Craig Brierley, the team’s coach, said in an emailed report that “the boys were feeling confident and were excited going into the meet, and their confidence grew when our teams finished first and third in the first event, the 200-yard medley relay. They then went on to win nine of the 11 events.”
East Hampton’s winners were the 200 medley relay team of Liam Knight, Nick Chavez, Emmet McCormac, and Owen Robbins; Ben Kriegsman, in the 200 freestyle; Chavez, in the 200 individual medley; McCormac, in the 50 and 100 free; Jack Ziemer, in the 500 free; the 200 free relay team of Robbins, Cristian Sigua, Jack O’Sullivan, and McCormac; Abe Stillman, in the 100 breaststroke, and the 400 free relay team of Knight, Ben O’Sullivan, Sigua, and Jack O’Sullivan.
Sigua, an East Hampton junior, was named as swimmer of the meet by the captains “because of his willingness and efforts in his races. Cristian has been nursing an ankle injury, and was a little unsure of himself on the day of the meet, but did not want to let his teammates down. Thanks to his efforts, the three relays he swam in earned the team 18 points. . . . His decision to compete was an inspiration to his teammates.”
Five county-qualifying times were turned in by Brierley’s swimmers that day, by the 200 medley relay team, Chavez in the 200 individual medley, McCormac in the 50 free, and Knight in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke.
The team was to have swum at Ward Melville Tuesday.
In other swimming news, Angelika Cruz, who helps Tom Cohill with the Y’s youth swim team, the Hurricanes, said that the team had finished fourth at last weekend’s Holiday Invitational meet at the Nassau County Aquatics Center. East Hampton, said Cruz, was “the top New York team.”
Daisy Pitches was the second-highest scorer among the competitors in the girls 15-to-18-year-old category, “P.R.’ing just about every time she went off the blocks.”
Pitches was second in the 100 freestyle, second in the 100 backstroke, third in the 500 freestyle, fourth in the 200 individual medley and in the 200 backstroke, fifth in the 50 free, and sixth in the 200 free.
“Aidan Menu and Heidi Rizzo also ‘finaled’ in every event,” Cruz added.
In Friday’s session, Chavez set a team record with his time of four minutes and 35.61 seconds in the 13-14-year-old boys 400 individual medley, an event in which he placed third. In so doing, Chavez bettered the 4:36.20 that Thomas Brierley swam in that event 12 years ago.
Other Hurricane point-getters that day were Rizzo, who swam a personal best 2:37.78 in the 11-12-year-old girls 200 individual medley, placing 15th. Raegin Poitras was second, and Evelyn Rizzo was seventh in the 9-10 girls 200 free. Molly Grande was 10th in the 11-12 girls 200 free. Aidan Menu was fifth in the 11-12 boys 200 free. In the 13-14 girls 500 free Vanessa Rizzo was 13th and Lucy Knight was 14th. Ben Kriegsman was 15th in the 13-14 boys 500 free, and in the 15-18 girls 500 free Pitches was third, Lizzie Daniels was 15th, and Ava Castillo was 16th.
The Hurricanes sent out their 8 and 9-year-olds on Saturday with pleasing results. “A big shout-out to Raegin Poitras for winning an event,” the 9-10 girls 50 butterfly, said Cruz, adding that the following had been top-16 scorers in the 8-and-under division: Ryder Abran, Rhythm Benz, Paul Crills, Felix Doerfler, Quinn Flaherty, Isla Haak, Alani Janota, Isabel Jimenez, Drew Lamb, Ben LoCasio, Frederique Medina-Lashko, Josie Meringer, Vera Minardi, Aaron O’Shea, Adelynn O’Shea, Violet Pitches, Henry Popadick, Zoe Powers, Dallas Smith, Barrett Steyert, Evan Sullivan, and Sadie Weil.
In the 9-10 division, the Hurricanes’ top-16 scorers were: Rex Doerfler, Novella Dunham, Zoey Falkenhan, Roger Kriegsman, Ian Martinez, Poitras, Caroline Popadick, Evelyn Rizzo, Henry Sullivan, and Christian Von Hagn.
“We had a fantastic final session on Sunday — the swims were awesome, but even more amazing,” said Cruz, “was the spirit of the crew that came to cheer. Swimming well at the finals means so much more when your teammates are cheering you on.”
“The night,” she said, “started off with a bang as Daisy Pitches swam a 52.72 to finish second in the girls open 100 free, the first time she’d made a Y finals cut. Aidan Menu then swam the 50 free for the third time today, and turned in a best time of 27.40 to finish ninth in the 11-12 boys 50 free. Mia Luna finished sixth in the 13-14 girls 200 breaststroke, and Ariel Ruggiero finished eighth in the 13-14 boys 200 breaststroke with a personal best time of 2:56.94.”
“Lizzie Daniels was 11th in the 13-14 girls open 200 breaststroke in 2:34.94; Heidi Rizzo swam a personal best 1:19.51 in the 11-12 girls 100 breaststroke, finishing fourth; Aidan Menu got back into action, swimming a personal best 1:26.77 in the 11-12 boys 100 breaststroke, finishing 13th; Ginger Griffin finished seventh in the girls 13-14 200 fly, and Jasiu Gredysa finished eighth in the boys 13-14 200 fly with a personal best 2:18.46.”
“Ava Castillo finished ninth in the 200 fly; Heidi Rizzo finished 16th in the 11-12 girls 100 fly, and Aidan Menu finished 12th with yet another personal best time of 1:13.33. Nicky Chavez then, for the first time, broke the one-minute barrier in the 100 backstroke for 13-and-14-year-old boys, finishing in a tie for ninth in 59.27. Daisy Pitches also broke the one-minute barrier for the first time in the 100 back, finishing second in 59.85; Mia Milazzo finished 14th in the 11-12 girls 50 backstroke, and, finally, Pitches finished fourth in the 15-18 girls open 200 individual medley final.”
