On this day 26 years ago, Holly Pinder finished 3rd in the 100 breaststroke at the Suffolk County Championships, held at Ward Melville High School. The junior powered to a time of 1:11.50 to both medal and qualify for a spot at the New York State Championships.

It was a gratifying accomplishment for Pinder, who was just shy of the state qualifying standard in 1994:

Better in the Bahamas

Stony Brook coach Barbara Murphy has gotten used to students coming from out of town to attend the private school. But you can imagine her surprise when she asked a talented new swimmer where she got her experience and sophomore Holly Pinder answered, “The Bahamas junior national team.” Pinder, whose parents live in Nassau, Bahamas, year-round, followed her 20-year-old brother Ryan to Stony Brook. Holly placed second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:12.52, but narrowly missed the state qualifying time of 1:12.45 by a .07 of a second.

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