Chesterton sophomore Brenley Bonez adds a pool record to her growing collection at Crown Point dual meet

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

A highly competitive, elite swimmer, it would only be natural for Chesterton sophomore Brenley Bonez to quickly check out the pool records on the wall of visiting pools before warming up. She said she usually does that, but didn’t think to do so Tuesday night at Crown Point.
No matter, Jenni Kellstrom, coach of the Chesterton boys and girls swim teams, took care of that for her.
“I was in the warmup pool, warming up, and Jenni said, ‘You’re breaking that,’” Bonez said of the 100-yard breaststroke time on the board.
Already? On the second day of December?
Sure, why not?
Bonez swam a 1:02.56 to shatter the pool record and win by nearly nine seconds. Bonez also won the 50 freestyle in 23.70, and swam the breaststroke for the winning 200 medley relay team, as well as the anchor leg for the first-place 400 free relay.
“I felt pretty good through it,” she said of the 100 breaststroke. “I know I wasn’t (tech) suited or anything but I was just swimming and having fun and I touched and I did it,” Bonez said.
She looked at her time on the scoreboard and didn’t need to look back at the board for the pool records because she remembered it and knew she had put her name up there.
“It makes me feel good, less anxious,” Bonez said after getting her season off to a good start. “I know I have a lot in me this season, so it’s a good start.”
Bonez’s words apply to the whole team as well. The Trojans defeated Crown Point 131-54, winning all three relays and all eight individual swim races, leaving only the diving first-place points for Crown Point.
Junior Adalyn Laughner took first in the 200 individual medley and backstroke races. Senior Peyton Ostertag won the 200 and 500. Senior Tegan Werner won the 100 butterfly. Freshman Brynn Law won the 100 free. So if you’re scoring at home, the breakdown by class of the winners of the individual eight swim races looked like this: one won by a freshman, two for the sophomore class, two for the junior class and three for the senior class. Balance, depth, continuity.
The Trojans finished eighth at the state meet last season and added more than they subtracted, when factoring in a deep freshman class and improvements from returning athletes.
In addition to the first-place points Law brought in the 100 free, she swam the anchor leg of the 200 medley relay, the second leg of the 200 free relay and finished second to Bonez in the 50 free.
Taylor Ryan was another freshman finishing second to Bonez, doing so in the 100 breaststroke. Ryan also placed third in the 200 IM and swam in two relay races.
Fellow freshman Reese Kellstrom swam the butterfly in the medley relay, placed third in the 100 free and fourth in the 100 back, as well as swimming a leg of the second-place Chesterton B 400 free relay team.
Classmate Makenzie Soto took third in the 200 free and 100 fly, and swam for the winning 200 free relay squad and for the second-place Chesterton B 400 free relay squad.
Cate Swistek swam the 500 free and a leg of the 400 free relay B squad, joining two classmates and senior Lux Mountford.
It’s not easy for a freshman to crack such a deep roster and the Trojans had five of them swimming at Crown Point, a great sign for the present and the future.
“They’re awesome,” Bonez said of her freshman teammates. “We have a lot. It’s helping us tremendously. They’re awesome. They’re training awesome and they’re good to have.”