Qualified athletes and relay teams for the Rye – Rye Neck – Blind Brook Swim and Dive team took to the Section 1 tournament over the past weekend, with divers competing on Thursday, November 6, and swimmers on Friday, November 7 and Monday, November 10. The meet was the penaultimate action for the team in 2025, with only states looming for only a few athletes.
The divers kicked off action, with solid performances from Lucie Megret (13th), Claire Biddle (15th), and Zoe Lopez (24th). In a large and competitive field, Head Coach Katie Konopka was very pleased with how her three divers placed.
For swimmers, the trial round was on Friday 11/7 and finals on Monday 11/10 at Felix Festa Middle School. Kate Chesley highligted the entire pack, placing second overall in the 100M backstroke on Monday after a world-class trial run. “During the trials session of the meet, Kate broke the Rye High School record in the 100M backstroke with an All-American Consideration time of 55.50,” Konopka confirmed on Monday. Chesley’s excellent season will continue in states, but it is hard to imagine a better individual performance than her trial run in sectionals.
Chesley was also a member of the 200M Medley relay team with Sophie Boyle, Elena Rojas, and Grayson Findlay, which picked up a solid 7th-place finish. She wrapped up her weekend with an 11th place result in the 200M Individual Medley (IM) and 5th place in the 400M free relay, alongside Boyle, Findlay, and Clare McGlynn.
McGlynn was one of three Rye – Rye Neck – Blind Brook swimmers to compete in the 200M freestyle, pacing the team with an 11th place finish. Charlotte Tait and Sophie Boyle were 21st and 22nd, respectively. Boyle also came in 24th in the 100-yard breaststroke event. Tait, an 8th-grader at Rye High School, swam a personal best in the 500-yard free, ending in 13th place. Fellow middle schooler Elena McGlynn also recorded a new PR in a 28th-place result, setting the stage for a potential half-decade of success for Konopka’s team.
Grayson Findlay placed 10th in the 50M free, just ahead of Quinn Boyle (22nd). Boyle also finished 28th in the 100M backstroke. She joined Elena McGlynn, Elena Rojas, and Charlotte Tait, a very young foursome, who wound up 19th in the 200M free.
