Never make the mistake of telling one of the Huntington School District’s Special Olympians that a challenge is too hard for them. They will prove you wrong every single time.
A group of young Blue Devils recently walked away with an impressive haul of gold, silver and bronze medals at the Special Olympics 2018 Spring Games North at Bethpage.
The Huntington contingent managed to overcome poor weather conditions to excel and turn in a sensational set of performances.
The top results included:
• Julianna Ackerman: Third place in the 50m run
• Ben Soric: Silver medal in boys’ 100m run; First place in softball throw
• Danny McClellan: Bronze meda1in the 100m run; Silver medal in the softball throw
• Alisha Harvey: Bronze medal in the 100m run; Gold medal in the softball throw
• Isabella D’Angelo: Gold medal in the 100m run; Silver medal in the softball throw
Team members Joey Biernacki and Maria Verfenstein weren’t able to attend the competition, but both turned in exceptional seasons during training sessions
“These kids are just downright terrific,” Huntington Superintendent James W. Polansky said. “They work extraordinarily hard in all regards and they are always among the Huntington school community’s finest of representatives. I am thrilled to support them in all that they do and remain so incredibly proud of their accomplishments.”
The Blue Devils were coached by Lynn Hefele, Theresa Matthews and TJ Hefele. Nate Soric was a volunteer assistant.
Many Huntington UFSD teachers and staff members were on hand to cheer the athletes on, including Linda Costello-Roth, Tina Balducci, Margaret Connors and Linda Malloy.
