The East Hampton High School girls swimming team placed sixth among the 21 schools that vied in the county meet at Stony Brook University Sunday, bettering last year’s 10th-place finish.
Craig Brierley, the young team’s coach, said afterward that “it was inspiring to watch this year’s group of student-athletes compete with heart and give all they had in every race throughout the season. . . . Our alumnae will be happy to know that the 2024 Bonac girls left the team in a better place than when they got here.”
Hauppauge-Smithtown, Sayville-Bayport, Connetquot-East Islip, Half Hollow Hills-Kings Park, and Ward Melville finished ahead of the Bonackers, who, in turn, placed higher than Huntington-Harborfields, Brentwood-Bay Shore, Northport-Commack, Longwood, West Islip, Mount Sinai, Shoreham-Wading River, Sachem East, Eastport-South Manor, Port Jefferson, Deer Park-North Babylon, Miller Place, Rocky Point, Lindenhurst, and Sachem North.
East Hampton’s 200-yard medley relay team of Vanessa Rizzo, Lizzy Daniels, Ava Castillo, and Lily Griffin placed fourth among the 13 entries.
Daniels finished fourth in the 200 individual medley; the 200 freestyle relay team of Maya Dias, a ninth grader, Sydney Powers, an eighth grader, Ginger Griffin, a sophomore, and Lily Griffin, a senior, placed fifth among 14 entrants; Daniels placed fifth in the 100 breaststroke, and the 400 relay team of Ashley Leon, a senior, Molly Grande, an eighth grader, Cybelle Curry, a sophomore, and Lylah Metz, a junior, placed sixth among 13 entrants.
In addition, Castillo was ninth and Ginger Griffin 13th in the 100 butterfly; Metz was 10th and Lily Early 14th in the 500 freestyle; Rizzo was 10th in the 100 backstroke and 11th in the 500 free; Lily Griffin was 14th in the 200 free and in the 50 free, and Castillo was 17th in the 100 breaststroke.
Also in his account, Brierley said, “Throughout the meet, many of the 13 girls we took posted either a season-best or lifetime-best time — a very impressive feat given the fact that they posted best times just a week prior in the league championship meet. . . . The girls are driven to improve on what was done today and come back next year with even higher goals.”
Powers and Grande were named as swimmers of the meet by the captains for “having swum best times in their events, Sydney in the 200 free relay and Molly in the 400 free relay. Their efforts and dedication to the team were an inspiration to all. They represent the future of the team.”
