Caelan Clayton saved the best for last. The Huntington High School swimmer enjoyed her finest season this past fall, reaching the state championships.
“Caelan had a breakthrough year as a senior, achieving her personal goal of qualifying for the states in the 100 butterfly,” said Christopher Helmke, Huntington’s veteran head coach. “Seeded No. 48, Caelan swam to a 26th place finish at the states, besting her previous record time.”
Ms. Clayton is one of the top students academically in Huntington’s Class of 2022. Widely respected by her classmates and teachers, the teenager is loved by her teammates, too.
“Caelan has been a versatile and dedicated swimmer with a great personality and leadership skills,” Helmke said. “She is a well-rounded athlete whose specialties include butterfly, backstroke and freestyle.”
The senior notched All-League honors in four separate events and qualified for the Section XI championships in a pair of relays and two individual events.
Ms. Clayton was All-League in the 200 individual relay and 400 freestyle relay and also in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke.
“Caelan is a great asset to our team and she will be missed,” Helmke said.
Tutoring coordinator of the high school’s National Honor Society chapter and vice president of the English Honor Society, Ms. Clayton is also a member of the Spanish Honor Society, Math Honor Society and Science Honor Society as well as Huntington’s Key Club.
Ms. Clayton is enrolled in Advanced Placement Calculus BC, AP Physics, AP Micro/Macro Economics, Spanish V Honors, AP English Literature and Composition and pep band.
The senior is pursuing a nomination to US Naval Academy. Alternatively, she is also interested in securing a Navy ROTC scholarship. “Some of the ROTC colleges that I’m interested in include the University of Rochester and Purdue University,” Ms. Clayton said.