“Eat My Bubbles,” written on many swimmers’ backs, perfectly captured the team’s confidence, humor, and competitive spirit this past weekend.
The East Hampton YMCA Hurricanes swim team delivered a performance for the ages at the 2026 New York State Championship, capturing the state title in dominant and dramatic fashion. The Hurricanes shattered 12 team records, competed against massive size opposing teams, and proved that heart, depth, and determination can overcome size and expectations.
The championship meet, at Nassau Aquatics Center, featured 1,100 athletes from 28 teams across New York State, many teams represented with significantly bigger rosters than our Hurricanes. The East Hampton Hurricanes, with 76 athletes, is comprised of these age divisions: 8 and Under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, and 15-19 years old.
Throughout the meet, East Hampton swimmers delivered standout performances in every session. The relay teams broke multiple records. Individual swimmers followed with personal bests and record-breaking swims that steadily pushed the Hurricanes up the leaderboard.
By the end of the championship, the team had broken 12 records, an extraordinary accomplishment at a state-level meet where competition is at its highest. Coach Tom Cohill praised the team’s work ethic, team spirit, and relentless energy across the entire weekend. He has said his swimmer were “giant slayers”.
“This was a total team victory,” said one parent. “Every swimmer contributed. Every point mattered. We may have been smaller in team size, but we raced harder, smarter, and together.”
We congratulate head coach Tom Cohill and assistant coaches, Angelika Cruz, Sean Knight, Eugene DePasquale, Sean Crowley, Sophia Swanson, Ryan Duryea, Diana Winthrop, Melissa Flaherty and Hank Oppenheimer. Says Cohill, “And, of course, we wouldn’t be where we are nowadays without the incredible support we’ve gotten from the parents.”
The Hurricanes have officially made waves, again, across New York swimming. And they’re not done yet.