Sophomore Brenley Bonez defeats reigning 100-yard breaststroke state champion Maddie Moreth and sets school and pool records to lead Chesterton girls’ one-sided victory over visiting Valparaiso

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

A riveting sports duel doesn’t cross that bridge into genuine rivalry status until the underdog takes down the champion for the first time.
Now it can be said: Reigning 100-yard breaststroke state champion Maddie Moreth, a senior at Valparaiso, and Chesterton sophomore Brenley Bonez form a compelling rivalry within a rivalry.
Bonez defeated Moreth in the 100 breast for the first time Tuesday night, and set the Chesterton pool and school records in the process.
Pulling away in the latter half of the race, Bonez broke her own pool and school records with a 1:01.80. Moreth swam a 1:02.29 for second place in a dual meet won by the Chesterton girls 130-55.
As a freshman, Bonez was runner-up to Moreth at the DAC championship and the Hobart sectional. At the state meet, Moreth swam a 1:00.58 to win it and Bonez placed fourth in 1:02.83.
Bonez’s Tuesday night swim was her second pool record this season. She also set one at Crown Point on Dec. 2 when she was clocked in 1:02.56.
The top four finishers in the event at state last season all are back. Carmel seniors Molly Sweeney and Lucy Enoch finished second and third.
Before those four all dive into the same pool in Indianapolis, Bonez and Moreth should square off again in the DAC Championship on Jan. 17 at Lake Central and at the Valparaiso sectional on Feb. 7 and at the state meet at IU Indianapolis on Feb. 14.
That makes it easy for Bonez to set goals. Aggressive ones.
“I knew I was going to have to swim my best time to beat her. I want to beat Maddie at conference and sectionals and hopefully I can win state, too,” Bonez said. “That would be amazing.”
It will be exciting to see how low both swimmers can go by the time the postseason rolls around and they are wearing tech suits and their training loads are cut back so that they’re freshest when it matters most.
“Maddie’s going to bring the heat too at the end of the season,” Chesterton swim coach Jenni Kellstrom said. “That was a phenomenal swim for Brenley and she just has to keep improving.”
Bonez also won the 50 freestyle (23.71), swam the breaststroke leg of the victorious 200 medley relay and the anchor leg of the winning 400 relay.
Her record time in the 100 breaststroke was .01 faster than the time that she swam in Indianapolis wearing a tech suit. Moreth swam there as well, although they were in different heats.
Bonez was far from alone in standing out for the Trojans, legitimate contenders for a runner-up finish at state behind Carmel, winner of 39 consecutive state championships.
Junior Adealyn Laughner, Bonez and freshmen Reese Kellstrom and Brynn Law won the 200 medley relay with ease.
Law, freshman Makenzie Soto and seniors Tegan Werner and Peyton Ostertag won the 200 free relay by three-plus seconds. Ostertag, Werner, Laughner and Bonez won the 400 relay.
Laughner, who also swam at the national meet in Indianapolis over the weekend, won the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke.
Ostertag won the 200 free, followed by Soto and senior Lux Mountford, and also placed first in the 500 free, followed by Emily Hofmann and Natalie Pieters.
Ostertag, Soto and senior Lux Mountford took the top three spots in the 200 free, and Ostertag, Emily Hofmann and Natalie Pieters were the top three finishers in the 500 free.
Kellstrom said “the whole team,” meaning the boys and girls, have been bringing it daily in practice.
“The culture, the enthusiasm, the atmosphere, the camaraderie, the effort level, our practices are insane,” the coach said.
Sophomore Bella Walters (211.10) and junior Ruby Fowler (201.00) won the top two places in the 1-meter dive.