Sullivan Leads Blue Devil Swimming
Freshman Sean Sullivan led a very young Huntington boys’ swimming team that included no seniors and just three juniors on its 25 man roster. In all, the squad included 13 eighth graders and freshmen.
While the team boasts many up-and-coming swimmers, Sullivan, who earned all-league and all-county honors, is clearly the best at this point, qualifying for the state championships for the second consecutive season, establishing personal best times and breaking school records.
Coached by Gil Smith and Meg McConnell, Huntington finished fifth in the league standings and 11th in Suffolk. The best team accomplishment of the season came against a nearby foe. “We had a great dual meet with Harborfields and almost pulled off an upset,” Smith said. “It was our best team performance of the season.” The Blue Devils went on to defeat the Tornadoes in the league and county championships.
Jake Goldstein, Ryan Moore, Nick Patrikis, Patrick O’Brien, Andrew Reiver and Chris McQuade each earned all-league honors, respectively. Moore and Reiver were the team captains.
“With no seniors on the team, it developed into a competitive one by the season’s end,” Smith said. “We will definitely compete for being a top three team in the league next year. They are hard working individuals who improved greatly. We lost many dual meets by less than ten points. We also had more all-league performances this season than last. We had a good group of ninth graders.”
Sullivan is quickly becoming one of Suffolk’s best swimmers. He placed 32nd in the state meet out of 70 qualifiers in the 200 IM and his times have steadily improved. Goldstein has also developed into one of the best backstrokers in the league and is an asset on the relay teams. Moore performed well in the 100 and 200 freestyle events and O’Brien is one of the finest breastrokers in the league. He qualified for the county championships for the second straight year.
Next year the Blue Devils look to continue adding depth to the program. “We will be getting a great bunch of eighth graders next year,” Smith said. “With senior leadership, our league record and performances will improve greatly. I look forward to a super season next year.”
Blue Devil Notes: Patrick Einhorn, Jake Goldstein, Connor Leek, Daniel McGale, Christopher McQuade, Marlon Nigro, Patrick O’Brien, Ryan Pavelka, Andrew Reiver, Sean Sullivan and Joseph West earned New York State Scholar Athlete team awards for their impressive academic performance.
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