Huntington Freshman Swimmer an All-American
Huntington High School freshman Gunther Cassell has earned All-American honors in the 100-yard breaststroke. The teenager won the state championship in the event last winter and has been waiting ever since to learn if his time qualified him for national recognition.
The National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Assn. announced the All-American honorees in each event last week. Cassell's time of 57.20 tied for the 67th fastest in the country this year and was 3.14 seconds behind that of junior Steven Stumph of Campolindo High School in Moraga, California, who owned the swiftest time in the 100-yard breaststroke.
Cassell will return to Huntington High School in the fall for three more years. Blue Devil swimming head coach Gil Smith, who had earlier announced his intention to retire following the season after 30 years, has opted to remain in his position for perhaps two more years.
Cassell is Huntington's first boys' state swimming champion ever. His father, Geoff Cassell, was a two-time state swim champ for West Islip. The teenager won his state title at the Flickinger Aquatic Center in Buffalo.