BY MARK MORING, Eastern Shore Post, Feb. 6, 2026
Sarah Bentley’s favorite subject is math, and these days, she’s focused on solving one problem in particular. It goes like this:
As a freshman at Nandua High School, she finished fourth in the state in the 100-yard breaststroke. As a sophomore, she finished third in the same event. As a junior, second.
And now, as a senior, with the state swim meet less than two weeks away, well, you don’t have to be a math whiz to figure out the desired next step in that progression.
“I’m looking for first place,” Bentley says with a slight chuckle, showing both confidence and humility at even saying it out loud.
It makes perfect sense. Bentley has not only steadily improved on her 100 breast times over her high school career, but the girl who beat her last year, Bruton’s Izzie Check, is now swimming in college.
The 100 breast is Bentley’s best event, but she’s very versatile. She has qualified for the state meet in a remarkable seven individual events and three relays. Rules limit swimmers to four total events, including relays. Bentley will certainly swim the 100 breast; her other events will likely be determined by Nandua’s performances at next week’s 2A Regionals.
Bentley feels like she’s peaking at the right time. But no matter the results, this is certain: She will have fun, she will smile, and she might even break into dance.
“Sarah is our social butterfly,” says her mom and coach, KJ Bentley. “She makes friends at every meet. She brings joy wherever she goes. She’s the one I can count on to be dancing on the pool deck.”
Bentley says that’s just the way she is. “I like to talk,” she says. “Some people like to just sit down and focus, but in the ready room before a race, I’m definitely talking, asking how everyone’s feeling. I think it helps calm my nerves a little bit.”
Bentley, who holds school records in the 100 breast, 100 butterfly, 200 IM, and 500 free, is part of a third generation of swimming excellence. Her grandmother, Kathryn Silver, swam at the University of Rhode Island. Her mom, KJ, and her aunt, Courtney Silver, swam at UNC-Wilmington.
Her sister, Grace, who holds multiple school records at Nandua, is a sophomore on the team at Washington & Lee. And little sister Caroline, a seventh-grader, is already showing promise in the pool, following her sisters’ path (KJ plans to coach the Warriors until Caroline graduates in 2031.).
When Grace headed off to Lexington two years ago, Sarah had trouble adjusting. Not only did she dearly miss her big sis, but she had also lost her longtime training partner. Theirs is a friendly sibling rivalry, but they’re both competitive and made each other better.
“When Grace left, it was hard at first,” Sarah says. “I definitely struggled with that mentally, not having her there to push me anymore.”
Grace misses it, too.
“I definitely cherish all of the time we spent together in the pool and the way we would push each other,” Grace says. “I owe so much of my success to my sister and my biggest supporter. While we don’t train together anymore, I love watching her excel from afar. And the sibling rivalry still exists as she tries to take down my school records.”
Sarah won’t be following Grace into the world of college swimming. She wants to pursue a career in physical therapy and plans to major in kinesiology at the University of Virginia where she was just accepted this week.
Bentley’s interest in physical therapy began as a freshman when she was battling a knee injury. After surgery, she did physical therapy at Bayside Rehabilitation in Onley — just a stone’s throw from the Eastern Shore Family YMCA, where Nandua’s team is based.
After a season of pain, swelling, and limited improvement, Bentley’s knee improved markedly through PT. She asked a lot of questions along the way and was hooked on the science of it all. She’s been an intern at Bayside ever since.
“Once my knee got better, I started thinking that PT would be a cool job,” Bentley says. “I like to help people, and I like to see their progress. And I’ve been accumulating all this knowledge along the way.”
Now that the stress of her college choice is made, Bentley turns her focus to the regional and state meets over the next two weeks, especially in the 100 breaststroke.
Fourth.
Third.
Second.
There’s only one missing number, and she’s got her eyes on the prize.
